“Not a Typical Politician”
What jumped out at me from journalists’ descriptions of Britain’s newly elected Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
I don’t follow British politics. But I do read headlines about international affairs. And when I saw the newly elected Prime Minister of the UK, Keir Starmer, referred to as “unknowable,” “not a typical politician” and “a bit shy,” I became curious enough to look up half a dozen newspaper and magazine profiles of him. Some articles were recent and others went back five or more years. Clue after clue quickly piled up in my notes from descriptions of him by reporters, commentators and people who know or knew him. To me, the conclusion was fascinating and inescapable.
The man who just won a landslide victory in Britain is an introvert.
What follows has nothing to do with Starmer’s political views or whether he’s the right leader for his country. I’m just going to discuss certain giveaway traits of introverts and then how our personality type tends to be described and perceived.
Let’s look first at the indicators that to me seemed to be screaming “Introvert! Introvert!”
1. Articles about him describe Starmer as “detached,” “quite boring,” having “no personality,” “a man alone,” “slightly isolated,” “dull,” “soulless” and “lacking in star power.” These phrases complain about someone who’s hard to know, who doesn’t spontaneously emanate his essence. Introverts often get pegged as enigmatic or robotic when they’re the opposite of exuberant and high-spirited. Yet it’s extremely unlikely that someone could ascend to leadership of a national political party who was actually the nearest human thing to an automaton. More on this below.
2. According to a few of the profiles, in private Starmer shines. Friends describe him as “charismatic and humorous,” and as much more sparkling with his buddies than with strangers or in public. Remember that introverts often reserve their best, most authentic self for an inner circle of intimates.
3. He likes to listen, one of the profiles mentioned. Again this is typical of introverts, who tend to take in more than we give out.
4. He is uncomfortable sharing personal information. Questions from interviewers about his innermost thoughts and deep emotions didn’t yield either genial confessions or practiced anecdotes. These probes didn’t even seem to register with him. Most tellingly, Starmer refuses to publicly provide the names of his son and daughter, showing a concern for privacy which is extremely unusual for anyone holding public office but a characteristic tendency of introverts.
5. Although he’s been knighted, he shrinks from being address as “Sir.” As he put it in one interview, “I’ve never liked titles.” That’s another introvert marker – discomfort with symbols of glory.
6. As if that’s not enough, a persistent rumor had it that Starmer was the model for Mark Darcy in the book and movie “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Mark Darcy was a classic introvert who in turn was based on the quintessential introvert Fitzwilliam Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. “Bridget Jones”’s author, Helen Fielding, finally revealed that she hadn’t been thinking of Starmer when she invented Mark Darcy, but noted that the two are “very similar.”
And let’s now consider two points raised by all these characterizations. First is the journalistic scorn and incomprehension heaped on Mr. Starmer. He’s described as having “no personality” because he defies the extrovert norm that we should fling our charming quirks into every interaction. He’s described as “unknowable” because his type of individuality comes out slowly over time and more easily with intimates. While introverts may be more challenging for reporters to profile, that doesn’t make them blank boxes.
Keep in mind that reserved people may prioritize displays of competence and knowledge over expressing excitement and verve. The negative judgments in point #1 above, however, show what may happen when we do that. The prejudice against introverts in those comments is stunning.
Second is the supposed conflict between the role of politician and someone who’s undemonstrative or self-contained. As an outsider, I’ll defer here to the judgment of British voters. Overwhelmingly Mr. Starmer won their trust. Apparently they understood something about leadership that the commentators I quoted did not.