The Peter Principle

Looked at from the point of view of the country, rather than any particular individual, Gordon Brown can certainly lay claim to being the most successful Chancellor of modern times. Whether this is a result of good luck or good judgment, or some combination of the two is debatable, but certainly, under his stewardship, we have had the longest continuous period of economic stability of my lifetime. Problem is of course, that there's a general belief that, in a matter of months, he will move from Number 11 to Number 10. And while this may be a good move for him, what about the country? If you've got someone doing a sterling job in a particular post, the last thing you'd want to do is move him out of that post, surely? And yet this is what happens - this is the eponymous Peter Principle. Originated by one Dr. Peter, it states that everyone is promoted to their level of incompetence. You get a job, do it well, and as a result get promoted to another job. You do that job well, and get promoted to another job. You do that job well.... and so on. Eventually you are promoted to a job which you don't do so well, and there you stop. Anyone who has worked in any large organisation will know that this is exactly what happens. So Gordon Brown may come out a winner, but the country may be the loser.