Wednesday 13 January 2010

Rope-A-Dope

I watch PMQs. I watch it because I'm interested - not so much these days because anything is ever achieved in it by the gathered, undertalented quorum of our very costly elected political representatives, all whipped into a total complacency, but because, these days, it tells me both where the issue-wind is blowing and how the Tories could be doing a hell of a lot better.

However, I'm just not going to get into this thing now - I'm too tired and I have to be reasonably compus mentus for toil tomorrow.

I have to say this, though: if there is any advice to offer overpaid, overrated (on the strength of recent outings) "Team Cameron", it's this: STARVE BROWN of his favorite themes. It's not rocket science, after all. In any debate, especially PMQs, starve Brown of his stock answers; starve him of any chance to 'tractor-stat'; starve him of the chance to repeat his delusional narrative. Whatever it takes.

Whatever, indeed, it takes, including taking a few short-term hits. I think in the Rumble in the Jungle it was called 'Rope-a-Dope". If he has the guts and the desire, then Cameron must play the same game as Ali: let Brown, his fairly powerful but pretty dumb opposition, pound and pound away until he's forgotten why he's doing it, is exhausted and is ripe for the real knock-out blow (that nobody likes him, nobody believes him and nobody wants him)- no matter what.

Cameron must let the one-eyed Scots fraud hang himself, even if it means that he experiences a little pain by playing the rational, thoughtful, vulnerable - even sympathetic - professional for a few months.

While the electorate needs a bloody good reason to vote Labour again, all it needs is a small excuse and easy permission to vote Tory. Cameron should be focusing on that.

I just hope that middleweight Cameron has, somewhere, the policy excuse and the will to grant that permission to the people of Britain.

Right now, I have my doubts that he's good for either. The past week has been that bad, hasn't it?

3 comments:

  1. I'm afraid I can't agree. We are now a further week towards that election; Gordon has continued his course of self-destruction; and Mr Cameron has continued to look pretty professional. The policies will come later. If Cameron starts going into policy detail now he will be mired in tractor stats before he sits down.

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  2. Furthermore, if Cameron starts going into policy detail now before the Labour Party has formalised their own election stance, you can bet your bottom dollar that Brown will steal the ideas in an effort to deny the Tories their platform... He's done it before...

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  3. Agree, Adam. I was a bit tired and cranky when I wrote this thing, having just watched the recording of yet another tired and cranky pmqs.

    I think you, me and Tony agree on the main point, though: that Brown will be architect of his own destruction and that Cameron need not be bounced into premature policy announcements.

    I'll try to be more positive in future :)

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Any thoughts?