There was a uite astonishing moment on TV earlier.
Andrew Marr has Alistair Campbell on his show, with Campbell promoting a fictional book he has written. But under questioning from Marr about the Iraq War, and Andrew Marr making a somewhat flippant but completely understandable comment equating his fictitious book with the dodgy dossier, Alistair Campbell paused, tears welled up in his eyes, and I though he was going to sob.
Now I don't want to be seen in any way as criticising him for being emotional, indeed it shows a very human side to Mr Campbell, but for Mr Campbell to keep insisting that it is unfair for people to criticise the war in Iraq and get upset about being asked questions about it leads me to two conclusions.
Firstly, try not to start any news wars.
Secondly, if you don't like being questioned about Iraq, don't try to seek publicity for your book during the Iraq enquiry when you are bound to be asked questions about Iraq.
Showing posts with label Alistair Campbell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alistair Campbell. Show all posts
1/20/2009
Inflation - A well know fact that the government ignored
Why did it take the government so long to understand that their failure to act promptly a few months ago has actually made the recession worse.
Last April I predicted that the failure to cut interest rates was tying people in to long term fixed rate mortgages (and 80% of people are on fixed rate mortgages) so the government's sudden recent drops in interest rates are only benefiting 20% of mortgage holders, and is therefore having very little impact in providing a fiscal stimulus.
I repeated the point again in July, but still the government were oblivious.
Now we are in a situation where 80% of people are locked in to high mortgage rates for the next 3-5 years, thus making what might have been a short recession in to a long term depression.
And all these problems have been caused in the name of fighting inflation, which everyone knew would soon drop once the recession started. You only have to look at the precedent of the mini credit crunch Japan suffered a few years ago for a real example when inflation turned to deflation, yet our government was blind to this.
Whilst I cannot for one moment follow the Tory line that this worldwide recession is the fault of Gordon Brown, I am of the opinion that all the government action now is necessary in order to make up for their lack of action as the recession started.
Last April I predicted that the failure to cut interest rates was tying people in to long term fixed rate mortgages (and 80% of people are on fixed rate mortgages) so the government's sudden recent drops in interest rates are only benefiting 20% of mortgage holders, and is therefore having very little impact in providing a fiscal stimulus.
I repeated the point again in July, but still the government were oblivious.
Now we are in a situation where 80% of people are locked in to high mortgage rates for the next 3-5 years, thus making what might have been a short recession in to a long term depression.
And all these problems have been caused in the name of fighting inflation, which everyone knew would soon drop once the recession started. You only have to look at the precedent of the mini credit crunch Japan suffered a few years ago for a real example when inflation turned to deflation, yet our government was blind to this.
Whilst I cannot for one moment follow the Tory line that this worldwide recession is the fault of Gordon Brown, I am of the opinion that all the government action now is necessary in order to make up for their lack of action as the recession started.
9/21/2008
Alistair Campbell and David Cameron - Mr Pot meet Mr Kettle
The former PR and spin controller for Tony Blair, Alistair Campbell, has made the rather astonishing accusation that David Cameron is treating politics like a reality TV show and that beneath the smiles and spin coming from David Cameron, he has no policies.
I call Alistair Campbell's attack astonishing because this is the most brazen of hypocritical attacks given Mr Campbell's pivotal role in creating "New Labour", a party which from 1994 t0 1997 stood for nothing except featuring Tony Blair's face on every local government election leaflet, smiling a lot and standing for absolutely nothing.
Remember when it actually came to the 1997 General Election Labour's only attempt at spelling out policies were so late in coming they had to put them on Labour pledge cards, and in all the excitement people failed to really notice that the five pledges were really just statements of intention, not really dynamic new acts of parliament or historic shifts in policy.
I knew many people who in 1997 were voting Labour simply because they were not the Conservative Party, and "New" Labour did very well at selling the message "We are not the Conservative Party" whilst actually being more Tory than any other Labour Party in history.
