It is unfair, perhaps, to compare suffering. After all, to those who have it all, the slightest inconvenience, the smallest wish unfulfilled, is a tragedy. Besides, as many esoteric thinkers have pointed out, the only inner life a person has access to is their own. Then there’s the more real way that people react to those who are, for want of a better phrase, just spoiled brats. As most people struggle at their jobs — and even to find one — it’s hard to have empathy for the sufferings of the rich and famous. A politician, more than most, should know that.
He’s richer than the king. That’s reason enough for Rishi Sunak, prime minister of the United Kingdom, not to play at being everyman. After a career in finance and through his marriage to Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s daughter, Akshata, he is reportedly the 245th richest person in Britain, several places above Charles Windsor. Understandably, his opponents in the Labour Party have sought to paint Sunak as out of touch with the people, and rather than side-step the issue, he has only confirmed their accusation. In an interview earlier this week, when asked to give an example of something he missed out on as a child, Sunak replied “Sky TV… was something we never had actually.”
Perhaps it’s a unique campaign strategy. Few leaders facing an election – especially one in which their party is widely believed to be on the back foot — have chosen to play the poor-little-rich-boy card. It is more likely, though, that the suave PM put his foot in his mouth. As the healthcare system crumbles, a war rages in Europe and climate change threatens doomsday, Sunak is better off highlighting his economic expertise. The Sky TV trauma is too let-them-eat-cake-ish.
