RE:

I think Cameron’s speech was a failure and the reason is because I actually like him and wish he was in the Labour Party. Normally when I hear him speak I acknowledge how good he is and have found myself agreeing with him.....

Today – nothing – I was bored, and disagreed with almost everything he said.

Now, if I’m typical new labour, and his appeal to me represented his move to the middle ground, then today represents his move back to the Tory fold – a move I never expected him to make...

As Andrew Neil put it – “That was a Daily Mail Speech”

SH

RE: Cameron

If you’re watching the daily politics show – Nick Robinson has just talked about what’s in Cameron’s speech and he could be screwed.

 

Apparently just like Tony Blair showing that he changed Labour into New Labour he can change the country too, David Cameron is going to use the same argument – he can’t prove he would be a good PM, but look at what he’s done as opposition leader.

 

Except – for me, the conservative party has not changed – there was no clause four moment – they’re still unchanged – his record isn’t as great as they think it is

 

Cameron

I’m watching BBC Parliament right now, and they are showing Cameron’s emergency speech from yesterday and a couple of thoughts occur to me.

 

What was going on inside Team Cameron that made them think they had to do this.  Is he wanting to signal the graveness of the situation and his mature responsible attitude to it (read “Dunkirk spirit”)?

 

Or was he aware that the momentum was building back to Labour and he needed to put himself in front of it?

 

Maybe he was worried that none of his front bench would be capable of getting headlines from the conference yesterday and he was the only one capable of doing that?  That’s got to be a worrying thought.

 

Finally, he’s a decent chap and thought the honourable thing to do for the markets was signal how there will be no political wrangling in this country?  I believe this one is true, but so are the others.

 

He stood up and backed-up George Osborne, and that can only be because Osborne has taken a knock after being quoted in Gordon Brown’s speech.

 

In other words, he’s become the only national heavy hitter in his team, he knows it and it’s going to start taking its toll on him.

 

And finally – normally when I see Cameron do something unusual like this, I think “clever boy” for grabbing the initiative and swinging it his way.  Yesterday he was desperately trying to bring the initiative back to him and he looked weaker for it.

 

How good does it feel that for the first time in ages, Labour is setting the direction?

 

Dominic Grieve is speaking now.... good grief.....