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Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Top Ten Political Misjudgements
If you like counterfactuals, you'll love Paul Linford's Top Ten Political Misjudgements HERE.
Not wishing to burst Mr Linfords bubble in his excellent article but I was blogging this stuff on BBC Biased in the contrast to the Brown/Callaghan Years:
Remember '79-Bottling Brown Gets a Case Of The Callighans
1. Every time Boris opens his mouth, could cover all 10. 2. In 1993 John Major had just finished an interview with ITN political editor Michael Brunson when he let fly at three of his cabinet colleagues, not realizing all the microphones were still recording. He condemned them as "b*****ds", promising to "crucify them."
3. William Vague in a baseball hat.
4. IDS being quiet.
5. David Mellor, and his Chelsea pyjamas
6. Gideon changing his first name to George Osbourne, because he didn’t want to be perceived as too posh.
7. Gideon referring to the then Chancellor Brown as “Autistic “ 8. A few years ago a Newsnight report claimed that the IDS’ CV was inaccurate and that he added an "i" to his first name. Whoever filled in IDS' birth certificate mistakenly spelled his name "Ian", and so his father rather obligingly put the missing letter back in. Snobbery at its most vulgar? Cynics suggested that ordinary "Ian" lacks timbre and distinction. Scaling, as opposed to propping, the social ladder would also explain the Tory leader's double-barrelled surname, which is just one generation old. Mr Duncan Smith's family was originally just plain Smith. 9. “Love Ya Babe” comment by Camera On after his conference speech. Mic was “accidentally ” left on…yeah right.
10. Childish, student rag week PR stunts form Tory HQ, 99 red balloons, Newcastle Brown Ale costumes etc etc etc
I have been looking at these in purely political terms rather than necessarily at whether they were right or wrong.
In terms of the politics of the time, it would actually have been a worse misjudgement for Heath not to sign up to EU membership, given that there was a strong groundswell of public support for it (cf 1975 referendum). Had the Tories opposed entry, Labour would have been in favour of it, as Harold Wilson's opposition in 1972-3 was purely opportunistic. This would have put the Tories firmly on the wrong side of public opinion.
Sorry Iain-
ReplyDeleteNot wishing to burst Mr Linfords bubble in his excellent article but I was blogging this stuff on BBC Biased in the contrast to the Brown/Callaghan Years:
Remember '79-Bottling Brown Gets a Case Of The Callighans
http://bbc-biased.blogspot.com/2007/10/remember-79-bottling-brown-gets-case-of.html
Ok-its more a focus on the BBC but the contrasts are there.
BTW-We are the Anti-BBC site that does not do the green pen censorship that the 'other place' carries out.
You do like lists, don't you? Are you going to turn into another book?
ReplyDeleteActually, Paul's effort is very good but the prospect of Michael Portillo as PM? That does stretch the imagination.
The main one missing that would be my number 1.
ReplyDeleteTed Heath signing up to the treaty of rome to take Britain into the EU.on a lie.
If we were not in, Britain would be a far better place.
2000 years of independence given up on the lie, that it was only a 'common market'
1. Every time Boris opens his mouth, could cover all 10.
ReplyDelete2. In 1993 John Major had just finished an interview with ITN political editor Michael Brunson when he let fly at three of his cabinet colleagues, not realizing all the microphones were still recording. He condemned them as "b*****ds", promising to "crucify them."
3. William Vague in a baseball hat.
4. IDS being quiet.
5. David Mellor, and his Chelsea pyjamas
6. Gideon changing his first name to George Osbourne, because he didn’t want to be perceived as too posh.
7. Gideon referring to the then Chancellor Brown as “Autistic “
8. A few years ago a Newsnight report claimed that the IDS’ CV was inaccurate and that he added an "i" to his first name. Whoever filled in IDS' birth certificate mistakenly spelled his name "Ian", and so his father rather obligingly put the missing letter back in. Snobbery at its most vulgar? Cynics suggested that ordinary "Ian" lacks timbre and distinction. Scaling, as opposed to propping, the social ladder would also explain the Tory leader's double-barrelled surname, which is just one generation old. Mr Duncan Smith's family was originally just plain Smith.
9. “Love Ya Babe” comment by Camera On after his conference speech. Mic was “accidentally ” left on…yeah right.
10. Childish, student rag week PR stunts form Tory HQ, 99 red balloons, Newcastle Brown Ale costumes etc etc etc
Johnny
ReplyDeleteI have been looking at these in purely political terms rather than necessarily at whether they were right or wrong.
In terms of the politics of the time, it would actually have been a worse misjudgement for Heath not to sign up to EU membership, given that there was a strong groundswell of public support for it (cf 1975 referendum). Had the Tories opposed entry, Labour would have been in favour of it, as Harold Wilson's opposition in 1972-3 was purely opportunistic. This would have put the Tories firmly on the wrong side of public opinion.
Thanks for the link anyway Iain!