The leader of the British Conservative party, David Cameron, has just given his annual party conference speech. His party’s poll lead has been halved in recent days, as voters worry about the financial crisis and consider who is best placed to lead the country at this time.

In his speech Mr Cameron made this astonishing statement: “You can’t prove you’re ready to be prime minister.”

Now this claim may be logically true – unless you have been prime minister before, of course. But how many aspiring chief executives would tell a board of directors: “Well, you see, I can’t prove that I’ll be any good as CEO”? It is unthinkable.

I cannot imagine Margaret Thatcher, Harold Wilson or Tony Blair making such an admission. (Perhaps a reader could dig up a similar quote from one of them?)

Maybe, deep down, Mr Cameron lacks confidence in himself and his ability to take on the top job. I can’t help feeling that he has just scored a huge political own goal.

October 1, 2008 5:10pm in Hard times, Leadership | Comment