Those who had hoped that class war was dead will not be happy at the way the Tory leadership race is shaping up.
Andrew Pierce's People column is the latest example of the Cameron campaign being targeted for its 'toff factor'. Pierce writes:
"David Cameron, the young turk who covets the Tory leadership, is desperately trying to live down his privileged background. So the Eton and Oxford- educated MP for Witney will be dismayed to learn that Downing Street has dubbed his campaign team “Toffs on tour”. Cameron’s supporters include Boris Johnson, Eton (school fees £22,000); Hugo Swire, a scion of the dynasty that owns the Cathay Pacific airline, Eton; Oliver Letwin, Eton; Nicholas Soames, grandson of Winston Churchill, Eton; and George Osborne, the son of a baronet, St Paul’s (fees £16,000)."
Confirming suspicions that David Cameron has Michael Howard's backing, Mr Pierce also suggests that Rachel Whetstone ("an old girl of Benenden School (fees £21,000)" and Mr Howard's Political Secretary) is also a Cameron supporter. He writes:
"The support of Whetstone and other supposedly impartial party officials has led to Conservative campaign HQ being nicknamed Cameron’s campaign HQ by Tory MPs."
The Davis team will be delighted at these references to David Cameron. They are happy to see the contest between the two men as a clash between David Cameron's privilege and David Davis' humble roots. This contrast was played up by Damian Green at the weekend. Mr Green, endorsing the Shadow Home Secretary, said that Mr Davis' working class background and the fact that he was the son of a single mother would help the Tories recover a one nation Conservatism - governing for all Britons of every background.
Damian Green must have been pretty confident (actually as much as 100% confident as you can be) that David Davis was going to win to say the things he did on Sunday.
Lets hope for Damian's sake, that they don't elect a public school educated leader now or in the near future!
Posted by: GZulfar | 22 June 2005 at 09:14
Over at DD For Leader, we try not to discriminate against those from backgrounds less fortunate than Our Man's.
But Eton still equals Toff in a way that say Fettes (where?) doesn't.
It's unfair, but nobody ever said life was fair.
Still, if David C does the right thing now- falling in behind DD- he will demonstrate very un-tofflike maturity, and over the next few years will have an excellent chance to show the country he is not just another superior looking guy in a tophat. He could well be a shoo-in for the next succession.
Posted by: Wat Tyler | 22 June 2005 at 09:15
"Over at DD For Leader, we try not to discriminate against those from backgrounds less fortunate than Our Man's."
That is very noble of you Wat, I am sure your hero and his team are not spreading these stories in the press, like the similar diary piece in the Express today and yesterday.
Posted by: | 22 June 2005 at 09:27
Not this comparison will be made at every stage. Oh no. Each time Davis and his supporters talk up his background, or Dr Fox does the same for this, it's only to be expected that people will compare and contrast the candidates.
The sooner we get them talking about policy issues, the sooner we can have a sensible contest that's about more than what school you went to, or whether you wear a tie on breakfast television.
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 09:46
Posted by ?
I can honestly say I have absolutely no knowledge of whether DD's team are responsible or not. But look, this story has hardly been fabricated: here we've got a bunch of OE types clubbing together to...er, oh yes, now you point it out I can see it- stop we grammar school types having another go at the leadership.
So the gossip columnists are following a pretty obvious line, aren't they.
And why should we imagine those Labour spin-meisters haven't actually come up with this themselves, just like Pierce says? They must be falling about at our leadership antics.
I'm rather more concerned at the- as far as I can tell- completely unfounded rumours put about by certain dark forces that DD has some skeleton in his closet that is about to fall out. Now that's what I call really underhand- disgraceful destructive campaigning tactics routinely used by certain Portillistas during the Hague years, and which I fear may have been dusted off by somebody.
Posted by: Wat Tyler | 22 June 2005 at 09:57
"And why should we imagine those Labour spin-meisters haven't actually come up with this themselves, just like Pierce says?"
Maybe the Labour hierachy are more nervous about a Cameron win than a Davis win. Strange.
Posted by: | 22 June 2005 at 10:00
"Maybe the Labour hierachy are more nervous about a Cameron win than a Davis win."
