The Most Important Performance Is Still To Come
Duncan Barkes argues that today was the dress reharsal, tomorrow will be when the real performance begins.
19 Jul 2011, 19:45
The real test for Cameron
The PM is in a pickle but there is a way out. The media & the public want a scalp as do Labour where the stench of hypocrisy is still strong as they were more than happy to enjoy Murdoch's favours & patronage throughout the Blair years.
Basic crisis management dictates you have to admit the problem, apologise, eat some humble pie & take decisive action.
According to Yates of the yard he was prepared to brief the PM but Cameron's chief of staff said no thanks. Number 10 has since released this email exchange but they don't clearly answer the question as to why the offer from Yates wasn't taken up.
What will be the PM's decisive action? I don't believe he will resign as some commentators have been suggesting. William Hill are currently offering odds of 16/1 of Dave going before the weekend. However I think it's inevitable that someone from the PM's close circle will go to ensure Dave's survival.
Would Ed Llewellyn make a good enough sacrifical lamb to take the heat off the PM? He will after today. Some commentators have also said there's no way Dave would do that to his longstanding former school chum and they may well be right. But those Eton ties run deep and I wouldn't discount the possibilty that Ed may well be prepared to act as a scapegoat to keep the Prime Minister in place and the coalition together.
Then of course there's Steve Hilton who could be thrown to the lions but he was lucky enough not to be named by Yates.
Dave has to play a blinder tomorrow and it'll be tough. He'll be knackered from his South Africa trip and has been off the scene for the last few days putting him on the backfoot.
The public, the media, the police and even his own politicians want a head from Downing Street. Sadly in the age of the baying mob it is the only thing that will take focus off the Prime Minister.
The most important performance is yet to come and it will determine whether or not the PM has a longer run in Downing Street than the last one. Nevermind this afternoon's shenanigans, I'm ordering in the beer and pretzels for Dave's statement tomorrow. The best is yet to come..
Comments (6)
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Steve Hilton has nothing to do with the dirty wing of No 10's ops. He's an image and policy wonk. He wants to resign out of frustration at Cameron's abandonment of all his pre-election promises, and could be responsible for opening up a second front of vulnerability.
19/07/2011 20:15By and large the public are not bothered. They think the hacking of Millie Dowler's phone was outrageous but mostly accept that is what the press and the BBC do.
19/07/2011 20:59It is nonsense to claim that Cameron should go when at worst he has hired somebody who many years ago may have been party to phone hacking.
The public are much more concerned with jobs, wages and immigration
Thanks for the comments, gents.
Tapestry - I think you're spot on re Hilton, so that leaves Ed. Do you think he'll go? Will there be a scalp at all?
Dave - I never suggested Caemron should go but others have. You're right with what the public are really concerned with, I wonder what a bus driver in Crewe or a nurse in Ipswich makes of all of this? In my local chippy earlier, a straw poll of five revealed that the Dowler allegation aside, folk don't care. One couldn't understand why the NOTW was shut down "Good paper that, just sack those who didn't play fair and carry on", said Terry.
19/07/2011 21:27I agree, I think with pretty much your entire assessment. It's a big day for Cameron tomorrow, he's looked increasingly weak as he's (literally in the last few days) run away from the issues and embarrassingly misjudged the public and political mood.
There are, as you say, some really important questions for him to answer with regards to his judgement and the judgment of those who he has advising him (now, in the case of Ed and previously in the case of Coulson). Ed Miliband up to now has had an easy job and while I agree that Cameron's resignation is highly unlikely, if David doesn't perform tomorrow and this goes on for much longer, his credibility will have been shot to pieces.
19/07/2011 21:45Duncan,ask the people in your chip shop what they think of Ed Mil. Most of my friends - not rabid Tories by any means - loathe him and are far from impressed by his performance on the hacking story.
19/07/2011 21:51Cameron was very good today......Ed wet....Ed Milliband just reminds me of Friend's Ross Geller, the weakest, unfunny useless extra in the group that everyone can't stand.
20/07/2011 14:41