I must admit I listened to David Cameron speaking to Jim Naughtie on the Today Programme with a degree of astonishment. This "compassionate Conservatism" has so many echoes of George W Bush. Yet as far as Cameron is concerned, it just won't wash. This is the man who wrote the most right-wing Tory manifesto in a generation. So either he is serious, and has changed his mind on most of the views he offered to the electorate barely more than six months ago or is not serious and is as cynical a politician as any produced by Labour's spin factory.
If he is serious, then I find myself substantially to the right of the Tories- ironically, considering that they were accusing me of being "well to the left of Labour" at the last election. Nevertheless, I have not changed my principles one jot. The ideas that Cameron is putting forward are so similar to the "But-skillism" of the 1960's- the decade when British economic prowess was nearly fatally undermined. I am more than happy to oppose this flabby and ill disciplined ideology- and I suspect that Liberally minded Tories will feel the same.
If, however, Cameron is merely posing as a centrist, then he should be warned- the electorate are very tired of being "spun"- that is lied to- and the deeply cynical nature of Cameron's gamble will backfire on him. The voters are sick of this kind of unprincipled shallow bullsh*t and in any event are hardly likely to substitute Blue Labour for the real thing.
Comrade Cameron- beware: your cynicism (for such I believe it to be) is as foolish as it is dangerous. The British people are sick of phonies- as you may find out quite soon!
If he is serious, then I find myself substantially to the right of the Tories- ironically, considering that they were accusing me of being "well to the left of Labour" at the last election. Nevertheless, I have not changed my principles one jot. The ideas that Cameron is putting forward are so similar to the "But-skillism" of the 1960's- the decade when British economic prowess was nearly fatally undermined. I am more than happy to oppose this flabby and ill disciplined ideology- and I suspect that Liberally minded Tories will feel the same.
If, however, Cameron is merely posing as a centrist, then he should be warned- the electorate are very tired of being "spun"- that is lied to- and the deeply cynical nature of Cameron's gamble will backfire on him. The voters are sick of this kind of unprincipled shallow bullsh*t and in any event are hardly likely to substitute Blue Labour for the real thing.
Comrade Cameron- beware: your cynicism (for such I believe it to be) is as foolish as it is dangerous. The British people are sick of phonies- as you may find out quite soon!
Comments