Sunday 28 February 2010

Better The Devil You Know

Mark Twain said that 'The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated' when a newspaper mixed him up with a dying relative and the Labour Party could do worse than to adopt this as there new slogan because the red flag may not be flying, but it's certainly fluttering gently in the breeze.
A few short months ago it was the Conservative Party 15% ahead in all the polls, the Murdoch Press had abandoned Labour and we were preparing for a Tory Government and the burial of the Labour Party.
Today, a YouGov survey for The Sunday Times gives the Conservatives a 2% lead so where did it all go wrong for David Cameron that he is seemingly finding it so difficult to bury such an unpopular Government?
One of the reasons was touched upon in December with Gordon Brown's comment that the Conservatives idea for Inheritance Tax was ‘dreamed up on the playing fields of Eton'.
The Conservatives predictably slated Brown for bringing class into it but it seems that evoking the privileged background of senior Tories, when they are attempting to form a connection to the 99.99% of the country who were not schooled in Oxbridge, struck a chord with the electorate.
Cameron argued that 'What people are interested in is not where you come from but where you're going to' and that shows a strong lack of knowledge of the people he is asking to vote him into power because where you come from is very important in class divided Britain.
The photograph of Cameron in the top hat and tails of the Bullingdon Club where membership is by invitation only and reserved only for the wealthiest Oxford students was the first of the drip drip of revelations that Cameron was 'a toff'.
His party members were embroiled in the expenses scandal with claims for 'moat cleaning' and 'tennis court maintenance' and Conservatives MP, Anthony Steen, ranting that he was disliked because of jealousy over his 'very, very large house. Some people say it looks like Balmoral'.
It is hard to connect with voters who don't have moats, tennis courts or homes like Balmarol and that is why David Cameron and his Party are sweating over how they have been pegged back by a party that has a track record that includes Afghanistan, Iraq, the expenses scandal, 10% tax rate debacle, billion pound payouts to the financial markets, the non-referendum on the EU Lisbon Treaty, the worst recession since the 1930s and a leader outed as a bully.
It seems that possibly the British electorate are taking the view of better the inept devil you know than the posh one that you don't.

6 comments:

The Ghost of Richard Nixon said...

I know all about being counted out by the press and the public.

In 1960 I lost the presidency because of the Irish mafia rigging the votes in Illinois. Then in 1962 I lost the California governor's race to a bleeding heart softie. The press were ecstatic, declaring me dead and buried. But like all good zombies, I rose from my grave to get my revenge on everyone in 1968.

The moral is to never believe the reports of the death of any politician or party. You'll just be setting yourself up for some revenge.

Cody Bones said...

Daniel, it wasn't the Irish mafia, it was the Italian mafia that was rumored to have given Kennedy his victory in Illinois.

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Falling on a bruise said...

I don't think Casino would be half as good if they based it in Galway.

Cody Bones said...

It's funny that you say that Lucy, as Casino was based on the life of Tony Spilotro (Joe Pesci), one of the members of the above referenced Chicago Mob. Found buried in a cornfield in Indiana BTW. But "The Departed" was a FANTASTIC Irish mob movie, even though it was set in Boston

Falling on a bruise said...

I did see The Departed and it was probably only the second time i have ever watched a film with Jack Nicholson in and didn't blow a big raspberry at Nicholson's acting. The Shining was the other one.