Our lesson today is taken from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 14, verse eight: “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”
In the macho and combative world of Westminster politics, certainty is a highly valued commodity. If you are not decisive then you must be a ditherer. The logic, and the alliteration, are irresistible. Hence the prime minister’s current difficulty over three (count ’em!) recent U-turns: over the winter fuel allowance, a national inquiry into grooming gangs and now on proposed cuts to personal independence payments (Pip).
