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Liz Anderson

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Fighting the last (indefensible) war

Monday, 12th May 2008


I am just astounded by the Labour by-election campaign in Crewe and Nantwich. First, and most disgustingly, as has been ricocheting around the blogosphere, a Labour leaflet pretending to be a Tory party application form (subtle, eh?) asks:

Do you oppose making foreign nationals carry an ID card?
Since no-one has ever suggested that ID cards would be targeted particularly at foreign nationals, this appears to be a bizarre, indeed incomprehensible, attempt to play the race card.

But what’s really amazing about the Labour campaign is its strategy of portraying the Tory candidate Edward Timpson as a caricature toff, just because his family is wealthy. Reverting to class war like this really does show the depths of the party’s intellectual bankruptcy. It’s as if Blairism never happened. Labour are behaving like the apocryphal person who was stuck in the jungle and didn’t know the war was over decades after it had finished. Stripped of all the Blair triangulation, the party reveals that its motivating idea is just spiteful jealousy of the rich.

Nor is this a one-off in Crewe and Nantwich; it forms the core of Brown’s attack on ‘Old Etonian’ Cameron, the core of Labour’s education policy, the core of its welfare policy. And as the devastating attack on the government by the Labour MP and anti-poverty campaigner Frank Field has so brutally demonstrated, the cynical fleecing of the poor through abolishing the 10p tax band reveals that the purpose of this class war is not to benefit the poor at all but simply to hurt the rich. In the light of this, the idea that Ed Balls can make Frank Field look bad,as he has been attempting to do today, is risible.

But then, what is so remarkable is that the Brownies actually believe class war is a vote winner. In fact, it's why they are losing. The attack on Etonians is so puerile and out of touch, it’s embarrassing. People couldn’t care less where politicians went to school or whether they had silver spoons protruding from every orifice when they were growing up. What matters to them is how these individuals behave now and how they relate to their own lives. That’s why Boris won.

Apparently, according to a story in Saturday's Daily Mail, Labour have had to be told this strategy is backfiring. How could it not be? It’s crude and insulting — above all, to the intelligence of the electorate. Faced with a Tory party which is repositioning itself in a sophisticated and attractive manner designed to impress and bamboozle the voters -- and which has a good chance of working -- Labour chooses to respond by demonstrating that its knuckles are still scraping the ground.

 


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Thinkster

May 12th, 2008 11:21pm

Spot on M! Don't worry, people will slowly cotton on to the fact we've been hoodwinked. As long as Borris makes a success of London (give him a chance) then the people will see the light and common sense can take over at the next election.

Verity

May 12th, 2008 11:46pm

Edward Timpson in that ad looks as though he's going to tap dance down the streets of Crewe and Nantwich singing "Singing in The Rain".

elixelx

May 13th, 2008 7:14am

Any resemblance to US Democrat Party politics--blame the rich, appeal to race,apply relativism to all moral conundrums--is no coincidence.
In the States these people are called Liberals, kindly, and moonbats, correctly.
Can this new edition of Labour be what the world's been waiting for?
Will a Muslim man with a name like Hussein be the next face of the new New Labour

Ray

May 13th, 2008 7:57am

And so, with that great media showman Tony Blair having departed, the huge confidence trick that was New Labour is being shown up for what it truly is.

BWilliamson

May 13th, 2008 9:24am

For me no greater illustration of this pathetic attitude was the disparity in the way in which the Countryside Alliance/pro hunt demo's were dealt with by over zealous police, clubbing heads with disproportionate violence and the Cartoon demos during which they were treated as a protected species. The only potential arrests made on that day were of horrified onlookers watching horde's demanding death to the kuffar. Go figure.

Frank Pulley

May 13th, 2008 9:33am

Thinkster

" ...as long as Borris makes a success of London..." What?

If the success of London, after more than 2000 of turbulent, bloody and glorious history, depends on Boris, then we really are up Barking Creek without a paddle. I suspect think that London will survive Boris - and the glass wally!

THX1138

May 13th, 2008 9:50am

I agree that this form of attack is below the belt & has no place in 21st century Britain but you are never going to stop it and I don't believe it's just a Labour issue it's about pandering to the prejudices of your base when your on the ropes.

The Tories have plenty of form on this one Hague conceded in a recent interview that the 24 hrs to save the £ & the general anti European rhetoric was a device to get the core vote out to avoid electoral melt down. Ditto IDS. More recently Michael Howard fought the last election on a very right wing manifesto which carried all the sweet spots for the Tory base anti European, anti immigration a sniff of racism & the usual flog em & lock up stuff. Not a chance in the country as a whole but it got the base out.

Incidentally Howard's manifesto was mostly written by a little known new MP David Cameron no hug a hoodie or green agenda back then just the usual lockem up & sendem back agenda so beloved of the Dail Wail reading base. Reinforcing my point over on the Coffee House that Dave is nothing but a cynical PR spiv with no core values who will say & do anything to get his hands on power.

At a local level the Lib Dems have been up to very shameful tactics any one remember the Bermondsey by election when Labour candidate was Peter Tatchell and Simon Hughes put out straight candidate flyer and now we know was gay too.

Politics is the last blood sport maybe we should just let them scratch each others eye's out while we cheer our side on from the side lines.

Norm

May 13th, 2008 9:59am

When all else fails, which it has, blame anybody but yourself. It seems that the Toffs are back in the firing line for no other reason than there's no one else left to blame. Bye Gordon, switch the low voltage lights out when you go.

peter watkins

May 13th, 2008 10:39am

Funny isn't it?

