Sunday, October 16, 2005
The copycat felonies
For those of you who have problems understanding irony this morning's Observer has an excellent example. They report that Tony Blair accused the Tory leadership contenders of stealing New Labour's values, policies and even its phrasebook yesterday.
All the Tory leadership candidates have stressed the need to improve public services and connect with ordinary voters. One - David Cameron - has been quoted as telling a private gathering he is the 'true heir' to Blair.
The Tories were adopting 'many of the attitudes and even the phrases and policies we have pioneered,' Blair said. 'They are trying to reach the centre ground. Good: let them try. But when they arrive, they will find us already there, with the ground staked out.'
He warned his own party that it must resist reacting to a Tory move towards the centre by lurching to the left.
Whether trying to reclaim ground they once occupied from a New Labour Party modelled on the Tories counts as stealing is open to debate. What is depressing is that both parties believe that this is the only way to win elections.
All the Tory leadership candidates have stressed the need to improve public services and connect with ordinary voters. One - David Cameron - has been quoted as telling a private gathering he is the 'true heir' to Blair.
The Tories were adopting 'many of the attitudes and even the phrases and policies we have pioneered,' Blair said. 'They are trying to reach the centre ground. Good: let them try. But when they arrive, they will find us already there, with the ground staked out.'
He warned his own party that it must resist reacting to a Tory move towards the centre by lurching to the left.
Whether trying to reclaim ground they once occupied from a New Labour Party modelled on the Tories counts as stealing is open to debate. What is depressing is that both parties believe that this is the only way to win elections.
