Who should be the Tory attack dog?

stephen

Not sure the crash in the Tory poll lead was caused by Cameron bullying Brown. I still think "its the economy stewpid!" The poll also came the same week as Osborne gave a major economic speech at the Mais lecture. Boy George is not up to the job of convincing the electorate that the Tories have solid well thought out policies. He is the weakest link and should go!

Sally Chatterjee

They should play the ball and not the man.

If the Conservatives win, Brown will be gone. So their target will have vanished, it would help to remind people that it's not just Mr Brown's delusions that have been disastrous, it's a raft of his policies that have proved catastrophic. These can be picked apart with ease. It's far more sincere to examine these failings than simply to personalise everything.

strapworld

Bit late for this, don't you think? Maggie had Heseltine grabbing the mace, she had Norman Tebbitt, Angus Maude (who must be turning in his grave at his son's record) and others who all had a real go at labour.

Look at labour in opposition. Remember Robin Cook and his forensic zorro job. Blair certainly tore into Major. Brown tried it on Clarke, without much conviction it has to be said. But labour, in opposition, really went for the guts of the tories.

The tories in opposition are members of the gentleman and gentlewoman's club. Playing by the rules. Letting Labour lie, lie and lie again BUT one should not kick them!

This shadow cabinet is made up, mainly, of cowards and chancers. That people like Maude and Letwin are there worries me greatly, they are liberals with a capital L. There are others who have shown by their own incompetence that they are not up for a fight.

Cameron should take advice from people, as I keep on saying, like Richard Littlejohn. Jon Gaunt and similar, they would advise him on how and what to attack, IF they cannot read comments like this and others.

I would bring in John Redwood on economic matters, so people insult him and, without doubt the BBC will play and play again his attempt at that welsh ditty! BUT HE knows what he is talking about and he takes no prisoners. I would use Lliam Fox more in afrontline role. He can be and would be devastating if given leave to do the job. Ken Clarke does add gravitas, but what about Micheal Howard he would do the 'zorro' job perfectly. John Major would be perfect in attacking Brown, Malcolm Raffkind and Hague attcking Milliband.

The way Gove ducked out of a 'debate' with ed balls on Sunday was just cowardly. He is supposed to have a great wit. That is the way to take out Balls. Make people LAUGH at him. make him an object of derision. HE is the one I would target, he and his beloved! Take no prisoners. go for the jugular, ignore the wimps and wets that say Brown should not be attacked. Go for it big time.
Brown is a disaster we cannot afford him at all.

But I am afraid, like all things, this really does appear to be things that should have been thought out months and months ago.

I keep on about Cameron's lack of leadership abilities. Does this just not prove the point?

Bring people in who can and will attack. Ditch the weak and unwilling. If this is a patriotic duty to win. Then show some bloody fight.

IF they dont they will lose. What better incentive do they need?

I want fighters. Not wimps.

denis cooper

Blimey, at last, in Clarke's article:

"Perhaps most striking of all, one pound in every four our government spends has to be borrowed from the markets."

I've been suggesting variants on that simple line since last June ...

Maybe in his next article he'll add:

"And they've only been able to borrow so much because the Bank of England has printed £198 billion of new money and used it to prop up the gilts market".

Stronghold Barricades

"who should be the attack dog"

All of them, because then they all tear apart the record of the last 13 years

TrevorsDen

Strapworld - to suggest Redwood as a candidate is just showing you up quite frankly. Redwood talks much sense, but he is toxic to the electorate. Your general analysis is quite frankly pants- especially if the articles analysis is half right.

Clarke is the obvious choice for attacking Labours economic record and Hague to criticise Brown and labours political deceptions.

Cameron is probably a good choice to concentrate on socila matters education etc.

I can only repeat that my line of attack on Brown following the bullying allegations would be - 'its not the (Or a more cautious word would be 'any') reign of terror that worries me, its the reign of error.'

Martyn Rowe

Strapworld - one of the very key differences between the Labour opposition bettering John Major and the Tory opposition going for Brown now is the fact that the Tories had no majority.

I still think Labour did it better than the current Tories, but Major had no wriggle-room, no comfort zone. If he had lurched to the right he could carry no majority and if he lurched to the centre his right-wing excoriated him. That made things so much easier for Labour.

