Charles James Fox, edmund burke, Viscount Castle Ray, Battlefield Ray, Cobden·Richard, George Nathaniel Curzon, ernest bevin, Anelin Bevan, Hugh Gaitskell, Rabo Butler and others, for one reason or another, did not reach the top of the political decline. It's not that they don't have talent comparable to successful people. It just means that in the process of selection, some people, even some of the best people, will inevitably be eliminated. Only one horse won the race.
Unsurprisingly, British prime ministers have always been miscellaneous and have no obvious talent or imagination, and some of them occasionally show a little genius. Think of old Pete, Lloyd George and Churchill. But on the whole, the fact that they are ordinary people is not surprising. Bach Holt said, "A politician can combine the strength of first-rate people with the creed of second-rate people." In other words, due to their professional nature, their opinions are bound to be lowered to the level of ordinary people. The prime minister's duty is to manage a group of ambitious and moody people-some of whom will consider themselves not only his sworn enemies, but also his opponents (such as Herbert Morrison in Attlee's government). Stick together in times of difficulty and make sure that every member of the band contributes to the group. The strongest of them said, "as long as we all say the same thing, it doesn't matter what we say." Above all, the Prime Minister must avoid monologues. This position requires a lot of diplomacy, even a little dishonest tricks.
Governments in democratic countries attach importance to conflicts with opposition parties, and the prime minister should give people an impression; He is the leader of a cruel struggle. Therefore, no matter what his personal views are, he must show high morale. Due to his failure in this respect, Belfo lost his leadership position in the Conservative Party. He must avoid being liked by everyone, and at the same time, he must remember that his government, like any other government, is a consortium of people with different opinions, from the extreme left to the extreme right.
According to the survey, among the 49 prime ministers before Margaret Thatcher, 45 were married. Most of them like family life and have many children. Among them, the Duke of grafton had 17 children after two marriages, while Charles, the Earl of Gray, had 15 children although he had only been married once. Spencer Perceval was the father of 12 children when he was assassinated in the corridor of the House of Commons. Lord Bout, who gradually won the post of Prime Minister by playing cards with the Prince of Wales, has 1 1 children.
Most of the prime ministers graduated from aristocratic public schools, including 20 from Eton and 22 from other public schools. Many people have a college degree: they graduated from Oxford University on the 24th and 15 from Cambridge University. These two ancient universities have trained 3/4 prime ministers for Britain. Six prime ministers who had no college education at all had a strange experience. Duke Wellington, the British commander who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, graduated from Eton College and went to a military school in France. His two-year courses are only dancing and riding, with the aim of becoming a standard gentleman. Disraeli, who controlled the Suez Canal for Britain, was born into a Jewish family. After converting to the Anglican Church, he only studied in a religious school for one year. Churchill, the prime minister of World War II, had to spend money to get a diploma at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy because he was too partial in Harrow College.
Judging from their origins, all the British prime ministers before 1834, except Addington and Canning, were of noble birth. Addington's father is a doctor and has made many friends. Canning's mother is just an unpopular actress. She completed her college studies with the financial support of her uncle. Starting from Pierre, people from the big bourgeoisie came to power one after another. Pierre's father is a very rich cotton spinning tycoon, and his political opponents nicknamed him "Jenny Lom". In a sense, his family is indeed the product of the British industrial revolution, and Gladstone belongs to this class. His father became a shipping giant by selling slaves. After henry campbell Bannerman formed a cabinet in the early 20th century, people from middle-class families gradually won many victories. Later prime ministers including Lloyd George, Chamberlain, Heath and Margaret Thatcher all belonged to this class. The so-called middle class mainly refers to their mental outlook, not their property. These people did not rely on the prestige and financial resources of the family, but mainly climbed to the peak of power by their own efforts and struggles. Among all these prime ministers, only one really comes from the working people's family, and he is MacDonald. His father is a tenant farmer in Scotland and his mother is a maid. He was basically self-taught, and later he was elected as the chairman of the Labor Party and became the prime minister through election.
What is even more surprising is that among the 49 prime ministers, 15 actually dates back to the same ancestor. This man was an ordinary squire george villiers in the period of Elizabeth I, and he had a handsome son named george villiers, who later won the favor of King James I of England. At the age of 30, he became the Duke of Buckingham after many twists and turns. He later became a close friend of Charles I and was assassinated by a Puritan in 1628 because of his infamous reputation. Among the descendants of Prime Minister George Villier 15, there are mediocre achievements and outstanding talents, such as Peter and his son, Lord Russell, Churchill, Eden and Homer. Even today's Queen Elizabeth II is related to this family. In addition, novelist henry fielding and famous mathematician Bertrand Russell are also descendants of Villier.
Successive prime ministers have different religious beliefs. The first 26 prime ministers were Anglicans, although the Duke of grafton later converted to the only monotheism. Addington, the 27th Prime Minister, is a Presbyterian. Gladstone and Salisbury are followers of the High Church, while the latter is Presbyterian: rosebery, Belfo, Bannerman and Bonarau. Next came Wilson (congregational), Callahan (Baptist) and Margaret Thatcher (Methodist). Only MacDonald is an atheist.