David Cameron's non-reaction

It wasn't easy to find Tory newslinks for this morning's homepage.  It's all Labour troubles and the Sunday papers promise more of the same.

Whilst most newspapers are focusing on Brown's role in Blair's humiliation, Dominic Lawson, in yesterday's Independent, gave David Cameron the real credit for destabilising Tony Blair.  Mr Lawson thinks that the newer Labour MPs, in particular - unused to being behind in the polls - have panicked at the leads enjoyed by the new Tory leader.  The leads - at least up until now have actually been pretty modest - but there is some truth in the former Sunday Telegraph Editor's analysis.

More deserving of praise is, I think, the Tory leader's reaction to Labour's return to internal strife.  Or more accurately his disciplined non-reaction.  His statements have amounted to the bare minimum possible comment.  David Cameron has understood that it is not necessary to intervene in Labour's civil war and frontbenchers have been instructed not to crow.  Mr Cameron perhaps remembers Neil Kinnock's disastrous intervention at the time of the 1990 Tory leadership crisis.  Kinnock's decision to call a vote of no confidence in the Conservative Government caused the party to unite and it gave Mrs Thatcher her Commons opportunity to defend her eleven years in power.  It was a famously bravura performance.

PS If you feel you can't resist the need to kick the Labour Party whilst it's down you'll really love this (although you'll need Flash).

Comments

[John Coles]

Well, maybe. But for a long time past the Conservative leadership should have been pointing out that Brown is an unbalanced man who is utterly unfitted to lead our country. Now Clarke is doing it for us, but how much more his comments would now be resonating if we had laid a bit of the groundwork. Instead we concentrate on being NICE.

[Editor]

I'm not sure we need to do anything John given that the newspapers and his own colleagues are going after the Chancellor but I do think it important that David Cameron remains above the fray. I think it is important he, at least, is seen by voters as NICE not nasty. He does need an attack dog when battles have to be fought. I do not know who that is but the blogosphere probably has a growing role to play...

[deborah]

"the Conservative leadership should have been pointing out that Brown is an unbalanced man who is utterly unfitted to lead our country"

Absolutely not. Personal attacks would have been totally counterproductive.

[Matt Wright]

Cameron is playing this right. Rise above it. Further, he needs to look more statesmans like as this goes on. It is unquestionably the fact that a number of Lab MPs have panicked. In particular the Welsh and Scots MPs as they face regional polls early next year,

Matt

[A H Matlock]

As the Editor rightly points out, I can think of nothing more likely to concentrate minds within and unite the Labour Party than an attack from the Conservatives.

The best thing you can do when your opponent is destroying himself is to get out of the way.

[Patsy Sergeant]

I agree with Deborah, that personal attacks would have been counterproductive. We have had ten years of both Libd's particularly Charles Kennedy taking every opportunity to make personal attacks, and just about every Labour Minister at least, not being able to utter more than two sentences without finding some catty remark to make, and of course in that context Mrs. May's comment was about as useful as a piece of cod gone off, I refuse to mention the word, as I think we should censor ourselves and not mention it. I should imagine that like Mr. Fish and the non-hurricane, she is not allowed to forget that silly comment, mind you of course it was an 'own goal'!

I don't think that David Cameron comes across as being weak, because he doesn't get involved in the free-for-all; I think his attitude 'says' that just because there IS a free-for-all it doesn't mean that EVERYBODY has to get involved in it, it conveys some welcome sanity into the political arena.

[Donal Blaney]

Before Rule Britannia and Land of Hope & Glory make me wish for a greater Britain, I will post on here that I agree with the Editor. I have been critical of David Cameron in a number of ways of late but I think he has got this spot on. As I said on my Platform piece earlier today, we can sit back and enjoy the show.

And now let's sit back and enjoy the Last Night of the Proms. No sign of EU flags this year in the audience...

[tapestry]

Bono said they were Lennon & McCartney. In fact they've been Caesar and Mark Anthony all along. It will be a fight to the (political) death, unless the third member of the New Labour Triumvirate (Rupert Murdoch) can arrange an amicable separation for the squabbling pair.

It's been a rocky marriage. The divorce will be rockier still, of which the stench will leave the world aghast.

Cameron must not get tainted with the filth of New Labour's mud-slinging. He must be dressed in sparkling white raiments, riding his charger, badged with the cross of St George, the young knight in shining armour. He should challenge some younger knights to a joust in the spring. But right now, this will be the winter of Labour's discontent, as the old men quarrel and bicker over the dying embers of their stinking and corrupt regime.

[Chris Palmer]

I would agree with the views of Alastair and the Editor above. Let the Labour party be foolish enough to destroy themselves if they wish. Interfering would be counter-productive to our cause.

[Paul D]

"He does need an attack dog when battles have to be fought. I do not know who that is"

For me it looks like being David Davis - his work on Blumkett, Beverley Hughes and Charles Clarke to name but three suggests he's CMD's "bad cop"

[Graham D'Amiral]

No need to intrude on the Labour Party's private grief.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

These comments are spot on - the upper echelons of the Labour Party are doing a fine job tearing themselves apart so we should just let them get on with it.

[John Travis]

Agree with Editor & AHM - They now have enough rope so we should just enjoy them using it !

[David Belchamber]

The TUC and Labour Party conferences should keep the pot stirred nicely, so whilst Nulab implodes noisily, we can keep on working at policies that are thought out properly and are based on sound principles. Blair could be forced out before the end of this year and a leadership election will take some months to sort out, but I suggest that our draft manifesto should be on the stocks by Easter at the latest - just in case.

[Alison Anne Smith]

"The best thing you can do when your opponent is destroying himself is to get out of the way."

....& have a good laugh !

[Mike Rouse]

I have been quite impressed at how Cameron and the Shadow Cabinet have composed themselves thus far. Let's see if they can keep it up.

[Dr. Olsen]

Yes I hope david cameron will see the significance of forgiving the african nations of huge debts when the british are facing thier economic crises concerning the aging population.