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Cameron confuses strategy and tactics and puts Union at risk
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7 October 2009
Off to Scotland today and, in what those who ever ate with him call 'Robert Maxwell catering', I will be at two dinners, one an awards ceremony, the second a Labour fundraiser.
For Captain Bob, two dinners was in fact sometimes a conservative assessment of his eating capacity. I remember once attending a dinner he hosted for the Argentine ambassador, who was unaware that in a second room, Maxwell was having a second dinner with senior executives, and in a third, he was having a third dinner with an American businessman.
I remember too former Mirror editor Mike Molloy telling me of a Christmas dinner where turkey was on the menu. Mike and the other guests were offered a leg or a few slices of breast. Maxwell was given a whole turkey and demolished it before wiping his mouth and blowing his nose on his paper hat.
Tonight, I will probably have starter and main course at dinner 1, do my speech, then head to dinner 2 for course 3. I'm then supposed to get back to the bar of the hotel where dinner 1 is happening, presumably to give the impression I was there all the time. Spin!!
Anyway, enough of my eating and logistics, and on to the matter of David Cameron's handling of Scotland and Scottish politics.
Insofar as he has support that goes beyond the superficial, it tends to be in parts of the South of England, and among the media metropolitan classes who are bored with Labour, and for whom it doesn't really make much difference who is in power.
In Scotland, he has very little support, superficial or otherwise. But he is seeking to be Prime Minister of the UK, and that means he must at least look willing.
So he tells the Scots that he will show Scotland 'respect'. One would hope so. It is after all part of the country he wishes to govern and which he wishes to maintain as a United Kingdom.
But in maintaining his line, reaffirmed at his conference, that Scottish MPs will not be able to vote on exclusively English matters, he is in fact unknowingly conspiring with the break-up of the UK.
And why? Because 'English votes on English issues' is one of those nice, easy, glib lines likely to play well enough with people who don't think too deeply about the development of the Constitution. But the Westminster Parliament is the Parliament of and for the whole of the UK. It is, and always has been, a place full of anomalies and inexactitudes. But once you start saying that one kind of MP is inferior to another, which is what he is doing here, you undermine not just the Scottish MPs, but the Parliament as a whole.
Of course devolution has changed the political landscape and, for example, the reduction of Scottish representation at Westminster is in part a response to that. But Cameron's line goes much further. It shows up - a trend here - his confusion of strategy and tactics. His strategic goal is to maintain the Union. His tactic will play right into the hands of Alex Salmond and the SNP in their drive to independence.
It won't exactly help Scottish candidates either, going round doorsteps saying 'vote for me, my leader thinks I'm irrelevant.'
Meanwhile our lazy, supine media fails really to get stuck into this as an issue, which means Labour has to get stuck into it with sufficient vigour for the media to have to take notice. Cameron goes on about 'broken Britain'. Yet he could be the one to break up the UK.
I was thinking back to how the media used to cover Labour conferences in the run up to elections when we were in opposition, particularly in the Neil Kinnock era. Had there been the equivalent of an 'English votes on English matters' issue, let alone all these weird and not so wonderful extremists from Poland and Latvia wandering around the conference as part of a weird and not so wonderful European grouping, or if the bulk of the Labour leadership had come from a working class/union background in the same way that the current Tory leadership come from the Bullindgon class, I think the tone of coverage would have been very different.
The same goes for the economy. Signs are it is picking up. Have you heard a single difficult question being put to a single senior Tory on the positions they set out at the time the economic crisis developed, which were plain wrong and would have made the recession far worse? No. Because it does not suit the pre-ordained media agenda. Brown bad. Cameron good. Labour out. Tories in.
Despite the largely fawning tone of the conference coverage, my sense is the public, not for the first time, are ahead of the media in starting to think the week is not going as well for the Tories as they or the media might think.
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This two tiers argument is fallacy.
Devolution has already created two classes of MP.
English MPs who can vote on issues that affect their own constituents – but who can’t vote on Scottish issues (quite rightly).
And Scottish MPs who can’t vote on issues that affect their own constituents but who can vote on English issues (quite wrongly).
Why should issues like tuition fees, Heathrow expansion etc be carried in parliament by the votes of Scottish MPs?
Devolution has created this unfair system and something needs to be done about it.
The fairest thing that could happen is for the re-establishment of the English Parliament where English matters are dealt with exclusively by English MPs dedicated to the nation of England.
At least Cameron has the decency to call Scotland; “Scotland” which is more than can be said of Brown who seems incapable of uttering the word “England”. Despite the fact that every time he opens his mouth on education, health, law and order, transport or any other devolved matter he is talking about England and he knows it. Everytime he opens his mouth on any devolved subject and says “Britain” or “our country” or “the country” he is knowingly telling lies.
England is a proud historic nation just like Scotland and the English deserve no less recognition and representation than the Scots.
I agree again, especially with the last sentence.
Yesterday’s spending freeze is an attack on ever social worker, teacher, community worker, police officer, nurse, NHS doctor, youth worker, career advisor, arts officer, public leisure centre operator, benefit advisor, PCSO, health engagement workers, outreach workers to name just a few. Plus the capping of pensions, the removal of tax credits for example will leave most front line community staff struggling to make ends meet.
