Friday, July 27, 2007

Cameron unleashes his attack dogs: bowsy wowsy...!

David Cameron has set his 'top attack dogs' on the Prime Minister in a desperate attempt to end the Brown Bounce according to the Tory's favourite paper, the Daily Mail.

And who are Cameron's secret weapons? Step foward wee Georgie (his mum thinks he's in cubs) Osbourne and Chris Grayling.

Grayling's disastrous performance on Newsnight last night appears to have been the first salvo in Cameron's all-out war.

Today's Mail says unleashing Osbourne and Grayling is Cameron's response to steady the Tory ship after his spectacular own-goals such as Grammar Wars, two humiliating third places in by-elections, and criticism from within his own ranks for flying off to Rwanda for a photo-call while his Witney constituency suffered floods.

Truth is wee Georgie and Chris G are more like poodles than rotweillers: Sure as eggs is eggs, Gordon will eat them both for breakfast.

* Meanwhile, the YouGov poll in today's Torygraph says Labour has opened a nine point lead since Gordon Brown became PM, surging ahead to 41%, with Cameron's Conservatives are down to 32%.

There's only one poll that counts of course - and there's a long way to the next General Election.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

zzzzzzzzzzz

fairdealphil said...

not what the Mail or Torygraph are saying - nor a number of senior Tories who are demanding change.

Anonymous said...

Any move to change the leader at this stage would have devastating consequences and that is probably why you are trying to talk it up Phil.

Anonymous said...

Geoffrey, you don't sound like a fan of Dave Cameron. You can't even manage some faint praise for your boss?

fairdealphil said...

geoffrey:

I'm simply commenting following the crowing and Tory predictions (some on this blog!) of the impending disaster for Labour (and the country) when Gordon took over.

The Tories are between a rock and a hard place. Now that Cameron's weaknesses are being exposed, I'm sure you will acknowledge that there's growing resentment against him within Tory ranks - his Ealing Southall strategy of personally selecting a duff candidate and then stamping himself all over the campaign spectacularly backfired, leaving the local party bitter and twisted for example.

He didn't need to do that. Bad judgement.

But despite Tory, as you rightly say Geoffrey, it would be devastating for the Tories to change Leader now.

Dave is fast losing the support of grassroots Tories - if he ever had it...

it will be interesting to see how he panders to the right and goes back to the old Tory agenda in the coming months - he's already started resorting to the Europe card.

...and i have never sensed any enthusiasm for Dave among the Tories on Lincs County Council.

Much more support there for the David Davis wing of the party.

I think you'd agree with me that the anti-Cameron brigade within the Tory Party has been strengthened by what Macmillan called 'events, dear boy.'

Self-inflicted Grammar Wars was a massive turning point - Cameron expected the rank and file would fall into line behind him, but the fiasco only demonstrated his poor judgement and exposed him as not in control of his own party.

In this week's floods, it is Gordon who is seen as taking control - while the unfortunate timing of Dave's exit for his long planned trip to Rwanda (designed by Central Office to improve his standing) has also largely backfired with widespread criticism (perhaps unfairly) of his absence even in his "own" papers:

For example, the Daily Mail's front page earlier this week asking - words to the effect -

"Where's Dave in a crisis in his own backyard, er Rwanda"

But Dave's the only show in Tory Town - for the reason that you rightly state Geoffrey.

You're stuck with him mate, just as the LibDems are stuck with Ming.

There's a long way to go of course, and even a week's a long time in politics and all that.

Early days, but most pundits agree that Gordon is already proving far more formidable and able as PM than the Tories - and others - expected him to be.

I'll sure Conference season will be, well, interesting, and we'll see who comes out on top...

have a good weekend.

Anonymous said...

brynley.

I have always had every confidence in DC ever since I first met him at a Question Time show in Nottingham in November 2005 and always will do.

I voted for him in the leadership contest and have been with him personally on a number of occasions in the last month.

In Lincoln during the floods and in Ealing during a certain by election.

What is sad however is the point you quite rightly make about the grass roots being far more right wing than the leadership.

Its OK some party members like myself and the leadership being all in favour of change but what people have to realise is that if the party is to change than so has its members and grass roots.

Which leads me to the conclusion that the real reasons for the Brown bounce might not just be a result of Labour changes but also down to how DC is being undermined on a daily basis by those on the right of the party on various blogs.

Yes people in the party are entitled to their opinions but some have to realise that we need to be in it together and not just to boost their own egos!

fairdealphil said...

geoffrey:

sensible words, but you've definitely identified a challenge in separating politicians from their egos...!