The magazine “Attitude” is described by Wikipedia as a “British gay lifestyle magazine.”
The day of the androgynous politician has clearly arrived. No doubt MR Cameron will be complaining about his hot flushes next. MRS Cameron might want to start keeping track of her stock of sanitary (sanity?) towels.
The Conservative Party Chairman, the Right Honourable Grant Shapps is a worried man. He has need to be. The Tory party faces the prospect of winning the largest number of seats on Thursday 7th May 2015 but falling far short of a majority.
Thursday’s “Leaders Debate” – it should more fittingly been described as the “The Party Leaders TV Hustings” – demonstrated why Mr Shaps is so worried.
Firstly, it is generally accepted amongst impartial and some partial observers that there were TWO winners. There was Ms Nicola Sturgeon who emerged a clear winner with her party’s campaign boosted. Then there was UKIP’s Nigel Farage.
Mr Farage’s tactics were clearly to answer the questions the members of the audience asked and to say those things about immigration and “health tourism” that the other leaders were not going to and did not say. Mr Farage’s tactics clearly worked.
Insofar as the loser was concerned this organ would ask it’s Readers to spare a thought for poor Mr Iain McNicol who for his sins holds the position of General Secretary of the Labour Party. The Editor of this organ feels much sympathy towards him for political opponent he may be, he nevertheless is a fellow human being and especially at this time of year, we should feel compassion for the afflicted.
Poor Mr McNicol will have had is head in his hands and was probably muttering, “No, Oh No!” at the TV screen as Edward, the Truly Unfortunate persevered with such lines as “If I’m Prime Minister…..” rather along the lines of others saying, “If I win the lottery…..”
Even though I am not a supporter of Ed, I found it painful to watch. One can only imagine how poor Mr McNicol felt!
But let us leave Mr McNicol to his lamentations and return to the man who had most to loose from this hustings: Androgynous Dave.
The Tories are claiming a victory because their man made no gaffe. That is rather like the manager of a football team boasting that although his team did not score any goals, they at least managed to avoid any of their players kicking the ball into their own net! Hardly inspiring! Most of us set the bar of success somewhat higher than does Mr Shaps. Mr Arsène Wenger, the manager of Arsenal Football Club most certainly does!
Mr Cameron clearly received the following advice: “You are the one participant who has everything to loose and nothing to gain from this so avoid or reduce exposure to such down to a minimum.”
Ordinarily, this would be sound advice. If for example Mr Alan Johnson was Labour’s leader this would very much be the case. But then Mr Johnson is not Labour’s leader. Labour’s leader (we use the word “leader” advisedly) is Edward the Truly Unfortunate. What the Tories should have done – some time ago – is to accept the premise of the broadcasters offer and to take Ed at his word and have a series of “Head to Head” TV debates between Cameron and Ed. This would have achieved two things:
1. Make the point the Tories are trying to make that the choice of Prime Minister is Dave or Ed.
2. A series of debates between halfway competent Androgynous Dave and incompetent Edward the Truly Unfortunate.
This would have given the Tories the possibility of securing a slim majority. That possibility is as receding nearly as fast as the whisky in the bottles that is drowning the sorrows of Scotland’s Labour candidates.
The election campaign proper is in it’s early stages. Even so, it is now perfectly clear that Androgynous Dave suffers from two things that shows him not to be a genuine leader.
These are timidity and the unwillingness to take risks.
Timid, risk averse people are such as they fear loss and fear getting hurt. This was Most Clearly demonstrated by the differences of approach of Mr Cameron and Mr Farage.
You see, Mr Farage knows that in order to garner support, he must bring about the ire from his opponents – as was amply demonstrated by the reactions to his assertion about HIV patients.
Mr Farage you see realises the truth of the American saying, “you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.”
Androgynous Dave on the other hand is under the mistaken belief that you can indeed make an omelette without breaking eggs – by using egg powder. But fails to realise that in order to make egg powder, eggs have to be broken. This is Androgynous Dave’s problem: he does not want to offend anybody. He wants everybody to like him. Or rather, those people he feels are important.
What is clear is this:
1. there is a real possibility that the SNP could sweep up nearly all of the Scottish seats.
2. that the suggested “progressive coalition” will require the support of the Lib-Dems as well as the SNP which will require whoever is the Lib-Dem leader to drink from the same poisoned chalice as whoever is Labour’s leader.
3. the ONLY coalition that will meet the requirements of the UK’s many creditors will be the Grand Coalition.
4. any attempt by a “progressive coalition” to end austerity will lead to an immediate and deep cut in the UK’s Credit rating and inter alia, an immediate and steep increase in the interest rates charged on the UK’s debt.
5. Mr Mark Carney would be failing in his duty as Governor of the Bank of England were he fail to warn such politcians contemplating a “progressive coalition” of this.
Excellent. Thank you