Friday, August 01, 2008

David Cameron: a flaw?

There was a moment - a minor incident - and I can't track it down. It was either Matthew Parris or Quentin Letts, watching Tony Blair perform in Parliament some years ago. The PM reacted scornfully to something he appeared to have heard from the Opposition benches, yet when the journalist asked his colleagues in the Press Gallery, nobody had heard that something. It seemed that Blair was simply indulging in brazen invention. A tiny incident, but revealing a character trait that has cost the country dearly.

In this week's Spectator, Charles Moore publishes an SMS text from a businesswoman friend, giving her immediate impressions of meeting David Cameron, and although she is clearly struck by the man's looks and personality, one little sentence jumped out at me: "Doesn't really listen." I think I know what she means, because it gels with how I read his body language every time I see him on the news: he is tightly focused on maintaining his grip on the Protean figure of Success, and will not be distracted. That has its dangers.

5 comments:

Wolfie said...

Not something I'll be losing sleep over, the other possibilities have flaws by the bucket-load. Good observation though.

Anonymous said...

I fell for Blair's charms in 1997, although I'm happy to say that I stopped short of wasting my vote on him.

However, having been conned once by a slick, personable, wordsmith, I vowed never to fall for one again which is a bit unfortunate for Cameron. The guy may well make a good PM, but thanks to Blair I will never take Cameron on trust. Not that it matters really because as your first poster says, the other lot are infinitely worse so Cameron is still likely to get my vote anyway.

Anonymous said...

I think he is like that sometimes... other times not. I wouldnt want to be a politician

James Higham said...

This is right. The body language someone exudes, especially in my game, is quite vital. DC's body language is worrying.

hatfield girl said...

If LJB would expand his remark, it would enlighten me, and possibly all of us.

A fisk of DC's body language is needed for those from other social universes. I'll do Gordon Brown (again) should that be thought fair return.