Cameron has immunised himself from attacks on his morality matters approach
James Forsyth 6:47pm
Conservative Home is worrying about how the press might report Cameron’s Glasgow speech, fearful that it might be presented as a ‘nasty party’ attack. But to my mind, the Tories don’t need to worry: this dog won’t hunt.
First of all, Cameron has detoxified the Tory brand enough and spent so long portraying himself as a contemporary man that trying to paint him as some social authoritarian eager to take Britain back to Victorian times just won’t work. For this type of character attack to wound they have to chime with what people think about a politician. In this case, they will fall as flat as attempts to portray Boris as a racist did. Second, I suspect that the public overwhelmingly agrees with Cameron—they see what he is talking about every day. Third, Cameron is not just knocking the current state of society, he is offering solutions and no one can credibly claim that there is not a problem when we learn so regularly of the tragic costs of social breakdown. If commentators chose to mock the idea that morality matters, they will open themselves up to ridicule from the public at large.
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Comments
J H Holloway
July 7th, 2008 7:03pmMmm. The Daily Labourgraph has jumped to just such a conclusion
'David Cameron has launched an attack on Britain's culture of "moral neutrality", saying the obese, the idle and the poor have no one to blame but themselves.'
Still, he's right.
Tiberius
July 7th, 2008 7:15pmThe issue of family taxation was the road test for pronouncements like this, and since Stephanie Flanders, live on Newsnight, couldn't lay a glove on him, I, like James, don't think anyone will over this either.
Craig Strachan
July 7th, 2008 7:16pmSo...is this Cameron's "chide a chubby" speech?
kinglear
July 7th, 2008 8:17pmIn Switzerland, up to the age of 16, your parents are put inside if you do something illegal. If you are out after 9pm during term time, your parents face a fine.
Guess what? They don't have a problem - at least not until they have to do their army training and then they become model Swiss citizens.
Silent Hunter
July 7th, 2008 9:01pmCraig:
"Chide a Chubby"....that's great! :O) Brilliant!
But he's still right!
THX1138
July 8th, 2008 12:21amCraig "chide a chubby" that's a real classic. Maybe he could start with Boris certainly chubby & most definitely in need of some chiding.
I'm going to drop the Boris slagging off for a day or two I'm starting to sound as mad as Verity.
Craig Strachan
July 8th, 2008 2:36pmTHX1138
I think there are more chideable chubbies than Boris amongst Tory grandees, if Cameron is really so inclined.
Nicholas Soames lumbers into mind...
THX1138
July 8th, 2008 4:34pmHis ex girl friend describe having sex with Soames as like having a wardrobe fall on you with the key in it