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| Next! Diane James, Sam Allardyce and the art of the short reign | |
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| Adding insult to what must have been a difficult decision, at least two newspapers were running stories headlined “Who is Diane James?” following the Ukip leader’s resignation just 18 days into the job. She may not have made a huge public impression, but she lasted longer than others who have recently resigned from senior jobs. In July, Marcelo Bielsa quit as manager of the Italian football club Lazio after two days. In June, Pat Glass, the newly appointed shadow education secretary left after two days, amid the flurry of shadow team resignations. It makes Sam Allardyce’s 67-day reign as England football manager, which ended last week with his reluctant resignation, look like an eternity. | Adding insult to what must have been a difficult decision, at least two newspapers were running stories headlined “Who is Diane James?” following the Ukip leader’s resignation just 18 days into the job. She may not have made a huge public impression, but she lasted longer than others who have recently resigned from senior jobs. In July, Marcelo Bielsa quit as manager of the Italian football club Lazio after two days. In June, Pat Glass, the newly appointed shadow education secretary left after two days, amid the flurry of shadow team resignations. It makes Sam Allardyce’s 67-day reign as England football manager, which ended last week with his reluctant resignation, look like an eternity. |
| We don’t need to go back to Lady Jane Grey’s nine-day rule in 1553 for examples of people whose high-profile jobs ended up disappointingly curtailed: Chris Evans only lasted for one series of his much-hyped relaunch of Top Gear this year; David Laws spent just 17 days as chief secretary to the treasury, resigning over his expenses claims in 2010; and in 2012, George Entwistle spent 54 days as director-general of the BBC, resigning in the wake of a flawed Newsnight report into child sexual abuse. | We don’t need to go back to Lady Jane Grey’s nine-day rule in 1553 for examples of people whose high-profile jobs ended up disappointingly curtailed: Chris Evans only lasted for one series of his much-hyped relaunch of Top Gear this year; David Laws spent just 17 days as chief secretary to the treasury, resigning over his expenses claims in 2010; and in 2012, George Entwistle spent 54 days as director-general of the BBC, resigning in the wake of a flawed Newsnight report into child sexual abuse. |
| Football managers seem to fare particularly badly. Brian Clough’s 44 turbulent days in charge of Leeds United in 1974 inspired a book and film; Steve Coppell spent just 33 days at Manchester City; and – if not in the same league, literally – Paul Gascoigne was sacked by Kettering Town after 39 days. | Football managers seem to fare particularly badly. Brian Clough’s 44 turbulent days in charge of Leeds United in 1974 inspired a book and film; Steve Coppell spent just 33 days at Manchester City; and – if not in the same league, literally – Paul Gascoigne was sacked by Kettering Town after 39 days. |
| The main problem with a short-lived spell at the top is that it’s not enough time to make much of a mark. Instead, it’s your resignation – which may well be the first time much of the public hears about you – that could come to define you. “You have to manage it incredibly carefully,” says Matt Potter, former resignation speechwriter and author of The Last Goodbye: A History of the World in Resignation Letters. “The last thing you want to do is get involved in recriminations.” The way life is now, he says, “our rise and fall is completely visible”. | The main problem with a short-lived spell at the top is that it’s not enough time to make much of a mark. Instead, it’s your resignation – which may well be the first time much of the public hears about you – that could come to define you. “You have to manage it incredibly carefully,” says Matt Potter, former resignation speechwriter and author of The Last Goodbye: A History of the World in Resignation Letters. “The last thing you want to do is get involved in recriminations.” The way life is now, he says, “our rise and fall is completely visible”. |
| James’s resignation statement was a good one, says Potter. She wrote: “It has become clear that I do not have sufficient authority nor the full support of all my MEP colleagues and party officers to implement changes I believe necessary and upon which I based my campaign,” also citing “personal and professional reasons”. She added that she would “continue to concentrate fully” on her role as an MEP. | James’s resignation statement was a good one, says Potter. She wrote: “It has become clear that I do not have sufficient authority nor the full support of all my MEP colleagues and party officers to implement changes I believe necessary and upon which I based my campaign,” also citing “personal and professional reasons”. She added that she would “continue to concentrate fully” on her role as an MEP. |
| “In one of her first public utterances, she has managed to create a picture of herself as dignified and solidly professional,” says Potter. “It shows: one, I am supremely dignified; two, I have a life outside of this; and three, I am so professional that I will continue to serve and work for Ukip even though this hasn’t worked out. Effectively it’s a resignation as an application for whatever comes next.” Several more relatively short-lived spells as Ukip leader if the career of her successor – and predecessor – Nigel Farage is anything to go by. | “In one of her first public utterances, she has managed to create a picture of herself as dignified and solidly professional,” says Potter. “It shows: one, I am supremely dignified; two, I have a life outside of this; and three, I am so professional that I will continue to serve and work for Ukip even though this hasn’t worked out. Effectively it’s a resignation as an application for whatever comes next.” Several more relatively short-lived spells as Ukip leader if the career of her successor – and predecessor – Nigel Farage is anything to go by. |