David Cameron’s interview in The Guardian this morning once again demonstrates his skill at political positioning. By citing Barack Obama as the inspiration for his call for people to take responsibility for their own actions, Cameron is moving to ensure that his message is not seen as old-fashioned Tory moralism but rather associated with the hippest brand in politics today. Indeed, both Brown and Cameron have been keen to agree with Obama’s rhetoric on this.
Labour is still underestimating Cameron, though. As this dismissive quote suggests:
“What does he want to do, tell fat people they are not entitled to treatment on the NHS?” one senior minister said. “Cameron has just hired the former editor of the News of the World [Andy Coulson], who is simply putting out a daily newspaper with catchy headlines. Their methods are new but their approach is the same: cuts and rolling back the state.”
As long as Labour does not get what Cameron is trying to do, they won’t be able to counter it.

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