Etonian dilemma
- 8 Dec 05, 12:38 PM
So Labour's classiest class warrior, Dennis Skinner, has been booted out of the Commons for alluding to suggestions that the new Tory leadership had a "full and active student life".
It comes as no surprise to me. Many Labour MPs are raring to go for Cameron and his friend Osborne as old-fashioned Tories out of touch with the real world and with enough money to spend on you know what.
The problem, as one northern Labour member put it to me, is that "Tony's posh too and we don't want to embarrass him." Then he added: "On the other hand, he's on his way out and we've got to get Cameron."
The serious aspect of this is that if - and yes, it is a very, very big IF - Cameron continues on a roll, some in Labour will demand a change in leader to someone better able to take him on. A gruff Scot perhaps.
One of his backers recalled the other day that Margaret Thatcher boasted that she'd forced the Labour Party to change so that it was safe to have them in power again. "Tony," he said, "has made it safe to have a bloody Old Etonian toff running the country again. Thanks Tony."