But the Labour hierarchy (well, Blair) was scared of Michael Howard. I guess that calls their judgment into question!
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 10:02
"But the Labour hierarchy (well, Blair) was scared of Michael Howard. I guess that calls their judgment into question!"
Its all relative isn't it. Maybe compared to IDS or David Davis, they would be scared of Michael Howard... who knows!
Posted by: | 22 June 2005 at 10:05
"Its all relative isn't it."
Well, no. Blair remembered being mauled accross the despatch box when he was Shadow Home Secretary. Howard worried Blair, while by contrast the prospect of Ken Clarke never did because they tended to agree when they were opposites.
I really can't see anything about Cameron that would scare Blair or Brown.
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 10:12
"I really can't see anything about Cameron that would scare Blair or Brown. "
I dunno, maybe he untainted (unlike Messers Blair and Brown) and media friendly (and has loads of friends in the media).
Of course that goes both ways, as he has no gravitas in his background.
Posted by: | 22 June 2005 at 10:16
I suspect that those who believe that a person should be disqualified from being leader of the Conservative Party just because they went to a public school would also apply that rule to those who are gay or have a black skin. Its a good job these people weren`t round in Winston Churchill`s day!
It is also commonly accepted by those in the know that of all the leadership contenders David Davis is the one Labour are least frightened of. Why would they be frightened of him when he is the same sort of right-wing tory standing for the self same right wing policies that they have defeated in the last two elections.
Posted by: Jack Stone | 22 June 2005 at 11:15
"I suspect that those who believe that a person should be disqualified from being leader of the Conservative Party just because they went to a public school would also apply that rule to those who are gay or have a black skin."
Nice straw man.Has anyone actually said that Cameron's schooling precludes him from the leadership? I've seen a range of reasons offered and none have been put in those terms (the closest is that DD has a appealing life narrative).
"It is also commonly accepted by those in the know that of all the leadership contenders David Davis is the one Labour are least frightened of."
Hearsay. Got any names or direct quotes?
"Why would they be frightened of him when he is the same sort of right-wing tory standing for the self same right wing policies that they have defeated in the last two elections."
Firstly, we don't know what policies Mr Davis does stand for. Secondly, it's hard to see how the technocratic, big spending, grievance based agenda we offered at the last election is actually right wing. It didn't offer to shrink the state, just to grow it more slowly. It didn't offer public service reform - or if it did, we never talked about it. It's just disingeneous to conflate those belief free campaigns with a strain of political conviction.
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 11:25
Nick Brown the former Defra minister and Gordon Brown crony told me that he wanted David Davis to win. And it sounded like a line from his masters voice.
Posted by: Edward | 22 June 2005 at 11:32
Yep. It's called reverse psychology. I know few Labour supporters who want Davis to win because "he'd be easiest to beat" because "he's a one last heave merchant". It's very telling that they then claim Clarke would be the best candidate.You'd almost think they don't have our best interests at heart.
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 11:42
I couldn't quite work out what he was trying to say. Personally I think it is Clarke that they are scared of but maybe they are concerned about Davis, I don't know.
Posted by: Edward | 22 June 2005 at 15:21
When my Labour friends tell me who they are scared of, I admit I tend to dismiss their opinions; this is because they try and build up the likes of Ken Clarke.
As Clarke would hopelessly divide the party and was hardly a formidable opponent of Blair when he was shadowed by him in the Home Office, I've always tended to assume that these people are being a little disingeneous. and are talking about the Conservatives they like or dislike (but would not vote for in either case) rather than who would be the best leader for us.
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 15:30
Labour are of course scared of only one man, David Davis.
Posted by: Wat Tyler | 22 June 2005 at 15:40
Why doesn't that surprise me, Wat? ;=)
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 15:47
Well, it surprised me...I'm the only Wat Tyler in the village, and that wasn't me.
Posted by: Wat Tyler | 22 June 2005 at 16:17
No! I'm Wat Tyler!
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 16:32
And escaping from Spartacus, the other Wat Tyler has the amusing e-mail address [email protected] .
Posted by: James Hellyer | 22 June 2005 at 16:34