Can the Tories turn things from personality to policy?

Richard of York

Now there's a thing the tories talking about policy!

Scrutiny seems like the last thing the tories need.
Mind you GB was right now it's "answer time not question time David"
Desperate measures call for Boris!
Still once this is all over the conservatives can rake over the coals and review the disaster of playing the wrong man and the wrong ball.

Happy days are here again..la la la la la!

Stevie

It had to happen. Britain, a country utterly obsessed with celebrity has found it's new Tony the Phoney in Clogg. A vacuous, spiteful, hollowman with no agenda except 'I'm not them'. His so called policies-an airline tax that will cost thousands of jobs and bankrupt our airlines, bank taxes that will drive away the City and bankrupt us, EU policies that will sell out our nation, crime policies that will flood the streets with criminals-who cares when you've got a cheesy grin and wavy hands. There's a saying-that a country gets the government it deserves-and Britain deserves no less than Calamity Clogg.

Vulture

So, Dave's answer to Clegg's surge is to get even more pinko-liberal-green mushy than he is already?

Brilliant! I see the great minds of Steve 'sinister' Hilton, the California-based Baldemort; and Oliver 'You are a burglar? - please use my loo' Leftwing at work again.

But the slice of the electorate they are appealing to : Europhile, greenish, modish, socially liberal, - already have a party to vote for, thanx. It's called the Liberal Democrats. Why vote for a Tory conman like Dave when you can get the real thing with Clogg?

Meanwhile another and far more numerous constituency : white, worried, EU-phobic,
fearful of crime, scared of being swamped by immigrants - goes begging. They will either vote BNP, UKIP or stay in bed on May 6th. If Dave is not PM on May 7th he will
know who to blame ( apart from Leftwing and Baldemort) : himself.

Tom

Yellow = more Brown

Ben

Turn things from personality to policy? Does the writer not understand how ridiculous that sounds? Cameron has based his whole appeal to the electorate on issues of "personality" and "character", not noticing that with every personal insult he and his media allies dumped on Brown the electorate responded that, well, at least Brown has grit and resilience, and bounces back every time.

But it's a bit late now for Cameron to switch from personality to policies. For one thing, the policies don't bear scrutiny, which is why Dave didn't even mention his DIY schools and welfare "flagship" policies in the debate.

And it's too late anyway. As Paddy Ashdown memorably put it, Cameron's "charisma" started to leech away the moment Clegg started his pitch to the electorate. For years now we've been told to worship the smooth, PR-trained younger man's personality. Well, Clegg does it better. And he has decent policies.

Mike Wood

Only 10 million tuned in. So at the next debate the remainder of the viewers (sorry voters) will tune in to ride the hype wave. The anti-climax will be huge and so as with all media bubbles calm will ensue.

Simon Stephenson

"Can the Tories turn things from personality to policy?"

I shouldn't think so.

Policies are dealt with in the sphere of reason, whereas personalities are almost entirely emotional, which is the default mental state in which most of the population live. It's just wishful thinking to believe that a society with so many perma-children will display a grown-up attitude for a general election.

When three-quarters of the population believe that the epitome of wisdom is the thought-light simplisticism of the popstar or TV celebrity, I'd say that under our present representative arrangements we're beyond the stage at which we're capable of governing ourselves adequately.

Graham

BBC and others should interview the poor people who have experienced Lib-Dem Councils. Lots of tax and unfilled potholes.

Ian Walker

Vulture is right - prior to the announcement on IR35 (unashamed self-interest crushing principles I'm afraid) I was tending towards a UKIP vote, because it's quite clear to me (as someone who has regular business dealings with Europe) that the EU institution is fundamentally broken - we need to withdraw from the legislative rubbish and get back to a good old- fashioned trading bloc.

The sorry conclusion is that the Tory enthusiasm for Europe is entirely down to the wet dreams of the political class rather than any principled love for Britain.

Fatbloke on tour

The main question must be what has happened to the GMG, Tory Boy doing opinion pieces for fun in a Torygraph stylee and now Scratchy gets top billing for his "Big Swizz" idea, the DIY state run by ladies who lunch.

This really is the "Revenge of the Astors", the Observer reverting to type, a love of all things "nice and gentle" Tory but the situation with the daily paper is unbelievable.

However I fear Scratchy is playing another game regarding the time he spends over at GMG Towers.

Somebody really should tell him that the Astors are involved anymore and there is no need to case the joint in case SamCam reverts to type and does a runner with a scion of the Anglo- American family.

Hawkeye

Although I want the tories to win, there would be an advantage in letting Brown and Clegg try to run with the ball for 6 months. I do not think that the Lib/Lab pact would last any longer then that.