What we have now though is a Tory Party that have aped Alistair Campbell's style and content more than any other Conservative Party in history, with arguably the most Labour like Tory party in history.
David Cameron has learnt from New Labour in the 1994-1997 period when they made vague promises, took up varying and contradictory policy positions, sat on the fence when difficult decisions were being taken and chose to oppose things that they know they would support in government.
The truth is that what Alistair Campbell most dislikes about David Cameron's Tories is that they have become everything New Labour was. Shiny and new looking, but utterly vacuous. Sadly, Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair did such a good job at selling this style of politics to the UK population that some people have become addicted to this empty shiny politics that seems to imply something special will be delivered but which actually promises nothing.
In many ways Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair's "New Labour" project created a nation of voters who have become political junkies, wanting that instant hit of something that is actually no good for them at all in the long run. What we actually need is a ruling party that stands for something, has long term vision, which states what it actually believes in and inspires people to believe in a better future, not just a better tomorrow.
I have no time for David Cameron. I don't like his pretence of being "one of us" and "feeling our pain", after all, multi millionaires rarely worry about their mortgage repayments and fuel bills. I hate the way he likes to make us believe he cares about the environment by cycling to work but allows his care to follow him with his brief case. I dislike the fact that he stands for nothing and I worry that so many people I know who have met him or have dealt with him, including many Tories, speak so poorly about him as a person. But actually, when it comes to having to be put in a room with either David Cameron or Alistair Campbell, I'd choose "Dave" any time over Mr Campbell because although David Cameron is all these things, he is only following the blue print drawn up and designed by Alistair Campbell and that is why I despise Alistair Campbell much more than David Cameron.
I call Alistair Campbell's attack astonishing because this is the most brazen of hypocritical attacks given Mr Campbell's pivotal role in creating "New Labour", a party which from 1994 t0 1997 stood for nothing except featuring Tony Blair's face on every local government election leaflet, smiling a lot and standing for absolutely nothing.
Remember when it actually came to the 1997 General Election Labour's only attempt at spelling out policies were so late in coming they had to put them on Labour pledge cards, and in all the excitement people failed to really notice that the five pledges were really just statements of intention, not really dynamic new acts of parliament or historic shifts in policy.
I knew many people who in 1997 were voting Labour simply because they were not the Conservative Party, and "New" Labour did very well at selling the message "We are not the Conservative Party" whilst actually being more Tory than any other Labour Party in history.
What we have now though is a Tory Party that have aped Alistair Campbell's style and content more than any other Conservative Party in history, with arguably the most Labour like Tory party in history.
David Cameron has learnt from New Labour in the 1994-1997 period when they made vague promises, took up varying and contradictory policy positions, sat on the fence when difficult decisions were being taken and chose to oppose things that they know they would support in government.
The truth is that what Alistair Campbell most dislikes about David Cameron's Tories is that they have become everything New Labour was. Shiny and new looking, but utterly vacuous. Sadly, Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair did such a good job at selling this style of politics to the UK population that some people have become addicted to this empty shiny politics that seems to imply something special will be delivered but which actually promises nothing.
In many ways Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair's "New Labour" project created a nation of voters who have become political junkies, wanting that instant hit of something that is actually no good for them at all in the long run. What we actually need is a ruling party that stands for something, has long term vision, which states what it actually believes in and inspires people to believe in a better future, not just a better tomorrow.
I have no time for David Cameron. I don't like his pretence of being "one of us" and "feeling our pain", after all, multi millionaires rarely worry about their mortgage repayments and fuel bills. I hate the way he likes to make us believe he cares about the environment by cycling to work but allows his care to follow him with his brief case. I dislike the fact that he stands for nothing and I worry that so many people I know who have met him or have dealt with him, including many Tories, speak so poorly about him as a person. But actually, when it comes to having to be put in a room with either David Cameron or Alistair Campbell, I'd choose "Dave" any time over Mr Campbell because although David Cameron is all these things, he is only following the blue print drawn up and designed by Alistair Campbell and that is why I despise Alistair Campbell much more than David Cameron.
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