Lord David Cameron (presumably of Greensill) is not the answer to any known question unless that question is either how to be a terrible prime minister or how to make a total mess of your post-prime ministerial career, because he managed both.
Despite that he is back in one of the high offices of state. He will now represent the UK abroad despite in his time having promoted or supported:
- A pro-China policy that was in retrospect clearly unwise.
- US bombing of Libya, which the RAF supported, and which left that country in ruins still.
- The disastrous Remain campaign to stay in Europe, the vote on which was as much a referendum on the failure of his austerity programme as it was a rejection of the EU.
- Netanyahu, far too unquestioningly.
There are no doubt other foreign policy failings: those will do for starters.
And, now he cannot be questioned on anything he does in the House of Commons. So, today there should be an urgent question in the Commons on the bombing of hospitals in Gaza and he cannot be there. Tomorrow there might be a debate on the call for a ceasefire and he cannot be there.
It is bad enough that the Tory party is so absent of talent that Cameron was appointed.
It is worse that we now have an unaccountable foreign secretary.
It is worse still that wherever he goes the stain of association with Greensill will go with him.
What a complete and utter mess created by another truly incompetent prime minister who can see no way to manage his own party, just as Cameron could not.
When will we be rid of them?
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Nero set fire to Rome and then fiddled.
David Cameron did the same for Britain.
Jenny Jones & Natalie Bennet will surely call him to account in the Lords. But you are right that it is an affront to democracy that it has come to this.
Plus Prem Sikka and a few others
The most significant revelation Sunak has given is not the one discussed by journalists. Sunak has returned to a credibility-shorn past-PM moved to the House of Lords because he has nobody he can turn to that he can trust, or sufficiently competent to do the job without disaster intervening.
Much more fundamental even than a right-wing extremist, out of control Conservative Party is a deeper psychological problem facing Parliament and the Party system. Whom can you trust? Almost nobody. The problem that must be asked is this: where great institutions are involved; that is, institutions that deal in real power, real money, real fame – you must ask, who will be attracted to climb the greasy pole? We are told it is the ‘brightest and best’. It isn’t true. Powerful institutions attract the worst; and since they have few standards, and these standards are tradable, they begin with a major advantage over ‘the decent’.
We can see this in the work that has been done in social psychology; originally by Paulhus and Williams (2002). They wrote a paper on the ‘Dark Triad’, a triad of overlapping but distinct personality constructs; titled “The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy”. (Journal of Research in Personality, 36(6), 556–563). There have subsequently a large number of citations and further work carried out. A summary of the three traits are “Machiavellianism (calculated social manipulation), Psychopathy (callous, impulsive, and predatory behaviors), and Narcissism (excessive ego and selfish behavior)” (Book, Visser and Volk, 2015; describing Paulhus and Williams framing of the traits). Among the avalanche of following work there is Gubik and Voros, ‘Why narcissists may be successful entrepreneurs: The role of entrepreneurial social identity and overwork’ (Journal of Business Venturing Insights, June 2023).
The fact is, it should be no surprise that ambitious and ruthless schemers with doubtful standards are likely to be characteristic pursuers of high places in major institutions. What we should be asking, is how successful are we at weeding them out? If you ask me whether I believe British political parties would be capable, determined good, informed, systematic and thorough weeders out of Dark Triad personalities from their ranks, I would simply laugh.
The truth is that this type of personality do get to the top far too often, but they are absolutely terrible leaders when they get there. They lack any positive attribute that would help them run a country or company well. They have no empathy or ethics. We truly are being run by the worst of the worst. The psychopaths and narcissists have taken over government. No wonder we are all suffering.
As usual Mr Warren, you are far too kind.
The book “Wounded Leaders” by Duffel gave a good description of Camoron and his ilk and what this means/meant for England.
Admittedly the book lacked the forensic rigour of the one you mentioned – but the result is the same – growing parts of England destitute & most political parties cluess as to how it happened and what to do.
