Many people in the Westminster Village will tell you that Labour’s last best chance is to personally attack David Cameron. The theory is that if you can take down Cameron, the Tories will fold. But when you ask about what Labour should go negative on you receive pretty weak answers involving the Bullingdon, Eton or White’s. The, predictable, aim would be to paint Cameron as out of touch or a sexist. But neither of these attacks strikes me as likely to be effective.
First, the out of touch line has been tried already and hasn’t hit home, just turning up the volume won’t make it effective. Also, the fact that Cameron has spent more time inside NHS hospitals in the last few years gives him an emotionally powerful response to the charge that he is out of touch. The sexist thing hasn’t yet really been tried but having been a member of men only establishment is hardly proof that you’re a misogynist whatever the Mirror might say. The charge also doesn’t seem credible when you consider that Cameron is married to a career woman who is, probably, the main family bread–winner.
If Labour’s sole aim is to take down Cameron they would have to launch a campaign of the same-level of viciousness, and with the same relationship to the truth, as the one against John McCain in South Carolina in 2000. Now I think that Labour would baulk at launching that kind of assault. But even if they didn’t, there is simply no distribution network for these type of attacks in Britain. As it is, railing against Cameron for having gone to Eton and joined the Bullingdon while the country goes into recession is just going to make Labour look rather pathetic.
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