But I begin to wonder if something I posted four years ago may not turn out to be prophetic:
David Cameron's ... problem is that he is, er, David Cameron. The only time he threatened to engage public interest today was when he talked of the price of bread, milk and eggs. Yet if ever someone gave the impression of not knowing how much bread, milk and eggs cost, that person is David Cameron.
I always wondered, in a society where being "posh" is just about the worst sin out, if David Cameron's background - and even more the fact that he looks like a public school boy - would count against him. This is one issue where it will.
If you want to run this sort of prices campaign, you need someone who looks as they go shopping regularly to do it for you. Shirley Williams used to do it very effectively, complete with shopping basket, in her Labour days. You do not choose a shiny-cheeked Old Etonian.My younger readers won't recall this, but in the 1970s "prices" were one of the great political issues.
The economic downturn may mean we are about to explore a political landscape where the price of pasties really matters to voters.
I prefer a good pork pie anyway.
ReplyDeleteI confess I am rather mystified over the level of outrage, perhaps the weather has convinced people its already silly season?
I find the reaction to the whole thing utterly hilerious http://cameronwithpasties.tumblr.com/
ReplyDeleteAnd now George Osborne is under attack for saying that he can't remember when he last shopped at Greggs. He deserves to be attacked for opening his mouth in the first place (don't feed the idiots), but his words were innocuous.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I am not a millionaire and have never knowingly shopped at Greggs. Greggs is not the only place to buy a pasty.
Cameron is incredibly lucky.
ReplyDeleteHe became Tory leader when Tony Blair had been tarnished by the Iraq War and was effectively on the way out.
Blair was then replaced by some totally unsuited to be Prime Minister.
Then Cameron was lucky enough to be opposition leader during the greatest economic crash in history, and was faced with a Government that had run out of steam and that was almost looking forward to a period in opposition.
In spite of all that, and the fact that the Labour Party was effectively broke (and the Tory campaign was led by supposed political 'mastermind' George Osborne), he still failed to win a majority in 2010.
Since then the run of luck has continued with Ed Miliband becoming Labour leader.
Now the luck has run out, and we'll start to see just what an lightweight nonentity he really is.