No, it doesn't start with personality - but personality is often the the key that can be applied to achieve political ends. Right now the game being played by those in power is to use the reconstructed personality as a key to unlocking certain political attitudes which would make to get people on side for that vile politcal ends.

It's theatre, but theatre can make an enormous difference. The tribute to the NHS at the Olympics opening was pure theatre, and it had a considerable political impact at the time.
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Yes, we differ about the 1945 government, M - I grew up looking back at it as a good time. Even sweet rations meant I got more sweets, because my parents gave me theirs. Wrecked my teeth... We were pretty clearly skint as a country, and rationing made sense because it put us all on the same level, in contrast to what is called "austerity" today which most decidedly does not.   

The pity was that an electoral quirk put the Tories in to relax things, rather than a second-half Labour government, but that's how it worked out. And it was Tories on their best behaviour, more or less, for another generation.