“We’re all in this together” coming from an heir to a million pound fortune is sick. I know at least two tory votes that have been lost from that one speech and media are not quite as friendly any more…
Their week all summed up for me by the picture of Cameron with his champagne in hand. Non complacent my foot? Man of the people my foot? Let’s down the Bollinger then go and enjoy Bullingdon chumster George telling everyone to take a pay freeze.. But they are taking a pay cut, they bleat, 5 per cent etc … Bullingdon-Bollinger baloney – their salaries are pinpricks in their earnings. Wake up Britain, just because the press have fallen for it all, no reason for people with brains to
I read today that Cameron is desperate not to be the last PM of a UK containing Scotland. Well, the only people who can help him in that are the voters – by making sure he doesn’t get there
“Despite the largely fawning tone of the conference coverage, my sense is the public, not for the first time, are ahead of the media in starting to think the week is not going as well for the Tories as they or the media might think.”
Of course, if you’d ever, EVER gone on record as saying that the Labour Party is not actually as popular as it or the media thinks, your readers might take this little insight more seriously.
“English vote on English issues”. Yes, almost as ridiculous as “British jobs for British workers”, isn’t it? Although, at least he can deliver on his sound bite, eh Alastair.
It never fails to amuse me when New labourites try to criticise others for attempting to resolve the almighty mess you people made of devolution in Scotland. The sooner we get full independence, the better.
There are already (at least) two classea of Westminster MP. Those who are still responsible for all matters affecting their constituents and those, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish, members who are not. This is an entirely imaginary taboo which was shattered in 1997. If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t have done it.
English votes on English Laws is the absolute minimum needed to rectify the constitutional mess brought about by the Blair devolution settlement. An English Parliament is what is really required. If the other nations of the UK can’t live with that, they know where the exit is.
“The same goes for the economy. Signs are it is picking up. Have you heard a single difficult question being put to a single senior Tory on the positions they set out at the time the economic crisis developed, which were plain wrong and would have made the recession far worse?”
Lol Campbell. This is your OPINION – and nothing more than that. Where is your empirical and tested proof that Brown’s utter recklessness with the public finances has HELPED Britain? Nonsense.
“Despite the largely fawning tone of the conference coverage, my sense is the public, not for the first time, are ahead of the media in starting to think the week is not going as well for the Tories as they or the media might think.”
Proof, please – not your tribal assertions. One thing I know absolutely for certain – the public found YOU and Labour out a long, long time ago.
Almost half of people who intend to vote Tory say they might change their mind. So Dave hasn´t sealed it yet!
Why did you not write that Labour, by ensuring “English MPs cannot vote on exclusively Scottish matters, is in fact conspiring with the break-up of the UK. Scottish votes on Scottish issues in a Scottish parliament is one of those nice, easy, glib lines likely to play well enough with people who don’t think too deeply about the British Constitution. The Westminster Parliament is the Parliament of and for the whole of the UK but once you start saying that one kind of MP is inferior to another, which is what Labour is doing here, you undermine not just the English MPs, but the Parliament as a whole and Scottish votes on Scottish issues plays right into the hands of the SNP and their drive to independence.”
Alastair
“Despite the largely fawning tone of the conference coverage, my sense is the public, not for the first time, are ahead of the media in starting to think the week is not going as well for the Tories as they or the media might think.”
If you say it enough times, you might believe it. Pure spin.
And the truth..
“..among the media metropolitan classes who are bored with Labour, and for whom it doesn’t really make much difference who is in power.”
Spot on Alastair. Swap “Labour” for “Conservative” and time travel back to 1996/97. It doesn’t matter whether Punch or Judy is in power. Sooner or later fed-up-ness sets in and they get voted out. What a classy constitutional set up and voting system we have.
An understatement..
“But the Westminster Parliament is the Parliament of and for the whole of the UK. It is, and always has been, a place full of anomalies and inexactitudes.”
The anomalies and inexactitudes are growing evermore extreme and Westminster stays the same. You more than anyone knows that change must happen, not just with political parties, but also with ancient Parliaments. I mean, Gordon Brown decides what education policy will be in England, but has no say whatsoever on education policy in his own constituency? What’s going on Alastair? Any other sensible country would move toward a federal structure. What do we do? Decide that the ‘Mother of all Parliaments’ (LoL) is above all that, and continue adding on more ‘anomalies’ and ‘inexactitudes’. The UK will break up because Tories AND Labour refused to listen and act.
Ollie
Signs are that the economy is picking up. Throughout the recession we have had so called experts trying to make a name for themselves by predicting the biggest possible calamity like little boys in a urinating up the wall contest. The media with their diverse agendas always love an extreme story. None of these people ever say they got it wrong even though the recession did not last as long as they said, unemployment still has not reached tory standards and house prices have not dropped by nearly 50%. The harbingers of doom now only say that the economy is not growing. So it does indeed look like the economy is on the up.
Within 24hrs of promising to cut “Whitehall bureacracy” by one third Dave has hired the ex chief of the defence staff as an MoD advisor.