#cpc09 What does the Daily Mirror's front page tell us about David Cameron?
There's a lot of finger wagging going on at the Conservative Party Conference today over the Daily Mirror's front page picture of David Cameron drinking champagne at a fringe meeting in Manchester.
Believe those around Cameron, and it's mischief on the part of the Mirror which doesn't tell the whole story.
But to my mind, it's a little bit more serious than at. Cameron has been busy telling the world and his wife that the Tories are the honest party - they're the party who will reveal the facts and be straight with the public.
It was the very essence of the speech from George Osborne: "If anyone tells you this won't hurt then they aren't telling you the truth."
And so out of that came the idea of a champagne-free Conservative Party Conference. The idea being that this isn't a celebration, and this also isn't a time to flaunt wealth (although a branch of Harvey Nicholls within the conference centre rather shatters that illusion).
Then, it's made known to the media that champagne has been banned. It's a nice line, and makes all the news bulletins: this is a party trimming back because "we're all in it together."
But, as the Mirror's picture shows, champagne clearly isn't banned from conference. Realistically, it would be impossible to impose such a ban. So it falls to the Tories to give the illusion of such a ban by making sure their own senior members aren't pictured drinking it.
For the Tories to bleat, as they did on Sky News last night, that Cameron was assured there would be no photography in the fringe meeting he was at misses the point. They might as well be saying "we're saying no champagne but what goes on behind closed doors is none of your business."
The Tories set themselves up for this fall. There's shades of New Labour about this - saying one thing but being found to be doing another.
In the great scheme of things, it's not a massive issue - but it is proof that the Tories aren't being quite as straight with us as they claimed they are.
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David Higgerson - David Higgerson has covered local and national politics for much of his career as a journalist. This blog aims to look at Westminister from the outside in, at a time when it appears very few are looking out from the inside.
The headline is very funny...
As for 'Shades of New Labour'
I would say 'Block Colours of Old Tories'
Nah, the old Tories were much more blatant in my opinion
Smoke if you are at a good party. Good parties warrant the lighting of a flame, consider the Olympics. You will be keeping warm, but you will also be showing respect for the enthusiasm circumstances have allowed you to partake in. Not everybody gets to party. Afterall, the flame is a symbol for freedom.ÃÂ
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Very informative post. Thanks for taking the time to share your view with us.
I find myself coming to your blog more and more often to the point where my visits are almost daily now!
The members of the UK political parties avoid drinking alcoholic beverages in public. Why? Some years ago the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron was spotted with a glass of champagne on the conference at the one of hotels Firenze. This event had caused serious resonance in society. I think such reaction is reasonable, because the behavior of state representatives is supposed to serve as an ethical model for citizens.
The members of the UK political parties avoid drinking alcoholic beverages in public. Why? Some years ago the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron was spotted with a glass of champagne on the conference at the one of hotels Firenze. This event had caused serious resonance in society. I think such reaction is reasonable, because the behavior of state representatives is supposed to serve as an ethical model for citizens.
The members of the UK political parties avoid drinking alcoholic beverages in public. Why? Some years ago the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron was spotted with a glass of champagne on the conference at the one of hotels Firenze. This event had caused serious resonance in society. I think such reaction is reasonable, because the behavior of state representatives is supposed to serve as an ethical model for citizens.