What is David Cameron up to?
- 6 Feb 08, 02:21 PM
Today at Prime Minister's Questions he labelled Gordon Brown a "hopeless dithering prime minister". The other day he labelled him "that strange man" in Downing Street. The leader who promised an end to ‘Punch and Judy’ has become more and more contemptuous in his attitude to the PM and, as a result, less respectful towards the office itself.
My guess is that he is thinking of that old American political strategists’ maxim "Define your opponent before he can define himself". In other words, he may be hoping that he can help form a negative impression of Gordon Brown which will stick fast in voters’ minds.
However, I recall David Cameron telling Tories to be aware that whatever they said would, in the end, tell voters as much about them as the person they were attacking.
Has he forgotten this or am I missing something?
Move over Jamie. This is a picture of the moment I and other TV journos launched our bid for TV cook stardom in the Parliamentary pancake race. Naturally, we journalists battered (sorry) the MPs although I seem to have lost my pancake.
I can't help feeling that I should have followed the advice of the best spin doctors never ever even to think about wearing a hat on camera. Tony Blair was very rarely snapped wearing one - perhaps scarred by that shot of him at Oxford in a straw boater. David Cameron refused to wear one even in scalp freezing temperatures on his dog sled trip to the North Pole. However, Gordon Brown was once caught in a Biggles helmet. And, do you remember (how could you forget) the turban that John Major once sported?!
