to wonder how people like Tony Blair get their arrogance and confidence that only they know best?

[user40788]

I've met a few people in life who are like this and Tony Blair is a famous example but where do these people get this ability to completely deflect criticism and have this sort of god given belief in themselves as absolutely right? They tend to have huge egos and incredible self belief/confidence, no self-doubt and I'm just wondering how this happens? Are people born with this or do their parents spend their childhoods telling them they are better than everybody else and that only their opinion matters?

Theresa May, tony Blair, david Cameron.... they're all pretty similar in that respect.

The only thing TB is good at is being TB, and you can get quite far on just being a bullying media whore if you are energetic. He seems to think he has some kind of hypocrisy-cancelling invisibility cloak around him. History is going to judge him harshly on that, is my feeling.

Public/Boarding School then Oxford. They are brought up to be supremely self confident and often have a very powerful but intimidating charm.

Not everyone who goes to Oxbridge acquires that supreme self confidence, but a lot do. Those who have also been to public school, more so.

My friend's daughter went to Oxford from a Northern comprehensive. The way she spoke changed significantly - not her accent exactly, but a level of authority and lack of hesitation which wasn't there before. They have to learn to hold their own in that kind of competitive discussion.

Another friend's son applied for Cambridge and was one of the few comprehensive pupils at a particular open day. They were put in pairs to discuss a maths problem - he disagreed with his partner's answer, but the partner was so confident, he thought he must be wrong. But his answer was the correct one.

I guess that's why people spend all that money having their children privately educated.

BishyBarnyBee

I'm professonally involved with a few independent schools and it is categorially one of the big reasons for sending children.

In no particular order:

range of activities and subjects
class sizes
quality of teachers
quality of resources such as macs, science labs, sports equipment
family ties
school ties
instilling of confidence

I'd also say that very clever people (I'm a Mensa member, despite dyslexia) often report that when discussing things with others with a high IQ, as might be expected at Oxford, don't feel the need to hesitate or repeat. I think there also might be a self-fulfilling prophecy of when you have proved your intelligence through attending a university or other achievements, you don't feel the need to hesitate as you know you're likely correct in certain areas.

A high proportion of "leaders" have been found to have psychopthic and/or narcissistic traits.

I imagine winning a landslide for labour gives you a fair amount of confidence, and winning 2 more elections.

Public school, Oxford, those are perhaps necessary but not sufficient conditions, I agree with the person that says he's got generally good political judgment. Look how he kept Corbyn et al out of the limelight to win those majorities...

Leaving the past aside, he's probably looked at the political parties and their leaders right now and felt that, yes, he knows best. Who can blame him?

TB is a barrister, don't they have to be arrogant as part of the job?

Charisma is over-rated imo. Tony Blair, David Cameron and even Trump seem to have this in spades. I have also worked with people who have been incredibly confident and charismatic but once their surface is scratched they are remarkably empty and insecure inside.

Unfortunately in politics a percentage of the electorate are drawn towards the charismatic, assertive type... I think they believe they are in safe hands and that because the person appears to be supremely confident, well they must know what they are doing... even if they are actually making ridiculous statements about funding for the NHS or making up journalistic quotes a la Boris Johnson.

I think if I led my party to victory with the biggest political landslide in history then I'd feel pretty confident too.

He's got a Messiah complex hasn't he? I remember reading about him that because he believed he was good, that anything he therefore believed must be good and right, because it came from him. Hence Iraq war was a righteous war etc, because he wanted to do it, and he was good.

It is far safer to believe that you are flawed, and sometimes question your beliefs and your motives.

I thought that article was bang on.

Public school and Oxford probably helped though too.

If the Messiah appears in Tony's lifetime Tony will want to set him right about where he is going wrong . . .

He's right about this though - Shame it had to be him. Never has the country been more in need of a charismatic centre left leader.