Evil Tories
John Rentoul had some fun in The Independent with a pithy sketch of the challengers debate featuring the 'evil Tories'.
Now I don't believe that any democratic politicians in the UK are evil, slightly bonkers and sometimes misguided maybe, but in the main they are decent people who stand up for what they believe in and try to persuade others to support their cause.
But at times the level of debate is woefully poor and on the subject of austerity, for example, it seems to me that lots of people are living in cloud cuckoo land because there is nothing progressive about the country spending more than it earns for years on end, as this simply passes on a mountain of debt to the next generation.
Governments can't run out of money in the same way as people or businesses (unless they are Greek), but borrowing ever more is no solution in the long run and sooner or later the UK, like every other country, has to start living within its means.
So while it may be good political theatre the reality of government is always about making tough choices.
The BBC TV debate between the opposition leaders was a flashback to student politics
But the normal students weren’t there
By JOHN RENTOUL - The Independent
It brought it all back. The earnest left-wingers, intimidating in their different brands of moral certainty. The facetious right-winger who goes along, sometimes in a bow tie, to wind them up. While most normal students have essays to write, French subtitles to read or pizza to eat.
Ed Miliband was back in the Corpus Christi Junior Common Room. He had over-prepared his speech. “These and other ideas,” he said, earnestly, in his Just-a-Minute-style introduction. But he was in his element. Angels, pinheads and the finer points of socialist purity. Only, because it is not the 1990s any more, the debate was mostly about who was more “progressive” than whom.
The BBC TV debate between the opposition leaders was a flashback to student politics
But the normal students weren’t there
By JOHN RENTOUL - The Independent
It brought it all back. The earnest left-wingers, intimidating in their different brands of moral certainty. The facetious right-winger who goes along, sometimes in a bow tie, to wind them up. While most normal students have essays to write, French subtitles to read or pizza to eat.
Ed Miliband was back in the Corpus Christi Junior Common Room. He had over-prepared his speech. “These and other ideas,” he said, earnestly, in his Just-a-Minute-style introduction. But he was in his element. Angels, pinheads and the finer points of socialist purity. Only, because it is not the 1990s any more, the debate was mostly about who was more “progressive” than whom.
Nicola Sturgeon was more progressive than Miliband, because she has a Scottish accent. As was Leanne Wood, because she has a Welsh one, and Natalie Bennett because she is an immigrant from Australia. But Ed is a member of the student council and so he has to take difficult decisions.
Sturgeon was best at it, even though her argument made no sense. She said Miliband was insufficiently progressive, but she would support him anyway because he was better than the evil Tories. Then she said he was no better than the evil Tories and the few students who had turned up for the meeting clapped that too. The right-wing joker was there for the lolz. He said all students were too stupid to understand economics, to pantomime boos and catcalls, and that he was the only one there who could use the terms supply and demand. “A flicker of recognition, anyone?” he asked, like a lecturer in the 1970s, before they knew that sarcasm was a poor teaching aid.
Miliband proved him right by saying that the problem with the housing market in Britain is that big property developers have it in a stranglehold.
Sturgeon was best at it, even though her argument made no sense. She said Miliband was insufficiently progressive, but she would support him anyway because he was better than the evil Tories. Then she said he was no better than the evil Tories and the few students who had turned up for the meeting clapped that too. The right-wing joker was there for the lolz. He said all students were too stupid to understand economics, to pantomime boos and catcalls, and that he was the only one there who could use the terms supply and demand. “A flicker of recognition, anyone?” he asked, like a lecturer in the 1970s, before they knew that sarcasm was a poor teaching aid.
Miliband proved him right by saying that the problem with the housing market in Britain is that big property developers have it in a stranglehold.
Natalie Bennett, Leanne Wood and Nicola Sturgeon embrace at the end of the debate
The only jokes were made by mistake. Miliband said the sale of housing association houses would water down the housing stock.
Nigel Farage got bored with lecturing the others on economics and went for the rowdier tactic of shouting “lies” and “lying” at everyone.
As a result, a good time was had by the people who enjoy that sort of thing. But the normal students, such as David Cameron and Nick Clegg, weren’t there. Like most people, they had more important things to do.
Still, last night’s debate provided a convincing rebuttal of the charge that Miliband has never done anything in his life apart from Westminster politics. Last night we were reminded that he also led the Corpus Christi JCR rent strike. Last night we saw his leadership qualities for what they really are.
The only jokes were made by mistake. Miliband said the sale of housing association houses would water down the housing stock.
Nigel Farage got bored with lecturing the others on economics and went for the rowdier tactic of shouting “lies” and “lying” at everyone.
As a result, a good time was had by the people who enjoy that sort of thing. But the normal students, such as David Cameron and Nick Clegg, weren’t there. Like most people, they had more important things to do.
Still, last night’s debate provided a convincing rebuttal of the charge that Miliband has never done anything in his life apart from Westminster politics. Last night we were reminded that he also led the Corpus Christi JCR rent strike. Last night we saw his leadership qualities for what they really are.
