Torytruth

mkpdavies

A balanced and fair appraisal.

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Britannist

There are plenty of critics of anti-UKIP David Cameron in the Conservative Party and in pro-Conservative newspapers. Here's a couple of the very latest:

Sir Bernard Ingham, the former assistant to Lady Thatcher (the former Conservative Prime Minister), said on 27.8.2006 (according to the Daily Telegraph edition of 28.8.2006) in response to David Cameron claiming the previous day that Nelson Mandela (the former President of South Africa) and the African National Congress had not been terrorists (as the Conservative Government of Mrs. Thatcher had claimed) “I wonder whether David Cameron is a Conservative.”

Janet Daley, columnist, wrote in the Daily Telegraph edition of 28.8.2006 (extracts) “There is nothing surprising about Labour’s catastrophic poll figures. The real puzzle is why the (Conservative) opposition is failing to benefit from them in anything like the measure that it should be. The (very) small electoral advantage of this operation to present Mr. Cameron as a pleasant family man with the right fashionable concerns is rather cancelled out by what the country sees as an essentially shallow approach to politics. By making it so unmistakably clear that his leadership is so obsessed with the cosmetic, Mr. Cameron presents himself as, at best, an amiable nonentity, at worst, a charlatan. Of course, the electorate wants its political leaders to be attractive people, but that attractiveness needs to be contingent on character, principle and political identity. The Cameron people seem to have missed an obvious truth: most people associate a fixation with appearance as a mark of either neurotic insecurity or sinister motives. To be overly concerned with how you look to the world, rather than what you believe or want to accomplish, is generally assumed to be a character flaw. It is associated with predators of the sexual or financial kind, with those who are determined to seduce or mislead. Hasn’t anyone ever said to the Cameron team what every mother tells he daughter about handsome boyfriends – it’s what he is inside that counts.The Tory (Conservative) party is oblivious to the very considerable numbers of voters who feel over-taxed. The British public see Cameron as a party leader who is so anxious to please them that it would be positively rude to scorn him completely, but they are suspicious of his elevation of packaging over content. Likeable but timorous is not what they want in a leader, particularly at a time of international crisis. So they reserve judgement on Cameron’s Tories.”

* Janet Daley is not a right wing columnist with a record of opposing David Cameron (unlike the excellent Simon Heffer) so her criticisms will surprise the Cameron team :shock: .

mkpdavies

The real problem with the Tories, is they have become used to losing to Labour. They are almost in awe of Labour in a way and unlike Blair, who carved out his own image, based on playing on the things that were wrong with the UK, they have tried to immitate Labour.

It's a bit like Labour trying to be like Majors Tories, just as people were sick of them and wanted a change in direction. If Blair had done that, they would not have won, or if they had it would have been by a weak enough margin to disable them.

Labour got fed up of losing to the Tories and went on the offensive, with Blair destroying the party in the process, but they were desperate enough to let him.

Cameron is destroying the Tories, but totally weak and out of tune with the real concerns of the public. This is why they still can't a dsicredited Labour party that most people are sick of.

The harsh reality though, is Cameron knows he can only promise what Labour are already doing, because the orders come from Brussels in the main now. They had a taste of the slap down at the last GE, when Howard was told he couldn't do certain things that he promised.


British politics is in a horrible mess. No wonder the public is switching off.

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Britannist

MKP, On your point above the public switching off:

An ICM opinion poll published on 27.8.2006 revealed that 40% of the UK population do not identify with any political party. The poll, of 1000 people, was conducted by the Taxpayers’ Alliance who were trying to find out the level of public support for tax cuts – most backed a reduction in tax. Of those asked 16% said they had thought of moving abroad and 6% of all those questioned were “planning” a move. ICM said 40% of respondents either backed the Labour Government or wanted the Labour Party in power even if they were not satisfied with the Blair Government’s performance. Just 36% indicated that their disapproval of the Labour Government would lead to them preferring the Conservatives back in power. (Source: Daily Telegraph 28.8.2006)

Britannist

Another problem for the Conservative Party is that they have lost they no longer have that class act - Mrs. (now Lady) Thatcher. Some people in the Conservative Party foolishly took her leadership skills, abilities and electoral appeal (up to 'poll tax') for granted. Four million votes that the Conservatives had under her leadership of the party have gone.

You mentioned, MKP, in a posting some months ago that the Conservatives were living off "past glories".