David Blackburn

Uptown girl

David Cameron warns the nation to “get ready” for Samantha, who will be interviewed by Sir Trevor Macdonald on Sunday.

If Sarah Brown is the damsel in distress, saved by her heroic husband, Sam Cam is the trouser-wearing uber-bitch. Allegedly, she is terrifying: cowering Smythsons’ interns refer to her as Anna Wintour. She never does hyperbole. She will extol her husband’s virtues succinctly, saying he’s never let her down in 14 years of marriage. Presumably she will then talk about her career, the tragic loss of her son and her Bohemian youth.

Following Ed Vaizey’s bid for de-selection, great efforts have been made to present the twentysomething Sam as a loaded lefty Boho. We are told that her friends thought Dave was an ‘uncool Tory boy’ and that the pair were an incongruous match. Charming little anecdotes of Love’s Young Dream, but does it matter that she voted Labour once? Would it matter if she voted Labour this time? Of course not, she’s perfectly entitled to disagree with her husband’s politics. Frankly, the day my parents agree on anything political they’ll divorce out of shock.

I’ve long distrusted the logic of Cameron’s marriage policy. I feel that the Tories’ sudden crisis owes much to opposing social engineering whilst seeking to manipulate the tax system in support of marriage. But what better advertisement for the institution’s inherent strength and value than the happily married, hard working and successful couple who disagree about politics?

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