Thursday 28 April 2011

The widening cracks of the Tweedlecam veneer

You only have to see the media debate, the twitter feeds and the headlines of most of the UK newspaper front pages to realise the reach of Tweedlecam's 3 little words at PMQ's on Wednesday.

Disbelief, despair, contempt and an oversized Tory media machine that continues to belie its burgeoning size and seem more like an 18 year old PR intern dabbling in their spare time.

But rather than focussing on the words, let's think about the man himself.  Tweedlecam.

He's been "in charge" for around a year now.  And similar to Brown, the covetted prize weighs heavy on the shoulders and calls for the grecian 2000 ahead of its time once the millstone of responsibility is placed on the incumbent PM's shoulders.

In those 12 months his personality has shifted.  From a tree hugger, from someone pandering terribly to be the down to earth Tory that can appease the back bench euro sceptics while being everyday Dave and a man of the people.  He now resembles more by the day a school ground bully lacking any finesse or class.

And judging by Tweedlecleggs expression, the coalition could be approaching its watershed ever moreso come 5th May.

But why the shift in personality?

Tweedlecam staked his candidacy as Tory leader against David Davies on modernity.  Almost as Blair tackled Clause 4, Tweedlecam needed to break the perception of middle aged voters consumed with a desire to discuss the pound and immigration before nipping off to the Albert Hall to sing rule Brittania.  Something he subsequently failed to do with the electorate.

This modernising ticket comes with peril though.  Don't forget the pressure from backbenchers prior to the last election.  It was certain the old brigade had lost faith with the tree hugger.

So pressure from his own party hardened and now as PM he faces something far in excess of pressure.  Angst, wrath, anger... words so easily associated with the myriad of voting spectrums from immigrants to single mums, from nurses to students and now a large section of female support.

The personality of Tweedlecam is shifting because of the unimaginable stress.  Not only of having the nations woes on his shoulders.  Not only because he has to fight his backbenchers.  Not only because his policies of austerity are hurting.  But because of the groundswell of dislike for the man himself.

And here's the irony.  Tweedlecam has gotten more and more personal, bombastic and bullying as he feels the nations mood turn against him.

Nobody wants to be disliked.  But because of how he painted his well briefed picture as the man next door, good old Dave... the failure of that image to last any test of time means he has to contend personally with not being liked.

His policies are flimsy and with the scrutiny increasing and identifying the holes, the lies, the lack of mandate and the lack of public support he's faced with his soul form of counter attack.  Heavy spin, well beyond anything capable of Mandelson in his heyday, and when that fails... personal, condascending, patronising, Tory... attack.

The flaws are widening.  The real Tory is appearing and manifesting in full view of the least sympathetic audience imaginable.

Should we be sympathetic?  No.  Bullies always get their come uppance.  We reap what we sow.

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