Slightly off topic, and a reasonable line for the Tories to take vis a vis Ashcroft: if Labour make a mountain out of the Ashcroft tax-avoidance molehill and cry foul over the influence a Non-Dom has over UK politics, perhaps the Tories could ask Labour how much tax Herman Von Rompuy pays. He certainly has more influence than Ashcroft, and he has bugger all to do with us. Patriotism? Double-standards? Hypocrisy?

It's another episode for the non-Whitehall village public to file away under "they are all as bad as eachother".

denis cooper

£2 billion of gilts being auctioned at this very moment:

http://www.dmo.gov.uk/documentview.aspx?docName=/gilts/press/pr230210a.pdf

John Bracewell

It is not just that Cameron is doing the attack work, he is dominating all Press Conferences and statements of policy. Each shadow minister should be making the policy statements on their own subject and Cameron once a week tying it all together in a coherent message.
Each speech by any Conservative should start by correcting misleading statements about Conservative policies made by Labour spokespersons, followed by an attack on Labour policy in the area of the subject to be discussed and then an exposition of how Conservative policies will be better than Labour's failed ones. So,
counter Labour misleading statements, attack Labour policy, explain Conservative policy. It is balanced and if given by each shadow minister, increases their profile and negates having to have just one attack dog who Labour can concentrate on and counter-attack.

EyeSee

No-one should be the 'Tory attack dog'. Let's have a party to lead the country to recovery and not worry what some lying lightweight (anyone from Labour) decides to say. There is already far too much of this argumentative style of 'management' from the way supermarkets act, to utility companies and the rabid politicians with pompous cohorts. The attack dogs we need are regulators who have as at least part of their remit the good governance of the companies they oversee. Raging fuel prices are a result in a small part of wholesale prices, in large part because of the lack of regulation and equally the climate change scam. Poor people pay for these people to enrich themselves (currently protected by New Labour) and some die of it. Doesn't that need an attack dog? Let's get out of this stupid, idiotic mindset that all important activity takes place in Westminster. Lots of fraud does and bugger all else. (See, now you've made me angry).

Richard

The strategy should be all out attack, go for the jugular. Cameron red faced snarling and spitting venom. William Hague thumping the despatch box and using his full height to make the Labour front bench tremble with his powers of oratory.
Its time for Teresa May to put away the 70's boots, put on some trousers and unleash her bile on Harriet at every opportunity.
In all interviews they should avoid any questions and talk over the presenters and guests to drown out any negative comments. They should out Paxo the great man himself...never answer a question unless its with another question.
Thats the best way for them to get across to the public that they have really changed from the nasty party to the fully inclusive listening party that they are.
Either that or just carry on as they are as it seems to me to be going rather well for them right now.
A dead cert if you read the telegraph...so why worry.

BrianSJ

Calling Hannan and Carswell

strapworld

On what basis does Eric Pixles ie Trevors Den say that John Redwood is toxic to the electorate. Please show me the evidence for that bit of nonsense. He would certainly be toxic to this Labour crowd of incompetents and liars.

But to dismiss my 'analysis' as pants is fair enough. He is entitled to his opinion, which he gives often on most blogs. The truth is that most people do want to see John redwood in the front bench team! Politicshome and Conservativehome surveys have shown that consistently!

Martyn Rowe. I do accept the differences. BUT I was highlighting the difference between the tories as a quite useless opposition and how labour operated! I think you accepted that in your second paragraph.

I have just watched Lord Mandleson rubbish Lord Ashcroft. I wrote yesterday of the good works Lord Ashcroft has done. I asked why the Tory High Command have not come out fighting on Lord Ashcroft's behalf. I did rather expect Cameron, just now, to come out at the start of his opening address to stand by Lord Ashcroft. NOTHING!

Now, to me, the people, watching that, could, may possibly will take the view that Cameron does not support Lord Ashcroft. I hope I am wrong. I hope he does say something but if it has to be dragged out of him, by way of questions, then it shows that Cameron is the wrong man for the job.

I am sorry. I do want Labour to be killed off. I WOULD like a Tory Government but with this man in charge I have no confidence whatsoever.

