I’ve only just round to watching Cameron’s interview with Marr earlier (on iPlayer here). ‘Tis a shame it was interrupted by so many technical problems, as it was shaping up to be one of the Tory leader’s most engaging performances of recent months. Still, plenty of noteworthy points in there; perhaps none more so than this admission from Cameron:
“I see how unaffordable Labour’s spending plans are – perhaps we could have seen that earlier.”
It is one of the great, missed political opportunities of the past decade that the Government didn’t come to fear a “Labour waste” attack from the Tories as much as the Tories came to fear Labour’s “Tory cuts” attack. Cameron now seems to recognise this. And – although there are still question marks over whether the new Tory spending plans are restrained enough – his rhetoric suggests he wants to rectify the mistake with a vengeance. Indeed, the Marr performance today was one of a born-again waste cutter. Cameron reeled off expensive government programmes that would be culled by a Tory administration – from ID cards to the NHS computer – and he did so unashamedly and unapologetically. Ditto, as he made the case for lower public spending growth.
It remains to be seen whether the conviction matches the rhetoric, although it sounds convicing enough. I guess only a Cameroon government would reveal that. In the meantime, the Tory leader’s words should well resonate with a nation tightening its collective belt.
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