The slough of despond at No. 10 Downing Street

An interesting piece at The Coffee House yesterday by James Forsyth on the background to Steve Hilton's departure.  It is timed at 4.15 pm and that made me wonder where and with whom he had lunched!  The piece is headed:

Hilton's return hinges on Cameron's radicalism

I just hope he doesn't hold his breath whilst he enjoys his sojourn in California!  According to Forsyth, Hilton will remain a part of the PM's personal team albeit at a distance.  He is already scheduled to work on Cameron's conference speech.  From that, I assume, he probably worked on previous conference speeches which seems like a complete waste of oxygen because I cannot for the life of me remember a single word or phrase that Cameron has ever uttered.  Unlike a certain lady predecessor!

Hilton has stressed to friends that his departure was motivated enormously by family pressures, however:

This is not to say that Hilton is not frustrated. But he long ago accepted that being frustrated was part of his job as he tried to drive change through a government machine that has the engine of a lawnmower and the brakes of a Rolls Royce.

Poor diddums, one wonders how on earth that woman managed so well.  Forsyth reckons that Hilton will probably return even more radicalised(?) than ever but judging by the headline to his report a lot will depend on whether or not Cameron will pluck up the courage to come out of the il-Lib-non-Dem closet and declare himself to be a Thatcherite after all.  My advice (eagerly sought worldwide but never paid for) to Mr. Hilton is that he might as well take out American citizenship - 'cos it ain't gonna happen!

 

Comments

[Hank]

David

". . . to Mr. Hilton is that he might as well take out American citizenship"

Thank you for your generosity, but we have enough like him already.

Hank

[David Duff]

Hank, I took the liberty of editing, slightly, your comment - you were obviously in a hurry to catch the latest Obama speech, I expect!