Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/302202
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 APRIL 2014 Opinion 22 W ith the country back in the middle of a full-blown election campaign and the British Labour Party having just taken over David Axelrod, President Obama's former strategist during two presidential victories, it might be worth reflecting on something that distinguishes one leader from another in Malta. This has nothing to do with the tag of populism Labour is often labeled with. On the contrary, it is more a question of what is known in the trade as emotional intelligence - the skill of taking competence the extra mile, into the realm of connectivity. People do not just want buzzwords or mantras but people who talk about what really matters to them. Regardless of whether the present Opposition may happen to be driving itself into the wall, the whole issue is not about political ideology or political technique, but more than anything about political conviction. The country has had more than its fair share of bungled winnable elections. One may attribute it more to psychology than sheer political science while experts in the field might even draw on what is often termed as cognitive neuroscience. All this goes beyond the perfunctory routines and duties of campaign managers, political strategists, pollsters, consultants and yes, donors too. Psychological science needs to be translated into election day choices. And that is exactly what Labour did during the last election campaign. Former Labour minister Alan Milburn must have touched a raw nerve when a few days ago he warned that the economic landscape had shifted so much in his own country that, in his opinion, Labour in the UK can only win a majority in Parliament when it rewards aspirations and does not just recognize injustices when it focuses as much on creating wealth as merely distributing it. This feeling of unease has permeated many a Labour Party in Europe throughout the past years and decades. In the US, a number of unsuccessful presidential candidates actually managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory rather than vice versa. Politics is not just about theories but also about thoughts, feelings, images and ideas.All this has nothing to do with spin doctors' stuff. A few years ago, the point had been made that even the most analytical of voters tend to think about politics with the touchy feely part of their brains, rather than the merely rational. I believe that every successful party has to combine the best ingredients of a clinical psychologist with those of a political strategist. Every campaign national, European or local needs to be emotionally compelling. Without a strong combination between mind, brain and emotion politics will simply not work. Or yield the desired results. It needs to abort ambivalence, inspire positivity and at the same time touch upon what many describe as 'the passionate brain.' A recent book on emotional intelligence made it clear that its intended audience can vary from those interested in politics, psychology, leadership, neuroscience, marketing and even law. In the past in the US, millions of voters were unable to figure out why their party had lost so many elections despite polls showing that the average voter agreed with their positions on most policy issues. One needs to understand the nuances and meaning of what people say, do and feel. In politics if one misreads these things, one tends to lose elections. Particularly in this day and age when information overload is the order of the day, one needs to wrestle with far more tact and intelligence when tackling and finding his/her way through new political information. The constant information on public opinion gains relevance, particularly in terms of where it is and where it seems to be going. People need politicians who care and would do something about it, whatever the 'it' might be in terms of problems, issues or concerns. There was a time when campaigns were dismissed as the market place of ideas. In modern times one might be forgiven for thinking more in terms of the market place of emotions. Spouting mere facts and figures cannot guarantee connectivity or else the securing of one's attention span. No matter how they might have performed as Presidents, with the exclusion of Obama, since JFK, in the last decades the three Democrats who have ascended to the presidency – Johnson, Carter and Clinton - have shared one characteristic: they were from the South. The same goes for most leading political consultants who have led their candidate into the White House in the last decades, irrespective of which side of the aisle they may have come from. When comparisons were drawn between Roosevelt and Clinton, not only did they share the same keen intellect but also something deeply valued by people in the heartland: an understanding of what they were feeling. People want leaders who address the hearts and minds of the people on a note of confidence, determination and a shared mission. The ability to speak to people's concerns at an emotional level was a characteristic of Clinton's campaigns and even governance. People want leaders who reflect gravitas not hubris. Just harking on people's fears and prejudices is not enough. The last election showed that people wanted a leader who could appeal to their hopes and dreams, their sense of shared fate or purpose, as well as someone who genuinely cared about their welfare and has what it takes to help restore it. We have not been perfect throughout the past year or so. And by we I obviously include myself. But our sense of commitment cannot be questioned, neither can our sense of purpose, drive and determination to push ahead and get things done. The previous administration was aimless and lacking coherence as well as any semblance of a forward- looking strategy. I am convinced that in spite of this administration's warts, people would not want to go back into the dark of night. Leo Brincast is minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change Emotional intelligence The country has had more than its fair share of bungled winnable elections Leo Brincat