Don’t Look Back In Anger
‘WERE it not for the disaster that is Iraq, the Labour government would probably now be moving quite smoothly and confidently towards an unprecedented third term in office.
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| John Prescott wasn’t keen on the Poll Tax riots |
Michael Howard may have revived the Tory party, but its condition has moved only from critical to stable. There is still very little to commend it to the British people.
Certainly, the Government has made mistakes, but as NHS chief announced last week, the fruits of its unparalleled investment in public services are beginning to show.
But all that is drowned out by Iraq, by arguments over whether we were taken into a war on a false prospectus and concerns about how we are ever going to get out of the consequent mess.
And now the Times reports that the Government is alienating its own MPs by launching a personal attack on Mr Howard in the run-up to the European and council elections.
The advert to be broadcast tonight shows images of poll tax riots and house repossessions, laid over with reminders of Mr Howards jobs in previous Tory government all to Simply Reds If You Dont Know Me By Now.
A Labour strategist disingenuously claims that the adverts are only negative if your judgement of the Tories record is negative.
But what is the Government doing towards the end of its second term dredging up things that happened 15 years ago?
Its like the Tories making adverts about the winter of discontent or even the IMF debacle.
Former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle was just one Labour MP to deplore what he called the Americanisation of politics.
Campaigning now, he said, has often got nothing to do with policies and everything to do with personalities and how theyre represented.
And who was it who said in 1997 that people want to hear about the health service, jobs, education, not nasty, negative, personalised, abusive campaigning?
Step forward, Mr Blair…’
Posted: 10th, May 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
