Friday 15 March 2013

Cameron's Coup: The Serious Politics Begins

Yesterday was, I think, a very significant day in UK politics.  Cameron walked out of the tripartite leaders' talks on Leveson, made straight for a Press Conference, and drew a very clear line in the sand.  He left Clegg and Miliband in front of the cameras visibly gasping for air as they surfaced from the cold waters of the Thames into which they had just been dumped.  They also gave the distinct appearance of being already in coalition which, when he thinks about it later, will not please Clegg one little bit, and he'll want to guard against it becoming a pattern.

This is excellent stuff.

Furthermore, it is self-evidently the work of a genuine strategist (Crosby), making earlier efforts by Osborne look the amateurish stunts they were.  It is earnestly to be hoped that the precise parliamentary tactics for the complex proceedings next week have been equally well thought through.

I see it as being all of a piece with Cameron's 'Europe speech'.  He sticks his neck out (and draws a dividing line); the commentariat goes, oooh, you can't say things like that ... and then they notice that overall, reactions are comfortably favourable.

If (as I've hoped here before) this represents the start of the 'no more Mr Nice Guy' phase, then (a) he's reached that point a good deal earlier in his regime than did Blair; and (b) Thatcher was very much deeper in trouble at the 2-years-9-months point than is Cameron now, albeit that he too has some massive battles ahead.

My new-found optimism is undimmed.

ND    

31 comments:

Bill Quango MP said...

As you said in 2010 - its going to be lot more 1979 than 1997.

The anti Maggie plotters, like the Anti Dave plotters, started immediately. From the wets and the drys.

She was seen as Heathite continuation.
Dave can still do it, as you say.
But he's leaving it very late.

Blue Eyes said...

Is the renewed (contrived?) dry vs wets battle and managerialism vs freedom on booze pricing part of a wider war? I do hope so.

I've thought for a while that the Cons need to beat the Libs at their own game of debating in public rather than at the cabinet table. The voters need to see which of the "programmes" belong to the Cons and which to the Libs.

As you say, making Cleggy look like he is closer to Milibuns with both their impractical idealism is inspired.

Timbo614 said...

It's about time he stood up to be counted. Let's hope for more of the same...not sure about actual optimism yet, hope maybe.

Feeling better BQ?

Budgie said...

Presumably then, ND, you think Cameron is a cunning lunatic, rather than just a lunatic?

Back on planet Earth, things like his 'no-more-cash-for-the-EU' policy is unravelling before our eyes, and most of the rest is whistling in the wind. What has galvanised him (in both senses) to his heights of rhetoric are the rumours of a leadership challenge. His activity has no more substance than that.

Cameron is too lazy and too complacent to make a serious stab at sorting out the mess that the UK is in. Most of all, he has only has two years to go, so he has left it too late.

Sackerson said...

Or is it another Blairite twist, like the sickening "he still has an appetite for power" etc.

Electro-Kevin said...

Budgie is usually right, I'm afraid.

Anonymous said...

Bill Q: "She was seen as Heathite continuation. "

Heath didn't see it that way. I really can't think of many other people who did either.

Mr Ecks said...

Budgie calls it right. And even if Cameron had a set of (micro) balls--he is still an euuuw sucking traitor who also has the green freaks so far up his arse they are working his mouth like a windmill. Having failed to reform the constit boundaries it is far to late to be donning the Batman suit now.

Anonymous said...

The 'heir to Blair' is just using lazy triangulation on a side-show issue.

On everything that matters 'call be Dave' is a busted-flush.

Anonymous said...

We need Mrs Thatcher. We get Anthony Eden.

Timbo614 said...

Bit pissed :) BUT is the Cyprus 10% haircut for everyone going to be the black swan event?...

[LOL the catchpa is "ECDowl" which I read as ECDown I wonder why.]

Blue Eyes said...

It must be the influence of the BoE. Our own deputy thingy was suggesting just such negative interest rates the other day. I'm guessing this means that periphery Euro countries can now cut their own interest rates as well?

Nick Drew said...

'no-more-cash-for-the-EU' policy is unravelling before our eyes

we shall have to wait & see, my understanding is that the EU parliament can only tinker around the edges with the budget

What has galvanised him are the rumours of a leadership challenge

I don't really care what did it

Anonymous said...

Will Gideon give our savings a 10% haircut, Cypriot stylee?

andrew said...


The measure of the man will be how he treats his friends.

Keep George because he is a mate
- and probably lose

Get rid of George despite close friendship
- and blame it on Lab and George and possibly win if GO really is that unpopular.




James Higham said...

and then they notice that overall, reactions are comfortably favourable.

Therein lies the problem.

BlackRaven said...

sounds like he caved in again on Leveson.

Nick Drew said...

does rather, doesn't it ?

Budgie said...

Budgie said: "What has galvanised him are the rumours of a leadership challenge."

ND said: "I don't really care what did it."

But you do care, ND, because you predicated your post on your "new-found optimism" that Cameron has reached a "no more Mr Nice Guy" phase (ie become a real Tory).

On the other hand if Cameron just appears alive because he has been "galvanised" (like a lab frog's leg), then there are no grounds for optimism.

BlackRaven said...

I think it is a blind spot for how Clegg is playing him. Not getting the boundary review should have been a deal breaker.

Now you have Cable openly running as shadow Chancellor and Clegg offloading all the negatives of government onto Cameron.

Anonymous said...

I must say you have more hope in Cameron than I do - but that's not hard.

(Entertaining today - some Tory think-tanker on the Today programme saying how terribly short of hard scientists we are and how we need lots more immigration. Then AstraZeneca announce 1,000 redundancies and the closure of a major research centre).

Laban

Nick Drew said...

I give you best on this one, Budgie

galvanised is good

Blue Eyes said...

Apparently "single bloggers" will not be affected by the new legislation. I hope you get enough advertising revenue to pay your legal fees!

Well done Dave, you played a blinder there.

Nick Drew said...

we all know 'you' are a syndicate of 4 split personalities, BE

Blue Eyes said...

It's true. Which is why we are on strike.

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