Friday 23 April 2010

Now its Class War on hypocrisy fom ConservativeHome too

Paul Dacre can take some comfort in the fact that his messages have been getting through to Conservative Westminster councillor Andrew Smith.

Smith suggests "love bombing" Liberal Democrat voters by warning that a hung parliament would wreak economic havoc at the hands of "eagle-eyed bond traders" in his ConservativeHome commentary.

But Smith also has the surely brilliant idea that the Tories could "expose hypocrisy" if only they were to attack Clegg for going to a public school.


As well as presenting the case for change it is vitally important for us to expose the hypocrisy of the change message offered by Nick Clegg. David Cameron has been honest about his background and how his upbringing and his family are of fundamental importance to his political beliefs. In contrast to this openness, Nick Clegg has attempted to draw a veil over aspects of his past. If David Cameron’s education and career as a CRD desk officer, special adviser and then corporate affairs adviser is claimed to be a handicap in showing that he understands the concerns of ordinary families, Clegg’s upbringing as part of the European jet set, education at Westminster School, a career as a lobbyist and then a eurocrat - before becoming an MEP and a lobbyist again - epitomises the out-of touch-political class from which the public say they want to escape.


As soon as Dave, George and Boris pin that on Nick Clegg, surely Smith is right that they will successfully indict the LibDems with having "constantly flipped-flopped from one absurd position to another".

To be fair to Smith, there is absolutely nothing original in his argument: this Tory flip-flop on class has a long history.

No comments: