Stewart Forsyth: Stark differences between Liz Truss and Queen Elizabeth II

British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Liz Truss. Photo / Victoria Jones, PA via AP, File

Opinion

OPINION

We're not sure if Queen Elizabeth II did irony, but it possibly amused her that the new UK Prime Minister had promoted the abolition of the monarchy when she was an up-and-coming advocate for the Liberal-Democratic Party.

These very different women reflect the tension between and, perhaps, the value of a long-term non-elected monarchy and the ups and downs of parliamentary democracy.

If we were to summarise the style of the former Queen, it would be in terms of her dedicated service. In the era 1952 to 2022, New Zealand had 16 Prime Ministers and the UK 15. Queen Elizabeth saw many fascinating characters come and go.

Personality psychologists have settled on the "five-factor" or Ocean model of personality to summarise what people are like; a sort of personality style guide. If I was to say "dependable and self-disciplined" in pointing out a stand-out quality of the Queen, I think you'd agree.

Queen Elizabeth II, left, welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland. Photo / Jane Barlow via AP

The conscientious dimension of personality (which "dependable and self-disciplined" describes) is an indicator of productivity, stickabilty and persistence. Conscientious people live longer, get more done, and are seen as more intelligent as well as reliable.

The Queen was not relentlessly conscientious. She was also "agreeable". Confident no doubt at the top of the social hierarchy, she was comfortable with and gracious towards others. She was known for her quick wit: to a tourist who said she looked like the Queen, she replied "That's reassuring".

Right now Truss is, in part, famous for being the last PM the Queen met, pretty much the last of the Queen's duties. The standout personality attribute of Truss is assertion and ability to take the lead (she went from management accountant to economic director at Cable and Wireless in five years).

On extroversion, leading personality psychologist Daniel Nettle clarifies it is more than sociability. Fundamentally, extroversion is about positive emotions and the motivating power of those emotions. In Nettle's words, extroverts are "ambitious, go-getting and, in the broadest sense, lusty".

The extrovert's high level of activity and goal-directed effort reflect their attraction to incentives. They are inclined to overlook risk to chase gold dust; in one study Nettle found that those hospitalised as a result of accidents were more likely to be extroverted.

Truss' eye for the main chance indicates how keen she is to be the focus of attention. She abandoned the Liberal Democrats of her university days to join the Conservatives. After opposing Brexit, Truss moved to the Brexiteers. When head of the Department of International Trade, a meme suggested renaming it the Department of Instagramming Truss. Her style is flamboyant and attention-seeking.

She is not averse to risky behaviour. When standing for the safe Conservative seat of South West Norfolk, some party members objected because of her affair with a married man. They were voted down.

Enthusiasm for attention shouldn't be confused with competence. Truss' horror at Britain's imported cheese is an example of absurdity rather than credibility.

Stewart Forsyth. Photo / Supplied

She now proposes a creative approach to the crisis of low growth, high inflation and imminent recession by handing out energy subsidies (more than £100 billion by one estimate), to boost defence spending by 1 per cent of GDP, while cutting taxes, and so staring down inflation and the recession.

Part of the package (this is a prediction not foreshadowed by Truss) will be to reduce inflation by attacking unions and strikers, so lowering real wages.

This could produce economic growth (to the horror of conventional economists). It certainly makes political sense in securing her Conservative base.

Such a risky economic move will be a crowd-pleaser, for Tories anyway. If inflation comes down, she is likely to take a punt on an election.

The Queen provided the reassurance that she was concerned for all, hence the shock when she chose to spend time with her grandsons at Balmoral rather than put herself out in public soon after the death of Princess Diana. Truss is strongly motivated by attention and fame. She achieves this by shape-shifting to meet those she needs to please.

This difference reflects the nature of their jobs as well as their inherent personality. The Queen had to demonstrate she was everyone's monarch. Liz Truss has to win elections, and maintain her grip over a chancy Conservative Party – or go the way of her predecessor.

Another way of looking at this is that job demands define the personality that best fits. Do we want a (very) long-term symbol of our fundamental values or the dramatic chancer who can be moved on if things fall apart?

• Stewart Forsyth is an organisational psychologist and executive coach and writes weekly at Substack.