Oh, well, I suppose I must.
The politicisation of the Civil Service was begun by Margaret Thatcher.
Damian McBride is said to be 35. Clearly, no picture of him is available. So who is the man of about 50 whose image is being used to illustrate stories about him?
At least Derek Draper no longer speaks in an impersonation of Orville.
And at least Paul Staines now appears as Paul Staines. There is no more of him blacked out, with Jeremy Paxman calling him “Mr Fawkes, for so we must apparently address you”. He was both a member of a 1980s Hard Right groupuscule, and a promoter of raves and acid house parties. Since he is 41, he must have been both of these things simultaneously.
Well, of course. Just as Oliver Smedley, later a leading figure behind the proto-Thatcherite Institute of Economic Affairs, was a leading figure behind union-busting pirate radio in the Sixties.
Which brings us to the allegations themselves.
George Osborne is a cocaine addict who consorts and cavorts with prostitutes? Ooda thought it! All that makes him is a man who practises what he preaches about the “free” market, which cannot be at all without being in (among other things) drugs and prostitution. Both of which, moreover, are ununionised, unregulated and untaxed.
His transvestism comes as no surprise. There would be more cause to worry about any woman married to him if she were not a nervous wreck. And the shock factor of David Cameron’s clap is also absolutely nil. In fact, it explains a lot.
Beyond that, what is there? An MP used his or her position to publicise a business employing his or her “partner”? Let’s just say “Samantha Cameron”, and leave it at that.
Oh, and something about Nadine Dorries.
Which is where the hand of David Cameron seems to hover ever so slightly out of shot. McBride may be pro-Brown. But Draper is a diehard Blairite. And like all diehard Blairites from Blair himself down, he wants Cameron to replace the hated Brown as Prime Minister. Who, exactly, forwarded these emails to Staines?
Cameron will go to any lengths to purge his party even of such moral and social conservatives, and of such patriots, as it still contains. Twice divorced, only an occasional churchgoer, and no more than a lowerer of the term limit on abortion, Dorries is no Ann Widdecombe. But Widdy is retiring, and therefore does not need to be rubbed out. Dorries is staying on, is about as conservative as any Tory MP will be in the next Parliament, and therefore cries out to be destroyed.
All that is necessary is to dress up her destruction in things that everyone either knew anyway or could have guessed about Cameron and Osborne.
Here in North-West Durham, we look forward to a New Labour candidate who is Damian McBride without the brain. Oh, fortuitous Y chromosome, that that candidate will not be Derek Draper.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Ah deference to MPs surely died with That Was The Week That Was. And of course "Private Eye", which exists on tidbits of info supplied by politicians (usually against their internal enemies) and info supplied by journalists who cannot get good stuff published because of editorial policy.
ReplyDeleteThe effect has been that "P E" is now the house journal of the Westminster Village.
It is of course the case that Internet Blogs are unauthenticated and SEEM to exist in a curious legal position.
No doubt the info supplied to the better known blogs comes from disgruntled ploiticians and journalists.
Add in a healthy dose of the Bloggers "political nous" and add in an unhealthy dose of the Bloggers "view of the world" to make the facts fit the issue.
I do that rather well.
You do that rather well.
Ultimately you and I have frankly limited informers and yours are I suggest "local" and specialised. As of course mine are....a different locality. A different speciality.
Nadine Dorries it would appear is no Ann Widdicombe, thank God. But I think it stretches credulity that she has been "set up".
Cameron had the clap? Do we know this to be true?
Osborne? Well another toff. So Id willingly believe anything.
Theres a dilemna here. The netherworld of Internet Blogging.....its curious rules where we are wonderfully unaccountable as the politicians are or even the journalists.
It is of course disgraceful and I love it. And so do you.
Which is where the hand of David Cameron seems to hover ever so slightly out of shot. McBride may be pro-Brown. But Draper is a diehard Blairite. And like all diehard Blairites from Blair himself down, he wants Cameron to replace the hated Brown as Prime Minister. Who, exactly, forwarded these emails to Staines?
ReplyDeleteIs this not exactly the kind of innuendo-ridden smear that Damian McBride had to resign over?
"Ultimately you and I have frankly limited informers and yours are I suggest "local" and specialised"
ReplyDeleteActually, I received the most extraordinary email today... It's amazing who reads this blog.
"Cameron had the clap? Do we know this to be true?"
He has spoken in the past about his "visits to sexual health clinics".
"Is this not exactly the kind of innuendo-ridden smear that Damian McBride had to resign over?"
Not at all. Several statements of fact followed by a blindingly obvious, but mysteriously unasked, question.
Its all relative of course.
ReplyDeleteStaines, Draper, Dale are in the Premiership of bloggers.
Not entirely self deprecating to say that I am in the "Irish League", my blogs occasionally going international.
The international aspect would of course reflect my highly subjective view of the world. And possibly a crtain amount of political "nous" stemming from being aware and a lifelong political "anorak"
Likewise my "nous" and value system informs my "localised" postings. But these are supported by some little snippets that come my way "Northern Ireland is a rather small pond" so to speak.
And I am aware that some of those tidbits are from within a camp and from folks with an agenda......who rightly or wrongly see me as an ally.
So my blog is somewhat localised and of scant interest except to those who know the dramatis personnae.
I cannot claim to have received any testimonals from outside my narrow field.
But frankly your blog has its better insights in church affairs. a niche market I think.
While much of your national analysis is quite eloquent, theres not much in the way of real insight.
Well, there's a surprise - my second comment didn't appear, and JohnJGMooney's one did, even though it was made afterwards.
ReplyDeleteDavid, do you not realise just how obvious you're being? Not publishing the comment tells me infinitely more than publishing it does!
On a more general note, don't you think this blog would get much livelier if you relaxed the present draconian censorship policy? Delete abusive comments by all means, but your present policy of deleting follow-up posts to make it look as though you had the last word is both cowardly and utterly transparent.
And those aren't qualities I'd want in my MP - I'd want proof that he can handle difficult situations without running away at the first sign of trouble.
The last word.
ReplyDeleteI think this an excellent point by der zwerg - how about it David? Maybe a trial period?
ReplyDeleteWe've had them before.
ReplyDeleteNever again.