Our Prime Minister's PR antennae, seldom wonderful, seem to have been extraordinarily anaesthetised lately. He will never be a man of the people. He just isn't one but nor is Ed or little Nick.They can't help it .None of them have ever really ever been out and about with real ones. As result he has always struggled a bit with understanding human reactions outside the various bubbles he has inhabited (Eton, Oxford, PR, Westminster) . Usually though advisers have managed to steer him around the deeper potholes.
Not these last couple of weeks.
First there was the visit to John Lewis and his speech to staff saying that generally he only shopped at Waitrose because, to paraphrase down to the real meaning, he found a better class of people there. To rub it in and make sure that Sainsbury staff and customer understood the reality he went on to say that he only used their Chipping Norton branch because the town didn't have Waitrose. Not clever for a man whose biggest albatross is a common belief that he and his party are toffs and only really for toffs.
Then there has been the case of Culture Secretary, Maria Miller and her slightly overpaid accomodation allowance. The independent parliamentary commissioner for standards recommended that she should repay £ £45,000 .This was reduced to £5,800 by the Parliamentary Standards Committee whose three non MP lay members have no vote . No reasons were given, at least publicly .They also found that her attitude to the investigation had breached the parliamentary code of conduct and insisted that she apologise to the Commons. She obliged flatly in 34 seconds flat. In length and style that simply wasn't good enough . It raised a furore and gave the Opposition a sitting duck house. To make it worse and add to the damage, in an old style display of ranks closing around mates, many senior Tories defended Ms Miller in her decision not to resign her cabinet post. All seen as very honourable within the group maybe but Dave should have been told that this one was insensitive, potentially toxic and gaining hostile legs amongst a public whose distrust of politicians , and especially Tory ones, is a major issue. Here was the opportunity for him to square his jaw and say resolutely that he and the party had zero tolerance in these sorts of case and she must therefore go. Instead he flunked it and very went out on a very public limb by firmly supporting her. Today she has resigned . That makes Dave's support an image tarnishing ,vote losing waste of time. He should have anticipated the end game and gone straight to it. The affair now becomes not just an understanding issue but one of judgement one too. As a footnote Mr Cameron said he hoped she would be back in the cabinet in due course. Again, oh dear.
Parliament has just arrived at the Easter Recess and this afternoon members will be flowing out of the doors in end of term, caps in the air mode. There must be a sense of weary relief as they do so and a feeling in the Cameron camp that it hasn't come a moment too soon . The boss presumably at some stage will head for the harsh world of real life in the Cotswolds. Dangerous. He may have to go to Sainsburys for heaven's sake.
Not these last couple of weeks.
First there was the visit to John Lewis and his speech to staff saying that generally he only shopped at Waitrose because, to paraphrase down to the real meaning, he found a better class of people there. To rub it in and make sure that Sainsbury staff and customer understood the reality he went on to say that he only used their Chipping Norton branch because the town didn't have Waitrose. Not clever for a man whose biggest albatross is a common belief that he and his party are toffs and only really for toffs.
Then there has been the case of Culture Secretary, Maria Miller and her slightly overpaid accomodation allowance. The independent parliamentary commissioner for standards recommended that she should repay £ £45,000 .This was reduced to £5,800 by the Parliamentary Standards Committee whose three non MP lay members have no vote . No reasons were given, at least publicly .They also found that her attitude to the investigation had breached the parliamentary code of conduct and insisted that she apologise to the Commons. She obliged flatly in 34 seconds flat. In length and style that simply wasn't good enough . It raised a furore and gave the Opposition a sitting duck house. To make it worse and add to the damage, in an old style display of ranks closing around mates, many senior Tories defended Ms Miller in her decision not to resign her cabinet post. All seen as very honourable within the group maybe but Dave should have been told that this one was insensitive, potentially toxic and gaining hostile legs amongst a public whose distrust of politicians , and especially Tory ones, is a major issue. Here was the opportunity for him to square his jaw and say resolutely that he and the party had zero tolerance in these sorts of case and she must therefore go. Instead he flunked it and very went out on a very public limb by firmly supporting her. Today she has resigned . That makes Dave's support an image tarnishing ,vote losing waste of time. He should have anticipated the end game and gone straight to it. The affair now becomes not just an understanding issue but one of judgement one too. As a footnote Mr Cameron said he hoped she would be back in the cabinet in due course. Again, oh dear.
Parliament has just arrived at the Easter Recess and this afternoon members will be flowing out of the doors in end of term, caps in the air mode. There must be a sense of weary relief as they do so and a feeling in the Cameron camp that it hasn't come a moment too soon . The boss presumably at some stage will head for the harsh world of real life in the Cotswolds. Dangerous. He may have to go to Sainsburys for heaven's sake.
