David Cameron and Champagne
So apparently David Cameron was "caught" drinking a glass of champagne at an event yesterday. The Daily Mirror has decided to go big on this story today. They clearly think that it is extremely damaging for the Tory leader to be photographed doing this and their headline is:
David Cameron seen drinking champagne as Tories reveal wage freezes and pension cuts
They also have a quote from union leader Dave Prentis:
It is sickening. This is the real face of the Tories. Champagne for Cameron and his crew, as though the recession never happened, while millions face a thirsty future with frozen pay, job and pension cuts.
Sickening? Really? That a man at a party has a glass of champagne? Sickening?
It's pathetic. I wish the press in this country would grow up. Tackle the issues. Discuss the details of what George Osborne announced yesterday, I'm sure your readers would like to know. Don't take a picture of a man doing what many people all across the country do at parties and then try to make out that it is abhorrent. It is exactly this sort of approach that makes politicians terrified of saying or doing anything outside of ridiculously narrow boundaries.
By the way I refuse to link to any of the coverage of this.
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8 comments:
Pathetic. How many bottles of vintage bubbly did Brown get in for his then mates, the bankers?
Blair never stinted on the stuff.
If that's the best they can come up with it's too pathetic for words.
Aren't people allowed to relax & enjoy themselves anymore?
Gutter press. "nuff said.
We can only assume that no Labour cabinet member drank champagne at any point during the entire Labour conference, because otherwise this would be the most ridiculous story in months.
Yes, that is rather silly of the press.
Might be worth linking to Fraser Nelson on Coffee House, who has a little background on how the picture came about...
It is just possible that this will be the best line of attack the Mirror will be able to come up with in the run-up to the election, suggesting that Cameron will be largely unopposed.
Thanks Stu but frankly I couldn't care less how the champagne ended up in his hand. He shouldn't need to be scurrying around desperately trying to avoid doing anything like this for fear of being splashed in the Mirror or the Standard.
Hasn't the last twenty-five years or so seen the democratisation of Champagne in this country? I thought everyone drank it whenever they can, no? I certainly do and if (when!) this recession gets any worse (as well it may), the proper response to see it through will be to drink more.
Still, whatever the "Mirror" fondly and naively imagines, the British people know by instinct that far better a Champagne guzzler at the helm of the sinking ship than a Nokia-abusing pill-popper (allegedly).
It is a shame for the "Mirror" newspaper that it does not know these truths. Infotainment not journalism must be "the right thing to do".
Kudos to you Mark. This is exactly what we need, rival parties willing and prepared to condemn the inane pot-shots taken by the tabloids and general media, it's lazy journalism and serves only to derogate viewers/listeners/readers from issues and politics as a whole.
As I say, I'm glad it's an opposition such as yourself making this point, it's so easy to imagine how a Tory attack would be dismissed. Quality journalism is about reporting the real discussion and not creating your own, instead they resort to writing these gossip columns. You do yourself, and the LibDems by association, a great favour by tackling this kind of carry on.
-Simon
Thank you Simon. I appreciate the sentiment.
I always do try and be even handed about this sort of thing. It is a theme running through my blog posts that I hate the trvialisation of politics and the traducing of debate like this with ad hominem attacks.
I just hope that Tories will be willing to rally round the next time a Lib Dem is smeared in this way. I remember for example how hilarious so many Tory bloggers found it when April Pond, our candidate in the Norwich North by-election a few months ago was revealed to have a moat. It was absolutely nothing to do with her ability to do the job and the only reason it was even noteworthy is because of Douglas Hogg's moat cleaning expenses bill but it was repeated over and over again. The BBC even stuck the boot in by making it the only thing the presenter said about April when she was introduced during the TV debate. I'm sorry to say that I do not recall any Tory bloggers coming to her defence although I stand to be corrected if I missed any.
I am against this kind of this period and would equally defend a Labour or any other politician from this sort of attack.
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