Cameron's perfect putdown to Mundell

"People send me all sorts of interesting advice about Scotland - although, frankly, sometimes it would perhaps be best if they kept it to themselves."

That remark was delivered by the Tory leader to today's Scottish Party Conference - following on from all of the bad publicity created by David Mundell's leaked memo.

Mr Cameron also used his speech to re-emphasise his commitment to marriage and the very different position of the Chancellor of the Exchequer:

"Earlier this week, Gordon Brown put himself on the wrong side of this vital debate.  We know that his policies have penalised marriage.  Thanks to his tax and benefit rules, many couples with children are better off if they split up.  Instead of recognising this mistake, and pledging to do something about it, he's simply compounded it.  He put himself on the side of the old-fashioned anything-goes individualism that's all about me-me-me.  What children need in the fast-changing modern world is the strength, the stability, the confidence that comes from a loving home with two parents caring for them.  I will never be frightened of saying these things."

Comments

[William Norton]

Touché. Case closed.

[malcolm]

Clever boy. Now lets hope that all Scots Tories start to address their real enemies!

[Ted]

:-)

Just the right response

[Umbrella Man]

Clever from Cameron but it won't kill the story. He should have taken this opportunity to replace the useless Mundell with someone of vision and competence.

[George Hinton]

Super, so let's now have the committment to return the married couple's allowance.

[Max]

Tim I think this has generated rather less bad publicity for the party than Patrick Mercer. There has been nothing like the media interest in this story and yet you deem this worthy of far more coverage.

Is there any chance you can just give this a rest now. He’s a decent MP (who has done a great deal to turn the party round in my corner of Scotland) and I don’t really think he has deserved much of the abuse (which you seem to have done nothing to discourage) he has got from posters on this site.

[powellite]

"Umbrella" Man

Any alternative suggestions instead of Mundell?

[jorgen]

That was a very well chosen answer from Cameron.

[Scotty]

I just heard one of our MSP's say that he plans to go and shake David Mundells hand and welcome him to the conference, he also pointed out that he defends the MP's right to be honest in his comments to David Cameron even if he might not agree with them.
There also seems to be some doubts about the accuracy of the comments made by Mundell and that some points were taken out of context?

"I don’t really think he has deserved much of the abuse (which you seem to have done nothing to discourage"
Max, I think that the ramping of this story has not matched the actual events on the ground up here.
Last night on BBC Scotland the coverage was tucked away in the middle of the programme, and totally over shadowed by the wonderful response of Annabel Goldie to the First Minister. And judging by the reaction in the parliament that line will be remembered long after everyone forgets this memo.
Excellent speech from David Cameron and I have enjoyed this afternoons coverage of the conference.

[Ted]

Scotty, pleased to hear that - there might be all sorts of gnashing of teeth but best way is to recognise the leak was to damage the party so show it doesn't.

[Denis Cooper]

Without being perverse or deliberately obtuse, I don't see Cameron's put-down as being especially clever. As I understand it, the only Tory MP in Scotland sent him a confidential memo with some candid advice about the situation there. Doesn't he value frank feedback of that kind? Would he prefer to be lulled into a false sense of security? Months later said memo gets leaked to the press - but not by MP, as far as I understand - and then Cameron implies that he, the MP, should have kept his advice to himself ... it seems odd to me, but there you go.

[Tartan Tory]

You are rllghtj Editor - it IS the perfect solution. Shame you were advocating the over-the-top solutio, yesterday. If Mundell had been sacked it would have been a much bigger story.

[Opinicus]

@Umbrella Man
Clever from Cameron but it won't kill the story. He should have taken this opportunity to replace the useless Mundell with someone of vision and competence.

Outside the current parliamentary Party, you mean presumably - not so much a total shower, as an intermittent drizzle.

[Jake]

What about the English Conservatives ?

Oh sorry , I just realised ,we have been singled out for obliteration by the organs of the British state and we are not allowed to exist .

(Although even Mr Kenneth Clark has declared himself to be an " English Conservative " )