I do not think that George Walden, former Conservative MP and minister, cares much for David Cameron, according to this article that came out a few weeks ago. Excerpt:
The politics of sentiment increasingly dominate public discussion, and sentimentality tinged with cynicism was what Diana was about. The same is true of Cameron’s social politics. The cant of the new elites emerges with numbing shamelessness in his public declarations. Recently the one-time PR man for ruthlessly profitable trash TV made a heartfelt speech in which he said that money wasn’t everything, and that the quality of our culture mattered. In his more mawkish mode it is possible to discern in the Tory leader’s political pitch a faint echo of Diana’s Christ-like affectations. With her, it was a scrupulously choreographed contact with people sick with Aids. With Cameron, it is an ostentatious tolerance of the lower orders: suffer the hoodies and the hoodlums to come unto me.
Brrr… Walden might as well have called Cameron a patronising wanker. He must be glad the practice of duelling has been abolished.
Iain Dale, usually the most civil of commentators, is not impressed much by Walden, however:
Former Tory MP George Walden was one of Britain’s worst ever High Education Ministers. Since leaving Parliament he has earned a living writing pseudo-intellectual drivel about politics and culture. It’s usually unreadable. I attended a discussion evening with him and his wife a couple of years ago, organised by Living Marxism. He was insufferable and spent the whole evening putting down his wife. In the Independent on Sunday diary there is a piece on his book The New Elites in which he slags off David Cameron for “being a posh man pretending to be common”. Utter rubbish. But even if it were true, it’s better than a pub bore pretending to be an intellectual.
Aren’t Conservatives lovely?
Strange. George Walden’s a cock, but he’s right about Cameron. Dale’s blog used to be all right, but now he’s a candidate he has to be a Toryboy. Shame.
Patriotism is, sentiment in its raw and potent form can move nations. Churchill and Hitler duked it out in potent speeches, drawing deeply on the wells of sentiment.
However, the Tory party hasn’t a credible leader able to reach into that emotional zone to convince anyone that what fare they have on offer is of any value. Most of it is just vapourware, retrograde at that.
Trash TV? Nearly all TV is trash, which makes it all the more surprising that the government funds the production and publication of much of it. What is the government doing running TV channels?
I find it hard adequately to express my distaste for Dale, whose website I have recently been reading.
If he is the future of the Conservative Party, I’m damned glad I left.
Walden is right about Cameron, who is an odious little twerp. And no better for being fawned over by power-hungry wets like Dale.
Walden is right about Cameron; but then again Dale is right about Walden. And so it goes.
Ah, but Johnathan, is this sort of thing limited to the Conservatives?
Ah, but Johnathan, is this sort of thing limited to the Conservatives?
James, no. Whatever gave you that idea? If you have been reading this blog awhile, I think any reasonable person would get the point that I have a fairly dismissive view of all the main political parties!
I stopped reading Dale because it’s just pro-Conservative Party writing. From what I see, he’s just bending with the party direction. There’s nothing driven by ideas there.
How anyone can declare themselves as a Thatcherite and yet praise Cameron’s speech is beyond me.
With regards to his TV station – the idea that it’s going to challenge the MSM is laughable. It’s just aping MSM political formats but on the internet.
The great strenth of Mr Cameron is his dishonesty.
Someone like “Ken” Clarke might lie about some things (such as, of course, the European Union), but he will not lie shamelessly about what he is – about his basic beliefs (at least he will not often tell such lies – and he will show some stress if he does tell them).
David Cameron will and does lie with a light heart. He will (for example) sign the “Conservative Way Forward” statement of principles and speak in their favour – and these principles are about national independence, limited government and personal liberty.
And then Mr Cameron will state his support for the E.U., and for greater government spending, and for more regulations on this or that.
All without any signs of stress.
Of course he would an ardent statist in the (very unlikely) event he came into office – dishonest scum bags always are.
But his dishonesty allows profreedom people in the Conservative party to pretend to themselves that support for British independence, limited government and personal liberty has a future in the Conservative party
“After all he told me he believed in these things, he signed our statement of principles and spoke warmly in their support”.
I find it hard to despise such people as much GCooper does – for I remember that I used to think like them (and tied myself into knots trying to justify my support for the Conservative party).