“Who am I? Why am I here?“ As self-deprecating opening lines go, this one backfired. The year is 1992, the debate stage is set, and Admiral James Stockdale – a Vietnam War hero and vice presidential running mate of Ross Perot – has just introduced himself to the American people. Unfortunately, it had viewers unfairly wondering whether he himself knew the answer.
On the steps of 10 Downing Street, our autumn prime minister, Rishi Sunak, indulged in a similar rhetorical technique. He acknowledged it was “only right to explain why I am standing here“. But unlike Stockdale, Sunak already had power and a readymade response.
