Friday, October 21, 2005
The Tory Leadership Candidates
Is it just me?
Is it just me, or is David Davis capable of conveying meaningful public policy ideas in compound sentences that he delivers off the cuff? This facility has always been important to my judgements. (George 'brilliant' (see third cartoon) Bush can't deliver extemporaneous compound sentences of any kind.)
I listened to DD on Radio 4 this morning. OK, perhaps I was still sleepy. But that was how it seemed to me.
He came out with streams of stuff like this (random example - I can't find a transcript):
"I have been asked questions about drugs policy which have invariably then been written up, rather mischievously I may say, as an attack on David and an attempt to put pressure on David. So I'm going to say this right now. For the next six weeks I am not going to answer any questions on drugs, policy or otherwise because I am simply not going to have this debate dominated by this issue."
All of which made sense, and contained moderately complex ideas.
Whereas Cameron came out with inanities like "Cut me down the middle and I a modern compassionate Conservative."
When asked whether he had any actual policies , he said "I cannot write the 2009 manifesto today." So it's obvious he'll win. Perhaps his cheesy slogans will be a match for Blair's.
Is it just me, or is David Davis capable of conveying meaningful public policy ideas in compound sentences that he delivers off the cuff? This facility has always been important to my judgements. (George 'brilliant' (see third cartoon) Bush can't deliver extemporaneous compound sentences of any kind.)
I listened to DD on Radio 4 this morning. OK, perhaps I was still sleepy. But that was how it seemed to me.
He came out with streams of stuff like this (random example - I can't find a transcript):
"I have been asked questions about drugs policy which have invariably then been written up, rather mischievously I may say, as an attack on David and an attempt to put pressure on David. So I'm going to say this right now. For the next six weeks I am not going to answer any questions on drugs, policy or otherwise because I am simply not going to have this debate dominated by this issue."
All of which made sense, and contained moderately complex ideas.
Whereas Cameron came out with inanities like "Cut me down the middle and I a modern compassionate Conservative."
When asked whether he had any actual policies , he said "I cannot write the 2009 manifesto today." So it's obvious he'll win. Perhaps his cheesy slogans will be a match for Blair's.
