Following that unfortunate business with Nazi salutes in the May local elections and MEP Godfrey Bloom’s recent excursion to the mythical “Bongo-Bongo Land”, UKIP has put its candidates for next year’s European poll through a spot of psychometric testing to check they’re up to the job. While criticised for introducing vetting procedures that could eliminate “characters” who distinguish the party from the Westminster elite, Nigel Farage wants to avoid any major embarrassments. Minor embarrassments, of course, will be embraced as good PR.
Psychometric testing has long been used in recruitment to help organisations match the right personalities to the right roles. And while many published psychologists call into question the use of personality tests, they are widely used across business and the public sector. Whether you believe in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, some other system, or none at all, the principle that everyone should seek to understand their colleagues’ personalities seems sound.
But can it really apply in politics?
Perhaps this sort of thinking could help with the imminent ministerial and Shadow Cabinet reshuffles. In a business or public-sector body, the chief exec could seek to balance the skills and personality types around the top table to ensure a stable and cohesive team. For example, extroverts seeking the limelight would be balanced by more pensive and inwardly focused characters. You could see it working to a degree – a balance of logical thinkers, intuitive decision makers and more considered information seekers would make for good, collective judgement.
The problem, though, is that the pool of ministerial candidates isn’t that wide in the first place.
It takes a particular blend of ego, thick skin, determination and ambition to stand for Parliament – and a particular set of presentation skills and interpersonal characteristics to get elected. Good politicians aren’t necessarily the most balanced individuals. So it’s no surprise that party leaders are left with a combative, ambitious, self-promoting set of talents around their Cabinet tables. Other personalities simply aren’t available for selection.
So, rather than focus on compliance with a certain set of characteristics at either MP or MEP selection stage, far-sighted parties might focus on bringing through a wide range of personality types to make a balanced and unified leadership team a more likely prospect.
No party wants a bunch of fruitcakes on its plate. But candidates have to be just mad enough – or they wouldn’t seek to stand in the first place.
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