Well. He’s gone. In my opinion one of the most awful prime ministers ever; on a par with Thatcher, and that's saying something!
I’m not happy I feel that way.
My politics fall to the left of centre. I don’t care much for the rich. Mind, they don’t need me to care about them; they are rather good at caring for themselves. I do care about people who for some reason or another are disadvantaged in the dog eat dog world that Thatcher encouraged and Blair and Brown, in their desperate bid to appeal to the middle classes of southern England, embraced with gusto.
I am at a loss to understand, given all that Brown and Blair did to this country’s poor and dispossessed, that all over Scotland in the deprived housing estates where people are living third world lives, they trotted out and voted for the party that dropped bricks on them from a great height. “Our party; the party of the working man”. Aye! When your granddad was a lad, maybe.
People say that Cameron doesn’t understand common people, and they are bang on right. Of course he doesn’t. He went to Eton and Oxford. He was a member of a dining club whose raison d’être was, possibly still is, to smash up restaurants and get daddy to pay the next day. His daddy clearly had enough money to do this, and didn’t mind parting with it.
What does Cameron know about council houses with rooms so small you can’t get more than four people in, or about paper thin walls so you can hear when the next door neighbour turns on a tap, used the toilet, plays a cd? What does he know of joblessness and being treated like dirt by the Jobcentre? What does he know about making a wage last all week, knowing that it won’t, and you’ll be hungry? What about being scared to go outside your door for fear of knife wielding thugs who need money for drugs?
Nothing.
Oh yes, he’s been on the estates. He’s taken his tie off; he’s met a few black kids. And Nadine Dorries doubtless told him what it was like to live in a tower block on the dole money, plus the £50 she had stuffed in her bra (thereby doubling it).
But what did Brown know of that life? He’s a middle class lad, who lived in the manse, went to uni, did a doctorate. That wasn’t ordinary working class in the ‘60s.
He certainly didn’t know much about it firsthand. And after all these years on an MP’s salary; all these years with Downing Street and Chequers to live in, with cars and planes to take him where he wanted to go... (I note he flew to the “family home” for one day over the weekend, with his family!! No second class trains for Oor Gordo!), he knew even less, which is why he was so ill equipped to cope with that woman who wondered where the Eastern Europeans were coming from and why they were taking all the jobs so there wouldn’t be any for her grandchildren. He hadn’t a clue what this “ordinary” rather dowdy working class woman who got her grammar wrong was. He’s not seen one for 20 years. He waves out of his car at them but he doesn’t look. Everyone he meets dresses from Saville Row; their suits cost more than a pensioner lives on for a year. And if they know about Eastern Europeans, it’s because they have them as live in staff!!
So Cameron won’t be any less in touch that Brown was, but he won’t be any more in touch either.
Heaven help us.
Pic: Gordon Brown after the bigot moment and Members of the Bullingdon (known as "Bullers" to those in the know) and including our esteemed prime minister.
At last, a progressive union.
ReplyDeleteLiberal radicalism married to Tory incrimentalism.
Burke would be delighted.
Are you delighted Dean?
ReplyDeleteThe problem we have in Scotland is that the Scottish Labour MPs hide the true middle class Labour party from voters whilst they play the old thatcher card to them to keep their seats.
ReplyDeleteI don't trust Labour any more than the Tories but what was just booted out of Downing street has been 13 years overdue.
Most politicians are miles away from reality and would not last 1 day on £50 never mind a week. First ministers questions should be interesting on Thursday.
Tris I read this from the Herald.
ReplyDeleteNewly-elected Labour MP for Glasgow East Margaret Curran said the SNP had got the result they campaigned for.
Ms Curran said: "The SNP can barely hide their glee. This is the result they secretly wanted. They campaigned for Labour to lose the election, they fought to reduce the number of Labour MPs, they stood candidates against Labour, they repeatedly called for Gordon Brown to resign.
"Alex Salmond will have a guilty conscience tonight. For the last five years he has fought a war of attrition against the Labour government at Westminster, so he cannot cry crocodile tears now."
Nothing is worse than this current crop of Labour crap.
Tris,
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the story regarding James Douglas-Hamilton, Tim nice but dim, being approached by a snotty-nose kid in Edinburgh. James asked him where he came from and the kid replied "Wester-hailes estate" to which the bold James replied "How's the grouse shooting on your estate this year?".
Allan:
ReplyDeleteShe's a bitter old woman. She was a minister in parliament and she liked being a minister, and then she lost her ministerial post to the SNP government.
She was the fourth choice but probably bribed to stand for that seat for Labour for the London parliament with the promise of ministerial work. Well after 2 years and she finally won it, but just as she did, hoping for preferment, they are out of power and she has no hope.
She has two jobs, but she will have to stand down from parliament next year so that she can do her job in London.
She complains that we campaigned against Labour.... erm, what did she expect us to do? Campaign for them?
She says: "Alex Salmond will have a guilty conscience tonight. For the last five years he has fought a war of attrition against the Labour government at Westminster, so he cannot cry crocodile tears now." Well, why would he? The Labour government in London took Scotland for granted. Alex Salmond stood up for Scotland. Doesn’t she realise that’s why we have a Scottish party?
Stupid old woman.
I understand it's not grouse they shoot on Wester-Hailles.
ReplyDeleteLord James Douglas Hamilton... in the Commons.... never understood that, but anyway, yeah, I'd say he was pretty out of touch with the likes of you and me Brownlie.
Oh yeah, and the rest of the world, bar for a few thousand of his own sort.
That Curran woman is a wicked old witch. Why doesn't she just get on her broomstick and go and join the other Labour quislings in the Palace of Westminster?
ReplyDeleteSo much easier to blame Alex for their disaster than it is to blame themselves.
Am I delighted?
ReplyDeleteNo- that is too strong a word, what I am is satisfied. It really isn't a bad policy platform all round- in fact it is better than either the Tory or the LibDem ones in isolation.
That said, I do not like coalitions generally as a rule of thumb, they always rest on policy platforms that no one voted for. But then, that is one of the costs of PR or even AV election systems....which is why I will oppose AV in the referendum ;)
Dean: you say you don't like coalitions and yet you say this one has given you an agenda that is better than one you would have got from either party without one. The first one we have had for 70 years you approve of so who is to say you would not approve of this sort of inclusive politics if it happened more often?
ReplyDeleteTris.
ReplyDeleteSpot on with your Curran analysis. She is as bitter as a 2 week old lemon and I doubt she will give up her Holyrood seat anytime soon. Hypocritical old boot.
She's one hell of a sore loser Allan.... that's for sure. I loe that expression... "bitter as a 2 week old lemon..."; not heard it before... LOTFLMAO
ReplyDelete