Hide your ambitions

Alison Loat considers Samara’s first report on the MP experience.

Alison Loat considers Samara’s first report on the MP experience.

More than anything, these narratives may well be important observations on our political culture. Perhaps our politics attracts underdogs. Or maybe we, as citizens, feel more comfortable defining ourselves that way.

The narratives may also indicate that politics is something for which it’s inappropriate to admit ambition, even after the fact. If that’s the case, it’s no wonder that potential candidates don’t generally think about politics, and that they claim to stumble into political life accidentally. This says something about the state of political leadership in Canada.

The Globe editorial board wonders if we don’t need a few more insiders.