makeourfuture: the dominance of the political class by people who had a PPE degree from Oxford was one of claig's obsessions. Perhaps she had a point, who knows, though I'm reluctant to concede claig, who was on the far side of loopy, had a point on anything.
But it's perfectly possible to be intelligent in some respects and stupid in others - surely that's true of all of us? I think the danger comes in not knowing our own limitations, and not being willing to admit that we're ignorant about some things. For example, it doesn't bother me at all that Corbyn forgot some key numbers, because I know lots of perfectly intelligent people who find it hard to remember numbers under pressure. But it did bother me that Theresa May, when confronted by a woman with learning disabilities, seemed to confuse learning disabilities with mental health issues. That doesn't mean May is stupid, but it does suggest she's ignorant and needs to become better-informed.
It also bothered me last year that David Davis, the Brexit minister, didn't understand that it wasn't possible to do trade deals with individual EU countries. Again, I don't imagine he's stupid, but he is (or was) shockingly ignorant about a fundamental part of his brief.
Boris Johnson's jocular reference to whisky when he visited a Sikh Temple suggested he was unaware of the Sikh prohibition on alcohol. Perhaps not the worst mistake in the world, but surprising for a politician who, you'd think, would be mindful of cultural sensibilities. I'm pretty sure it's not a mistake you'd see Corbyn making.