Batman is the hero of Gotham City. He’s the one locals turn to when they need saving. He’s the name on everyone’s lips. But the reality is that Gotham City crime is also kept under control by the police commissioner – a character who uses the law to bring justice.
Every time Batman swoops off into the night after delivering a criminal to the police, it’s the police commissioner who steps in to do the paperwork that will actually land the crook in jail. He is a family man, locked into his job, trying to be morally firm. But ask anyone who they prefer and the answer is obvious. Everyone will say Batman.
I don’t need to tell you which character Keir Starmer is in this analogy. But there is a danger that he is treading so carefully in the shoes of the police commissioner that he is losing the public’s heart. He is right to recognise that functional day-to-day politics is a police commissioner’s life. But to sell a political narrative to the public, you need a sprinkle of Batman.
