Up until perhaps the 1990s, parliament’s benches were filled on the Labour side with union veterans, people who had previous professional careers in the public sector or law. Likewise on the Tory benches you would find pin-striped captains of industry, City grandees, retired colonels, country squires and plenty of lawyers. There were exceptions, and even some women, on the whole though members of parliament tended to have some life experience, which comes with ups and downs, knocks and triumphs. That changed as political careers vectored from Oxford University, a job at party HQ learning about the cynical machinery of politics, or at a campaign or a think tank, followed by a spell as a special adviser before being parachuted into a constituency. Cameron becoming Tory leader aged 40 exemplified the potential youthful path to power…

This is not a good thing; Guido always advises young people intent on a career in politics to go and do something else for a decade, something productive. Guido has no insight into what ails the youngest MP in parliament, Nadia Whittome, such that she needs to take a break from parliament due to PTSD. Parliament may be daunting though nothing akin to the trenches of the First World War. The shells lobbed on social media may ruin your day, they don’t kill. The human mind however can be fragile and politics is a contact sport, which social media makes feel like a 24/7 activity. Taking a break may help one gain more perspective. Having more years of life experience outside the political crucible might just give aspiring politicians more much-needed perspective.