The Policy Blender

The brothers and sisters on the editorial board of the Guardian seem to be revealing most of the discomfort felt by New Labour at the prospect of a Cameron-led Conservative party.

This article is a rushed hatchet-job in the Michael Moore style which poorly reflects the newspaper's usual journalistic prowess but nevertheless highlights the political preoccupations of its editorial board.

The real story here, beneath the scary stuff about Neoconservatives and, er, Neoconservatives, is that Cameron, in covering traditional Tory issues such as European legislation, tax and the public sector. That Conservative core, allied to his socially liberal aspect and PR skill, means that the Cameron package is shaping up to out-Heineken Mr Heineken - covering the base of the Tory membership and re-empowering the voting groups that deserted the Tories in the nineties.

Another article in today's Guardian by Stuart Jeffries seeks to defend the paper's recent attacks on David 'pious, overprivileged old Etonian' Cameron:

But, really, what is so wrong about Cameron having attended the British school that most typifies privilege and is responsible for fast-tracking the spawn of the rich to places where the likes of you will never go, at a time when our putatively classless society is sclerotically riven with social divisions? As Louis Armstrong said, "If you gotta ask, you ain't never gonna know."

Readers are assured of the author's impeccably metrosexual-Islingtonite credentials by some extra information at the bottom of the article:

This week Stuart is still reading the Qur'an: "I'm up to surah (chapter) 17, in which Mohammed is flown to Mecca by the angel Gabriel to meet the prophets." Stuart listened to the Digable Planets' Blowout Comb: "The coolest things the hip-hop sophisticates ever did." Stuart saw Strangers on a Train: "My favourite Hitchcock, featuring the slimy skills of Robert Walker."

Re assuring information, thank you Stuart. For your information, this week Ben is reading the Guardian: "Although Guardianism is a deeply prejudiced religion derided by many in the West as disrespectful to those with a good education, I like to read it's religious texts to seem like I'm more enlightened and intellectually superior" Ben listened to Nizlopi's JCB song: "because I like it." Ben saw Gerald Thomas' Carry On Screaming: "it was alright, but I fell asleep, but then it was Sunday".

Posted by Ben on Monday, October 24, 2005 at 6:37 pm | Permalink