Cameron has done it again.
He needed a fix of attention, and prominence to posture as the ever vigilant leader. Spotting an irresistible populist story that will run for months, he has put himself at the head of the pack and announced inquiries into child abuse. The issue could not be more important. The victims were the 'silent voices' that politicians must hear. They were let down in the past. Now is the time to make amends. But has Cameron tripped himself after charging off in a wrong direction. Time will tell.
This is new politics of addiction to perpetual adulation. It's cheap, shallow and ephemeral. MPs want every minute of every hour of every day to be filled with attention to their brilliance. During Cameron's speech on Hillsborough his minions were counting the tweets at their rate per minute. The gratification is instant and intoxicating.
Cameron was rebuked by Andrew Dilnot for jumping the gun and announcing information prematurely. Government has site of Dilnot's statistics for a day before others can comment. This give the Government a chance to spin before anyone else gets a chance. Many countries have in the interest of fairness ended this advantage. The issue is one of fierce debate in the world of statistics. Cameron cheated to win credit and attention.
Tweeting and 24 hour media cheapen politics. The greatest achievements of the past 60 years were those of Clement Attlee who read the papers only for the cricket scores. Without an incontinence of exposure, he created the NHS and modernised the Welfare State.
Politicians now emit the candy floss ectoplasm of protozoan hourly victories that are as short-lived as the mayfly.
Attlee's achievements endured for half a century: Cameron's for a half a day.
"MPs want every minute of every hour of every day to be filled with attention to their brilliance."
A good time to remind everyone to follow Paul Flynn on (politics-cheapening) Twitter.
Posted by: Tonypandy Andy | November 08, 2012 at 09:44 PM