I suppose they could always look at themselves honestly in a mirror – but that device is wholly absent in the English body politic – given it requires some honesty.
Are you ‘YES’ yet?
Yes to what?
“Are you ‘Yes’ yet?” is a standard, very well used trope of Scottish politics; frequently occurring in social media when Unionism suffers one of its spectacular political car crashes in Westminster; as now. The implicit question is; are you in favour of independence?
At least, I assume that is David’s intended reference; although here it loses something of its socio-political context.
I missed the context – I cannot see what people are rpoelying to when moderating
Wasn’t one of the pretexts for leaving the EU that we refused to be governed by the unelected and unaccountable? Yet, here we are…
Can you imagine what would be happening if a Labour government did something like this – if Brown had called back Blair for example? We’d have been told to man the pumps!
And then watching smarmy Rees-Mogg going on last night about how ‘prime-ministerial’ Cameron looked?
I suppose some Brits are that thick as to be ‘reassured’ by his presence.
I will go back to what I say a lot these days – the only way these half-wits, these half-grades get into politics is through someone else’s money – not the taxpayer’s money, but the money of rich people looking for favours.
The rich are constantly sticking two fingers up at the rest of us all the time. Some form of ‘democracy’ that it is I can tell you.
It’s time it was stopped.
Blair is needed by Netanyahu to run Gaza, didn’t you know?
A major problem for the media that generally attempt to be honest, like the BBC, is that they have not yet learnt that if you let liars get away with their first lie you are lost. Let the Trumps, Johnsons or Rees-Moggs of this world get away with their first lie and its no longer an interview, its just an opportunity for them to repeat their malicious propaganda.
Last night on BBC radio Rees-Mogg started his defence of Braverman by claiming that most of the public shared her opinions. The BBC interviewer allowed that to pass without challenge and from then on Rees-Mogg simply trampled all over him.
Mick Lynch is extremely effective at challenging liars at their first lie and as a result is very rarely interviewed live.
Did you see my MP on Good Morning Britain? At one point he asked if he could answer the question, and Ed Balls told him he’d been on for 7 minutes and hadn’t answered a single one!
Further to my earlier post about Rees-Mogg’s lie that the majority of the public share Braverman’s opinions.
A poll shows that 70% of the public support her sacking and only 17% oppose it.
Braverman got her own back in her resignation letter. Sounds like she has the proof, too, and will willingly use it.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/nov/14/suella-braverman-resignation-letter-in-full
You couldnt make it up.
Talk about plundering the state – how many foreign secretaries, home secretaries, defence secretaries, health secretaries, housing ministers under this corrupt mafia? Must be into the dozens – so obviously not about governing – just their own ‘come dancing’ show.
If this isnt the definition of a failed state – what is?
Very interesting question, Andrew. The answer may be in your question.
I actually felt sorry for a tory today, Andrew Mitchell having to stand in for Cameron, having been overlooked by Sunak. He’s going to take a lot of flak from the ‘opposition’ over the next year.
Is this what it was like in the last decades of the Ottoman Empire?
Can’t help but think that the appointment of Cameron doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of talent within the Tory party (I mean, the ability bar os pretty low amongst that group, but that’s just my opinion)… I think that it means that there probably ARE talented people who COULD make decent ministers, but none of them want to work with Sunak and the rest of the cabinet.
Isn’t that tantamount to saying the current lot can’t form a government anymore and should therefore go to the country without delay? I submit that it is.
p.s. – I take issue with the title of this thread. “David Cameron” is the answer to one question… and that question is “Hey, lads… what was the name of that bubble headed, shiny posh boy who gave the far-right the cue to knacker us through Br**it? You know, that one that stuck his willy into a pig’s head at Uni?”
Afraid I have to disagree with you on this one. Here is a “known question”….
Q “Name one of the 5 worst PMs of the last 100 years”
A “David Cameron”
Damn
Wrong again
Richard, I think his title is “Lord Camaron of the Hut”; it’s the only space he has the right to lord over.
🙂