All the good politicians I have worked with of any persuasion have seriously impressed me with their ability to read very fast, and absorb the information while doing so. And immediately grasp the main issues.
At a change of Government the incoming Minister may only have a few hours to master their brief, often a subject they knew little about.
They also depend on skilled civil servants dishing up the information clearly and concisely in a way that suits them. Not that many acknowledge that dependency! Sometimes you will see a small note being passed forward from an anguished civil servant when they have got something wrong. You can see them sat in the ‘box’ at the end of the room.
