Old bastards & young scamps: what does the acceptable age range of its leaders say about a country?

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In Britain, Ken Clarke was dismissed from the Tory leadership contest for being too old at 65. The favourite, David Cameron, is only 39.

Meanwhile, in Israel, Ariel Sharon is 77 and in France, Chirac is now 72.

Do you think this says anything about the countries concerned, their attitudes to age, or the phases of their history they are in? Or is it all just coincidental?

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 12:54 (twenty years ago)

It's cyclical. Old goats get replaced by thrusting young go-getters who then turn into burned-out hollow-eyed wibblers and get replaced by a safe pair of hands

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 13:13 (twenty years ago)

cameron is a bit of a one-off.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 13:15 (twenty years ago)

Clarke wasn't dismissed for being too old, it was more his association with the old guard. If he'd looked like a moderniser his age wouldn't have mattered. Irony is, when he was in govt he was seen as one of the 'forward thinking' ones.

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)

i think the subtext w/ clarke was "he's an old fattie who will have a heart attack v. soon", it's still marginally more acceptable to be ageist than sizeist in political public discourse

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 13:47 (twenty years ago)

Maybe. Also he's a bully and not many MPs seem to like him.

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 13:55 (twenty years ago)

Also OH NO HE'Z ON TEH EU'S DIDICK!>!>

― THIS IS THE SOUND OF ALTERN 8 !!! (noodle vague), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

Clarke wasn't dismissed for being too old, it was more his association with the old guard.

Well, maybe, but almost every older politician is going to have connections with a previous regime.

Cameron is an extreme, yes, but when was the last time we had a PM in their 70s?

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

hmmmm. presumably churchill? wilson part 2 must have been pusshing it.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

Huh? Wilson had only just turned 60 when he stepped down.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 14:07 (twenty years ago)

you live and learn.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

People looked older in the old days.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

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