In yesterday’s FT, Maurice Saatchi writes a clmn arguing that the perennial complaint that politics doesn’t operate enough along business principles is fundamentally misguided. I agree with his points about why normal truth-in-advertising standards can’t be applied to political campaigning, but he ends with this:
Here, then, is the crucial difference between business and politics. In business, the motive of the provider of the product is beside the point. In politics it is the whole point. It follows that politics is not a market and a political party is not a brand. As a party is not a brand, business disciplines do not apply.
Does this follow?
