Did the earth move for you?

I ask because I really do think that recent events have shaken up the previously frozen kaleidescope of politics in the UK. Of course, Labour can try to shrug it all off as a passing event that the GBP (Great British Public) will have forgotten by the New Year but the question is, will they be allowed to forget it? The manner in which 'Broken Broon' chose to issue the news of his surrender to just one member of the media, and more-over, a member of the hated and derided BBC, has infuriated all the other political hacks and their editors.  They will nurse their grievances for a long time and every small mistake will be seized upon and blown up out of all proportion.  The faint cackle you can hear is old 'smoocher' Blair laughing his socks off because he would never have made such a crass error guaranteed to enrage, not just the usual suspects, but all of 'Fleet Street'.

But what of 'Dim Dave'? I hesitate here, wondering perhaps if I should change my usual appellation from 'Dim' to, say, 'Deceitful'  or perhaps 'Devious'.  I think, for the time being, the 'Dim' will have to stay, after all, his sudden handbrake turn to the right came with the loaded revolver of an imminent election pressed to his temple - and the grim-face, ex-SAS man, David Davis, holding it!  The great unanswered question is where, exactly and precisely, Cameron does stand in the political circle?  I'm not sure he knows, hence my reluctance to drop the 'Dim'.  The intelligent thing to do over the next two years is to keep 'shtum'!  He may do this but it is not necessarily a sign of intelligence because he might be trying to make up his mind.  However, if he keeps throwing a few baubles to the Right, thus keeping his own party happy, whilst avoiding any rabid Tebbitisms (even if they are sensible!) likely to frighten the highly-strung Lefty horses inside Gordon's 'Big Tent', he could romp home a winner in 2009/10.  Only then will we see the real David Cameron.  However, I do suspect that many people have seen more than enough of 'Broken Broon'!

There is one other reason why I shall 'hang fire' on Cameron's future.  I have been reading an excellent general history(*) of the Anglo-French war that followed the French revolution.  I know a bit about certain aspects of the various military campaigns but I am learning much from this overall picture of a war that began well before Napoleon appeared on the stage and which lasted, with a couple of brief respites, for 22 years.  Our political, as opposed to military, hero is undoubtedly Pitt the Younger.  He waltzed into parliament as thought "to the manner born", which he was, became Chancellor of the Exchequer at 23 and a year later, prime minister.  He was useless!  He made Neville Chamberlain look like a war-monger as he refused to see the French revolution for what it was, and when, thinking that France was crippled, he decided to intervene, he did so in such a faint-hearted, supine manner that eventually the British army was driven from Europe with ignominy.  Had blogging existed then, one may imagine the content of many a post, including mine ... and yet ... and yet.  He learnt, and became one of our greatest war leaders.

So, it's worth reminding ourselves that it is only silly Marxists who think the future is pre-ordained, and only even sillier Freudians who think they can be certain about a man's inner character.  We shall see what we shall see ...

(*) The War of Wars by Robert Harvey

Comments

[dearieme]

One thing I learned from Schama's "Citizens" was that the belief that the French Revolutionary regime started off just defending itself from attack by Monarchies is plain wrong. It was their aggressive, expansionist warfare, accompanied by slaughter of prisoners and the like, that inspired the monarchies to fight them.

[N.I.B.]

"accompanied by slaughter of prisoners and the like"

...and what's wrong with that?

[David Duff]

Absolutely, 'DM', a classic example of a shaky regime attacking neighbours in order to cement its own domestic power. See: Middle East, passim!