Monday, June 18, 2007

Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

Before David Cameron made his speech in Tooting he addressed the Parliamentary Party in Portcullis House. Some Tory MPs who turned up at the meeting were somewhat disconcerted to find Tony Blair standing at the entrance to the Attlee Room. Sensing a major league defection Tory MP Brooks Newmark immediately asked him if he was joining the meeting. Tony gave his 'I'm a pretty straight kinda guy giggle', before another Conservative MP was heard to mutter "Nah, he's going to be our candidate for London Mayor'. At that point the PM beat a hasty retreat into the Liaison Select Committee... Let's face it, who wouldn't have?

13 comments:

Chris Paul said...

Oh dear. I came searching for your rationalisation of the Populus Survey of the Parliamentary Tory Party's disunity over this very progressive consensus that Cameron is coveting. Seriously Iain if the MPs aren't up for it there'll be no convincing the press that matters however friendly you can all be when falling into the hands of the merciless Mayo.

This is the classic clear blue water:

"Private schools appear as a sharp dividing line. More than four fifths of Labour MPs (85 per cent) believe “it would be better for the country if everyone who sends their children to private schools chose to send them to state schools instead”, a view backed by only 7 per cent of Tory MPs."

I'd have thought Maggie and Dave-ie both would be in the 7% on this. NB it is choice, and implies a great raising of standards in the state sector.

Old BE said...

Would the Labour MPs who send their children to private schools be happier if Tory MPs sent their kids to state schools?

Anonymous said...

I imagine the Populus "survey" selected the 30-odd most frothing Tory backbenchers to get a newsworthy result.

A sample as small as this is little better than sounding out the barflies at The Dog 'n' Duck.

Anonymous said...

be happier if Tory MPs sent their kids to state schools?

so long as they weren't all Catholic which would make Oratory and Cardinal Vaughan School far too competitive for Labour MPs

Old BE said...

Just as an aside: when the loonies were running the show in the late 70s they didn't abolish private schools for one very simple reason: they couldn't afford to pay for the state places which would need to be created in lieu.

Anonymous said...

The happenings in Tooting sound very good stuff to me.

Local candidate Mark Clarke is something special with the commitment he puts in.

Even more reason why the Conservatives are so correct to move back onto the centre ground where we have always won from previously.

Anonymous said...

Oh Mark Clarke is something special alright...

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately (for me at any rate) when I see Cameron, now all I see is yet another spin-meister in action. The intervening months since his election have not persuaded me he has the necessary depth. This is depressing given the control-freak who is about to take over the levers of power.

Anonymous said...

The Tories seem to be ripe for a split.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

That wasn't actually Tony Blair, it was David Cameron. The confusion is easily forgivable.

Steven_L said...

Blair for Mayor, I like it, 'Bringing freedom and democracy to Londoners, who have known 8 years of tyranny and oppression.'

Anonymous said...

Of course, Dave did ask Tony to be the candidate but he turned it down. Next on Dave's shortlist are Peter Mandelson and Neil Kinnock.