The plus side for Cameron is that Brown would have to start his cuts agenda or he would have to ramp up borrowing whilst fighting Clegg's desire to shove senior Labour figures aside. Personally I think that Brown would rather run a minority administration than to cede any control to Clegg.

The crisis would come on Brown's watch, not Cameron's. The following election would be the decisive one,

Chris

The tories are an utter mess on policy (war with China anyone?). It's the last thing they want to talk about.

And all Clegg needs to do at the next debate is mention Europe and watch the tories implode.

Dan Brusca

The Tories are in an awful predicament. They were struggling to gather enough support for a majority before the Clegg bounce took hold, now they're in an even worse position.

They have to wipe-out the entire progress of the Lib Dems just to get back to where they were before. The chances of them getting a majority are slim at best.

Richard of York

Just seen Shameron talking on the BBC at the foor of an escalator in a shopping center.
Listen to what he had to say and I am still no clearer on any policy other than its all based on hot air and soundbites.
The questions from the journo's so tame they make daisy the cow look like a rabid pitbull.
The delivery was shrill it reminded me of a hockey mistress marshalling the third form in the playground.
Hollow and lightweight.....no wonder the mask has fallen and the crown has turned to brass.....ths man is so fake he should be on a market stall priced at £5 for the box contents free.

Nick

It's clear from the Sun poll that the trademark policies of the Lib Dems (Euro, Europe, prison, higher education, immigration) are overwhelmingly unpopular.

Whereas the LD policies with the great level of support (cutting taxes and freezing public sector pay) are also Tory policies.

This should be a relatively easy battle to win on policies alone.

David B

Richard,

When has Gordon Brown every talked about policy? When has Gordon Brown every told the truth? (lies, dam lies and statistics)

Fox in a box

Hawkeye,

although I agree with your sentiments on the life expectation of a Lib Lab pact - you can be sure that the one bill that would be passed in the time available would be "voter reform". A range of gerrymandering measures designed to ensure the Tories never again gave a chance of power.

2trueblue

What was interesting in the first debate was that Clegg overran continuallly and was not pulled up on it, Brown interrupted continually and Cameron was too mannerley. People mistook the stolen airtime as promise and we have actually to see real evidence yet.

The same happened when Clarke was up against Mandy. The Tories are too darn polite, and they must just get in there.

Cameron has to keep on pointing out the debt. The debt is not going to go away and increases each day. Liebore should not have got away with not producing a spending review and pawning us off with that rubbish budget.

Liebore will now be pretty frightened about the Clegg surge and will do some of the spade work in debunking 'Cloud Clegg'. When Mandy is wheeled out to attack Clegg then we can just sit and watch.

Dick of Dork, what happy days? Whatever you are on, keep taking it. Reality is Liebore have no idea how to run the economy and that is where all the cards are stacked right now. We have massive debts and servicing that debt alone is frightening.
On questions and answers your man has spent his time at the dispatch box managing not to answer any of the questions put to him, so not such a good choice of phrase.

Obviously you are not part of the solution in wealth creation that is sorely needed to supply the growth in the economy that will help us survive?

Yours is the party that harboured an MP who describe us 'golden oldies' as coffin dodgers and the elite of Liebore subscribed to his little jokes for 10mths before it came to light. Lovely phrase and shows such respect and caring for people. But then those of us who have paid our way do not matter any longer, the money is spent.

Fatbloke on tour

RoY

Scratchy is a political souffle, full of hot air that can rise only once.

To say that he is the answer shows how far the Tories have fallen.

Scrtachy = Leader of Clan Cameron not the Tory party. Right wing Trot using the desperation of a failed political party to further his own career.

What ever happened to DD?

Right wing, dog boiling mentalist he may be but at least he believed in it and was not acting out a script just to grab some votes.

Scratchy vs Cleggy:

Scratchy has the better basic delivery, Cleggy just looks surprised that people are actuallly listening to him. However he a has a second gear which Scratchy does not.

Instead of sounding shrill and excitable when the going gets tough he can put across the points with some feeling.

Finally GB is starting to look like he is enjoying the campaign.
The bigger the ask the better the performance.
All to play for.

Vulture

@Fatarse:

Why are you addressing a post to ROY when he's sitting opposite you in the Liebore campaign bunker?

Have you two boys had a tiff, and aren't you on speakers?

Boudicca

Unfortunately, the Tories' policies really aren't so very different from Labour or the LimpDims policies so it will be difficult to enter into too much debate on them!

Now if UKIP and the BNP were in the debates there WOULD be something to discuss. The Tories have made a fundamental error by aiming for the soft left-wing voters at the expense of their right-wing members.

John Wood

Example of Lib-Dem loony policy.

Don't switch to nuclear power plants - build millions of windmills themselves.

Vote Lib Dem - get Blackouts