Now Where Have I Heard That Before?
David Cameron today announced that he was going to ‘make poverty history’ by pledging that a Conservative Government would remove three hundred thousand children from poverty through increases in the working tax credit.
Sam Coates over at ConservativeHome briefly expressed his unhappiness and disappointment that the media had chosen to cover the Ming Campbell resignation saga rather than this supposedly important Conservative announcement.
But really, does the media response surprise you all that much? Yes, the Ming story is about as interesting to many as watching paint dry – but then Cameron’s latest policy initiative isn’t exactly a box office blockbuster exhibiting outside the box thinking either.
What’s more, there was certainly a bizarre sense of déjà vu surrounding Cameron’s ‘Social Responsibility’ press conference. You can be forgiven for thinking that you’ve heard and seen something quite similar before - because quite probably you have. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown spent the past ten or so years making similar sounding claims.
It does all seem to be getting very crowded in that miniscule area some people refer to as the centre ground (in my opinion there is no such thing) – all the while as yet more and more people choose to abstain from voting.
There has to be a reason for this of course; that an increasing pool of voters actively choose not to vote for any British political party. Perhaps it is in some small part because many members of the electorate do not believe any of the parties are offering them something worth voting for, but instead just reheating yesteryear’s tastelessly bland gruel of which they are completely sick and tired.
Disregarding whether or not child poverty in Britain is relative or absolute (and yes, they are quite different measures - but that’s an argument I do not wish to get into at this point in time,) put simply, Mr Cameron is offering the public similar policies to New Labour but pledging to manage the processes and apparatus of government more competently and efficiently. Not particularly radical is it?
Until Mr Cameron or the Conservatives attempt to actually be radical, the people outside the Westminster bubble will continue to look from Cameron to Brown, and from Brown to Cameron, and from Cameron to Brown again; but will be unable to say which is which.
