Sunday, November 09, 2008

Cameron: The Thirst for Knowledge About Cameron

Those of us with long memories will recall the plethora of books and pamphlets which came out prior to the 1997 election, trying to explain what New Labour is all about and what they would do in power. Companies, trade associations and public sector bodies lapped them up and paid lobbyists thousands of pounds to guide them into the new era. History is now repeating itself, with public affairs consultants falling over themselves to hire ex CCHQ staffers all of whom are "close to David Cameron", natch. They are also starting to write lengthy tomes for their clients, explaining how a Cameron government might affect them.

Last week I was sent one such document from Bell Pottinger Public Affairs called CAMERON'S CONSERVATIVES: A BRIEF GUIDE. It's a very well put together glossy document, written by Jonathan Caine, a much respected veteran of the CRD. It traces Project Cameron from Day One and finished up by briefly profiling all the key players. It's available for a whopping £200 plus VAT, which for a 48 page document might be considered a little on the dear side. However, for those interested in hoovering up information in this area, they will consider it money well spent.

However, a word of warning. The Bell Pottinger document is rather good, but there will be lots of rubbish out there too. Public affairs clients should be very careful about what they pay for.

* Just for the avoidance of doubt I have no connections with Bell Pottinger!

21 comments:

Manfarang said...

Save your money.Just emigrate.

Anonymous said...

Oh really!

strapworld said...

David Cameron...My thought! A one sentence booklet

Cameron...my struggle in life!

Cameron: from the top to the top.

Dave. A real guy.

David Cameron. My years in denial.

Cameron. George and me..a love story!

Cameron. A guide in leadership.

(word verification...aularf)

Anonymous said...

Any mention of Dave & his chums in Bullingdon club?

p.s. the word verification for this comment is "disiver"

Anonymous said...

Just more proof Cameron is turning into Blair. Conservatives have lost their soul and tradition. If Cameron don't win at the next general election, then the Conservative party is DEAD. We need a strong social and morally strong Conservative party, none of this disturbing liberal tosh.

Anonymous said...

Surely Dave will soon be bringing out his Autobiography? He could call it "Audacity of Hope" - oops sorry that title's already been taken


P.S.
I'd suggest the price should be nearer £10.99 than £200 a copy - a little steep even for the "Bullingdon Boys" in these days of "New Austerity".

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately we all know he's a rich upperclass cnut and has no idea how the rest of us have to live! I will be voting UKIP, at least they're different!

North Briton 45 said...

Cameron is a shallow non-descript. A mini-Blair. He has potential but the party is a ragtag of private money and ambition, and little desire to serve.

Until that changes opposition will continue.

Anonymous said...

The Labour trolls are out in force today, Iain!

Wonder if Dolly Draper is paying his minions double time to work on a Sunday?

Unfortunately, Labour trolls, your weasel words cut no ice. Whether the book costs £2 or £200, the message is te same: Cameron is a strong, moral, principled leader that Britain needs at the moment and will triumph spectacularly at the next election, putting this country back on course and leaving your party a disparate rabble.

"We need a strong social and morally strong Conservative party, none of this disturbing liberal tosh."

Only a Labour troll posing as a Tory would say that. Give me an example of this "disturbing liberal tosh". Cameron is a strong Conservative with no time for liberal tosh - and that's why 90% of the British people want to see him in Downing Street NOW.

Anonymous said...

Karl or is it dave? You should try and rest on Sunday.

Anonymous said...

Bottler Brown has written an article called America voted for progress in Guardian and has opned up a plethora of comments which accuse him cynically twisting the result which should be 'America voted for Change'. With 13 points behind Tories and Obama courting Merkel and Sarkozy, however the bottler shouts it will be Brown and Blair, the two lying imeciles about WMDs.

It is time to remind Obama about Brown and his new appendage called Lord Sleaze. Obama knows that Brown and Blair wanted Hillary Clinton but when slipped and fadeed Opportunistic Brown leaned towards Obama. Too late, Merkel and Sarkozy were already there! We should remind Obama about the photo opportunity of Sarah Brown with Sarah Palin. Brown the loser.

Manfarang said...

Karl
Moral?Old coke-head!

Wrinkled Weasel said...

"Cameron is a strong, moral, principled leader that Britain needs at the moment " (Karl)

Get help Karl. Go to your GP and tell him how you feel.

ps. I am most certainly not a Labour troll.

pps.

What DC needs to do is get some guts. He needs to stick by the people in the party who call it like it is, even if it gets some stick from the rocket munching liberal elite. He needs angularity and he certainly needs to distance himself from the shite that Brown is peddling.

Sadly, I am afraid he has proved to be unfit for the job of Leader, having sold his soul to the God of focus groups and public relations. He has become New Labour Lite. Why won't these idiots realise that what this country needs is someone with a backbone?

haddock said...

90% of people may want Brown out of Downing street which is not the same as 90% wanting the vacuous Dave to take up residence.
We have seen little of his ability to run an opposition let alone a country.
As for voting UKIP, I imagine Nigel Farage v Gordon at PMQs would be more fun than watching Dave balls it all up..... again.

Anonymous said...

"more of the same" £200 please

Anonymous said...

errr £200 a copy. Oh please

Pogo said...

I too am not a "Labour Troll" indeed, I was for many years a full-paid-up member of the Conservative Party. However, I'd just like to say that glossy, policy-free hagiographies such as this make me want to vomit.

................................. said...

Couldn't agree more, Iain...

Wrinkled Weasel said...

Dear Iain,

Could you please ban Machiavelli. I am sure he is a nice fellow, but he is at the forefront of a disturbing tendency to use classical historical figures as a nom de ordinateur. This is totally elitist and is going to disadvantage those who do not know who Machiavelli was and who may not even have read "The Prince". Many of your anonymous contributors must be feeling very out of the loop right now, especially if they have not been to a good school, which obviously they have not.

So, Machiavelli, whoever you are, remember, There are some Labour voters, people who are not quite like us, who will be marginalised. Can you change your name to "Strictly Machiavelli"? At least you might build bridges with some of the proles? Until then, perhaps you and Cranmer and Guido, might spare a thought for the uneducated.

Manfarang said...

winkle weasel
Proles!Good schools!
I bet you have never been to one of Dr. Parekh's Political Theory seminars.

Wrinkled Weasel said...

I am afraid, dear manfarang, that I was thrown out of Mrs Emily Spart's Reformatory for the Politically Incorrect for being a hoplessly lost cause and winning the Nicolas Soames bursary one too many times.