A sharpened Tory message
James Forsyth 1:41pm
David Cameron’s appearance on Andrew Marr has not made much news but it was, to my mind, one of Cameron’s most impressive performances to date. Two of the most common criticisms you hear of Cameron in Tory circles is that he doesn’t show enough passion and that he doesn’t offer voters enough concrete reasons to vote for the party. This morning, Cameron passed both of these tests—just take a look at this part of the transcript:
I think something did change last week which is I think people on low pay, families who struggle often to make ends meet, who are seeing the cost of living rising and they're seeing their tax bill go up from Labour, I think those people who often thought you know the Labour Party's for me, I think they feel desperately let down. And what I want to say to people like that is that you know we are there for you. I will try and keep your taxes down.Now, this might be longer than the sentence that Fraser thought that the Tories were missing last summer but it does the job. (On both benefits and education the policy is in place to make these changes real, on tax their remains much worked to be done.) The Tories are positioning themselves to fully capitalise on Labour’s problems.
I'll, if you do the right thing and save I will try and help you. I'll make sure the benefits system you know pays couples to stay together rather than to separate. We'll try and give you the good school that you ought to have. I think those people have been let down by Labour and ..ANDREW MARR: Yeah ..
DAVID CAMERON: .. those are the people actually I want to stand up for.
Previous
Pete
April 27th, 2008 4:13pm Report this commentHe also made a good point on a newsclip of him I saw regarding the Grangemouth oil refinery strike. He reminded people that it was Gordon Brown who put Pension Funds under pressure by his tax on funds dividends. That was a good point, well made that needs repeating.
Nigel Barlow
April 27th, 2008 4:37pm Report this commentI thought David Milliband's comments after were far more appropriate James,"a good salesman with nothing to sell."
His economic policy is almost identical to Labour's with pledges to maintain spending at a level just below growth.There were never any examples of how he would change the cycle other than half hearted pledges to cut back on Parliamentary red tape,to monitor real inflation and to look at criteria for lending.
Paul B
April 27th, 2008 5:18pm Report this commentPetes right, he did remind everyone that Brown was to blame for the mess pension funds are now in.DC did well to slip that reminder in. This is the way forward imo, offer hope and reassurance for the future,whilst gently reminding people of Browns incompetence. This morning he married an issue very much in the news with its historical cause, well done DC, very assured.
Paul M
April 27th, 2008 6:36pm Report this commentre: Nigel Barlow
April 27th, 2008 4:37pm.
Come on now, Nigel. Labour inherited the outgoing Conservative government's spending plans for at least 3 years - we now know these were the only 3 years they got anything right!
We have another 18/24 months of Labour mismanagement before Cameron and Osborne have to come in and clean everything up. Who know what state the economy will be in by then?
Labour don't even know what they are doing later this year (did you see Yvette Cooper on Newsnight?) yet Cameron is getting stick for not making specific, to-the-penny taxation policy two years or more in advance.
In any case, any policy he does come up with would probably find its way into the next Finance Bill!
David Lindsay
April 27th, 2008 8:36pm Report this commentIf the News of the World’s poll is right, then the Tories should win the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. If they don’t, then it isn’t.
Diana
April 27th, 2008 8:56pm Report this commentWhen is the by election? Has a date been set?
Paul M
April 27th, 2008 10:40pm Report this commentNot yet declared:
http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hcio/by_elections.cfm
Herbert Thornton
April 28th, 2008 3:43am Report this commentSo that was the 'sharpened Tory message' ? Oh yeah? What message? James must be easily impressed, I mean, yeah. I want to hear about immigration - yeah, really.
Empty, Empty sat on a wall.
Empty Empty had a great fall
but no-one could put him together again because there was nothing to put together. Yeah. Nothing at all.
Fraser Nelson
April 28th, 2008 10:10am Report this commentHerbert, in the growing genre of Brown-inspired poetry, I think that one definitely merits a mention.
Cindy
April 28th, 2008 6:49pm Report this commentMarr is as biased as it gets. When they keep asking Cameron where is he going to make cuts why does'nt he just say we are going to cut welfare spending, slash the quangos and bureaucracy and reduce the civil service.
Kate
April 28th, 2008 6:55pm Report this commentMarr is the worst interviewer I have ever seen, he totally let Milliband off the hook. Here is something any journalist worth their salt should be asking this government:
1. IF crime is falling at the rate they keep saying why are the prisons at bursting point and people feel unsafe like never before in this country's history?
2. IF there are more people in work than ever before and unemployment is as low as they claim why are welfare bills sky high and rising?
HerbertThornton
April 28th, 2008 8:04pm Report this commentFraser - Thanks, but actually it was inspired by both Brown and Cameron.
Perhaps it should begin - "Empty and Emptier" (etc.)
Back to top