We had to laugh – even though it’s far from amusing.
Despite the touchy-feely ‘green tree’ image he’s trying to project, the Eton toff Cameron was never going to change the basic Tory animal from being a sleazy, moneygrabbing, self-seeking con-man.
Citizen readers are no doubt as shocked as we are by this revelation. Who’da thought it?! After months of revelations over sleazy upper-class Tory MPs defrauding the taxpayer over their expenses, you’d have been forgiven for assuming that all MPs would be whiter-than-white from now on, albeit with a few brown stains around the edges.
Nevertheless, it seems that well over a fifth of prospective Tory candidates who think they have a good chance of becoming MPs at the next election, are already working as lobbyists or public relations consultants on behalf of businesses and other interests. Would that be in exchange for money, do you think?
“Several acknowledged that they had set up meetings for clients with Shadow ministers, MPs and officials. More said that they had been asked to provide advice on the party’s direction. A few admitted to having pressed clients’ cases to Tory frontbenchers”, says the Times.
So much for Cameron’s promise to usher in a “new politics”. Once a party of sleaze, always a party of sleaze…
If you read the Tory blog, ‘conservativehome‘, you’ll see they’re deluding themselves into thinking that David ‘call me Dave’ Cameron has escaped his ‘toff’ tag just because Labour aren’t using it as a jibe now.
(Cameron is shown, left, next to his ancestor, King William IV – also known as ‘Silly Billy’ – who twice tried unsuccessfully to force a Tory government on the country, in 1832 and again in 1834/35.)
Cameron IS a toff in the traditional sense of the term because of his privileged background, and trying to shrug off the image is pointless. It is precisely because Cameron, Osborne and many other Tories have this privileged, upper-class experience of life – and an obvious vested interest in preserving it – that their claim to have the welfare of ordinary citizens at heart is so unconvincing.
Why would the Tories be so sensitive about the ‘toff’ thing if they weren’t desperately embarrassed about it in electoral terms? They know it will lose them the votes of those who just can’t identify with their upper-class values, so they – and Dave – are trying to kid us that he’s one of us really. That – in their own words – they’re not the ‘nasty party’ any more. Trying to kid us that what Conservatives are interested in is mending our ‘broken society’. Right…
Read more of Tories desperate for Cameron to lose ‘toff’ image.
Boris gets away with it. We’re not fooled, either way »»
Gordon Brown is dragging his heels on reforming the way we fund our politicians.
We at The British Citizen believe that the old system of party politics is, in any case, no longer right for Britain in the 21st century. One of its many flaws is certainly the whole question of party funding, which clearly favours wealthy or financially powerful organisations and individuals rather than the interests of the British people as a whole.
Unless major reform creates a level playing field for the funding of our elected representatives, government will continue to represent fewer and fewer of its ordinary citizens, protecting instead the interests of the wealthy and powerful who fill its coffers with large donations.
Reform is therefore well overdue, and we must not entrust any reform of party politics or funding to politicians themselves, nor anyone appointed by politicians.
The British Citizen wants impartial auditors, arbitrators or ombudsmen to be chosen to investigate and make practical recommendations to the people, without political spin or interference.
Only then can we decide for ourselves how we want to elect and fund our democratic representatives.
Only then can we have faith in the decisions they make on our behalf.
Reform needs to happen, and it needs to happen now.
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