A Phillips blog about a subject not related to Israel;

6 Comments

Yet another 'War Against Israel'

119 Comments

If only for your publisher's sake, I do hope all Die Hard Melanites who are so quick to scribble in your support on the Spectator site are as keen to part with the £3 or so it costs to buy it.

Because it seems that nobody else is.

Jennifer

May 13th, 2008 10:46am

Precisely.

What voters want to know is how does this translate into policy, and in particular policy that affects me?

Answer: it doesn't. I'm languishing at the bottom of the heap with no prospect of owning a house and sky high food bills not because of some Tory toff, but thanks to New Labour stealing my taxes every which way to pay for more useless town hall bureaucrats and to fritter away on council estate Sharons who can't wait to put themselves up the duff every five minutes.

"Tax credits, my dear? Here you go. Gold plated pension and £60k plus salary for you, sir? Here you go. Don't you worry about it, Old Muggins over there will pay for it. She's playing the silly game of working and saving up to have a family. Snigger, snigger. The harder she tries to work for her future, the more we'll fleece her to pay for yours. Isn't it hilarious! Ha, ha, ha. You stay in the town hall and get paid bucket loads for doing some worthless job and you keep getting Old Muggins to pay for your baybees." And so on.

Well, the worms have turned Gordon Brown and company. Old Muggins here, who's spending her life working away, paying her taxes and obeying the law is vacating her seat on the New Labour slave galley along with thousands of others and you and every other thieving New Labour pirate can get ready to walk the plank.

When I hear what benefits spongers and layabouts get and when I see some of the ridiculous job titles at the local council such as "five a day officers" - what the heck (but stuff emptying the bins, which is what I actually want) - I know I've had enough.

Change of leader or no change of leader, it's over.

It's just one big con and it's over. Go. Now.

Jonny Mac

May 13th, 2008 11:25am

Well she's clearly got you reading, Mr Watkins. Now engage with the issues and say something interesting, or shove off.

Joshua

May 13th, 2008 11:50am

"Yet another 'War Against Israel'
119 Comments"

It is hardly Ms. Phillips' fault that Brits love the Jewish people so very much and wish to make certain that Israel is made safe and secure.

peter watkins

May 13th, 2008 12:02pm

Johnny Mac

Thank you for your abuse!

Did you want to make a constructive comment, or is that as good as can expect?

Water

May 13th, 2008 12:22pm

“But what’s really amazing about the Labour campaign is its strategy of portraying the Tory candidate Edward Timpson as a caricature toff, just because his family is wealthy.” Maybe this is reverse psychology at play Melanie haha! Teach those that have been crunched to loath the rich and look at them as if they were toffs. That way the impecunious masses will soon turn to labour…they’ll have to try harder than that I’m afraid.

Ravi

May 13th, 2008 12:42pm

Funny isn't it?

A Phillips blog about a subject not related to Israel;

6 Comments

Yet another 'War Against Israel'

119 Comments

HAd you been teh first poster you could have said "0 comments". But you're not paying attention. As a generalist you always miss the Detail. Its "War against The Jews" and not "Israel" that you refer to. Of course cheap shots that are factually incorrect requires only a modicum of intelligence and cognition.

Ravi

May 13th, 2008 12:47pm

I wonder if this so-called toff is poorer than Blair who (of course) still has a 1930's marxist, left-wing socialist personna. Voters have already reject Ken the Dinosaur. Even the SWP and their ilk have/had Galloway as their poster boy. He's a flat-capper too!

Robin

May 13th, 2008 12:48pm

Now, now Peter. Calm down, dear.

I thought Melanites were something you made mugs out of.

Water

May 13th, 2008 1:05pm

The Sour grapes have escaped from the spectator wine club their leaking!

peter watkins

May 13th, 2008 1:06pm

Quite right Robin!

Potties too!

Alan

May 13th, 2008 3:22pm

Making potties, eh? Well, you'll need something to clear up the s*** left by Johann Hari. Off you go, Potty Pete.

Oh, and just so you know I'm not part of some exclusively Jewish lobby, I did the test Alan Sugar suggested to that lad on The Apprentice last week and no, I'm definitely not Jewish.

TDK

May 13th, 2008 3:55pm

Privilege is objectionable because people gain status through nepotism rather than merit. The reason the Labour strategy is backfiring is because the Labour candidate is the latest in the Dunwoody dynasty.

http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2008/5/4/political-dynasties.html

Beerchipsbingo

May 13th, 2008 7:39pm

Bravo Jennifer.

Cuts through all this nonsense which concentrates on the DownBrown theme.

The resentment runs much deeper and results from the average workers' realisation that they are being milked dry.

We have exhorbitant housing costs such that our offspring cannot dream of buying a home. So then they apply for council housing and are told they cannot have one due to the fact that their needs are lower in priority than those 'newly arrived'. If you point to the injustice of this, then you are told -usually in stilted English - 'well if you want to go down that road'

The 'newly arrived' are of course here for one reason: to keep workers' wages down, and it's been a very successful strategy. One can have one's house renovated so much easier these days.

So I don't care who steers Labour onto the rocks, but the rocks it surely is.

Trouble is, who is there on our denuded political scene, who shows the slightest inclination that they are interested in us?

Ann

May 13th, 2008 10:11pm

What a surprise - another pathetic, irrelevant, incoherent rant from Peter, the ... ahemmm ... well-known Jew lover.

Tony

May 15th, 2008 8:07am

Just imagine if the BNP were fielding a candidate, labour propaganda would go into warp drive.

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Melanie Phillips is a Daily Mail columnist. She also writes for the Jewish Chronicle and is a panellist on BBC Radio Four's Moral Maze. Her most recent book is 'Londonistan', published by Encounter and Gibson Square.

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