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LibLink: David Laws – Five things I have learned

By | Mon 15th March 2010 - 7:25 pm

Over at the BBC News website, Lib Dem shadow schools spokesman David Laws “reveals the most important things he has learned in his life.” Here’s one of them …

5. Sometimes it is easier to achieve your goals in a roundabout way than by a full-frontal assault.

When I was in the City you were taught to be very blunt, straight forward and direct. There was a premium on clarity of thought and expression, whereas sometimes in politics to achieve your goals or to persuade other people, you need to be less direct than you might otherwise want to be.

It’s probably a characteristic that all politicians and probably a lot of us in life need: that you don’t always get your way by confronting people in a very direct way and promoting disagreement, but by winning them over in different ways; by understanding their motivation and the arguments that are going to carry weight with them.

To find out David’s four other things, click here.

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