We need, to be frank, a very strong willed man or woman with a vision to get us out of this mess. I challenge anyone to convince me that Cameron has that will and has that vision.

denis cooper

Today's gilts auction was successful, insofar as it was over-subscribed:

http://www.dmo.gov.uk/documentview.aspx?docName=/gilts/press/020310conventional.pdf

£2 billion of 4.25% Treasury Gilt 2039, covered 1.92 times.

But I'm not sure whether the yield, 4.6% , is higher than the DMO was hoping - maybe somebody with more expertise could comment.

Another £4 billion to be auctioned tomorrow:

http://www.dmo.gov.uk/documentview.aspx?docName=/gilts/press/pr230210b.pdf

Robert Saintfield

Dear Lord won't you bring on the election because the wisacres who continually hand out contradictory advice to poor old Cameron are dryayayayeeng me crazy.

TToo hard, Ttoo soft, Ttoo sharp, Ttoo sweet, Ttoo gentle, Tto harsh.

Dear Lord, consider thy unfaithful servant Gob and take his mojo and let him curse...

denis cooper

Anybody up for either of these helpful suggestions from Willem Buiter?

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d58ada72-256a-11df-9cdb-00144feab49a.html

"A commitment now to a three-party government of national unity could stabilise matters immediately. Failing that, all three parties could agree the size of post-election tightening now, with only the mix of tax rises and spending cuts to be decided after the election."

Dorothy Wilson

Stephen: For goodness! How many of the people questioned by the pollsters have even heard of the Mais lecture, never mind listened to it?

welease woger

Definitely not Denis!

2trueblue

I like the idea that each shadow minister should go on their own areas, and Cameron tie it together once a week. The problem is they have no profile as the media are busy pushing Liebore. If Cameron does not get his men better known we are doomed. There is plenty of talent, show it.

denis cooper

Why not, welease woger?

Verity

TrevorsDen (Eric Pickles): No one suggested running John Redwood as a candidate. Duh. Read the post. It was suggested that he is being under utilized and that he should be brought in as a spokesman for economic matters.

But Dave is running a high profile one-man band because he wants to go to Brussels and get in on that Nomenklatura dealie. Look at how, as John Bracewell points out, Cameron dominates all the press conferences and policy statements. He is banging his own drum while playing the cymbals with his knees and a harmonica strapped onto his head. Dave is nothing if not greedy.

Strapworld – agreed. I would certainly love to see Redwood on the front bench. He has a brilliant forensic mind and is very articulate. Just read his blog. He would intimidate the morons on the front bench opposite. Think of John Redwood facing Jack Straw. It is too humourous to contemplate. Glee.

“I asked why the Tory High Command have not come out fighting on Lord Ashcroft's behalf. I did rather expect Cameron, just now, to come out at the start of his opening address to stand by Lord Ashcroft.” You did? Seriously?

Paddy

For goodness sake take the gloves off. We cannot take another five years of this government.

Just tell it as it is - Brown and the rest of his clan aren't fit for purpose.

Marcher Baron

The Tories don't need to go for Gordon personally; all they need to do is highlight Labour's record over the last 13 years! I don't need to rehearse the list of failings here, but the Tories would hardly be short of ammunition, would they?

Robert Saintfield

Denis Cooper,

Disraeli said England does not love coalitions and he was right. The problem we have is that all the major parties are coalitions dominated by one tendency or another that's why it's v. diff. to get strong leadership.

In Britain a ruling coalition of political parties would be nightmare of deals, fixes, false compromises and gathering chaos, nearly as bad as yr present gubmint.

Doppelganger

Well said Strapworld. With a few honourable exceptions, the Tories are a bunch of wimps who would not say boom to a goose. They proved it in in their weak and lazy opposition. And electing Cameron was a complete disaster.

denis cooper

Robert Saintfield, Disraeli is long dead and knows nothing of modern Britain.

tom Holland

Actually the opposite is the problem. As Trevor Kavanagh highlights in the Sun the Tories have failed to be critical on too many issues it is no longer funny.

If you are seen to be a soft touch people do not respect you. The Tories are simply too girlie right now and they need to man up in a big way.