Monday, July 19, 2010

A Tale Of Two Cities

As circumstances would have it, "Dave" Cameron's Big Society speech in Liverpool (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jul/19/david-cameron-big-society-launch & http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jul/19/big-society-vanguard-communities-confusion ) coincided with a short city break for me in London (just a tube station away from Notting Hill, in fact). However, I was amused to see Professor Redmond escort "Dave" & arch-Thatcherite Eric Pickles for the benefit of the cameras.
Yes, the Big Society, indeed. As someone remarked to me in the Westminster Arms pub earlier, that phrase may well go the way of Back To Basics, as even the Daily Mail readers slowly realise that the cuts will hit them, too. The irony of a Tory Prime Minister lecturing people on the need to do more for themselves & not rely on the state in a city like Liverpool is so rich as to be obscene.
Cameron's now on his way to Washington where Obama might give him, ooh, 20 minutes.

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