@cstross @stevefenton @jasongorman @joelving While I agree with your hypothesis, your example implies that intellectual understanding would have improved BoJo's cabinet. Their fundamental flaw, in my estimation, was about them being a bunch of amoral social climbers who'd do or say anything as long as it meant not having to do socially valuable work. This was the "let the bodies pile high" government after all. They clearly didn't care about others.