Tuesday 10 August 2010

David Cameron in Manchester - review

It was at the point of my fifth security check when it dawned on me just how important David Cameron had now become. He is Prime Minister. It's not the 'Dave and Nick' show, it is Dave and the gang. This recess sees the man formerly known as 'call me Dave' leave his marriage of convenience and carry on his 'Cameron Direct' tour of the provinces. Although it is now called 'PM Direct'.

I have noticed that Dave rarely wears a jacket on these occasions and so it was today in Manchester. The slight hint of man breast poking through his shirt might well force his hand in this respect, but alas that isn't content suitable for this blog.

Manchester is a diverse city and, as if by magic, the audience directly behind Dave was as diverse as they come. It was a game of ethnic equality bingo and Dave had a full house.

The audience themselves were rather quiet. Is this really the Manchester of the industrial revolution, the birthplace of Brit Pop and other short lived successes? Perhaps it was a quiet respect for the man taking money from us, after all, it is for our own good.

The range on the audience was like Tiger Woods, post affair. Benefits, cuts, green energy, Sure Start, it was like being ankle deep in the sea without your trunks - there just wasn't enough depth in the room to go further.

This of course suited Dave. He listened, he answered a completely different question and he moved on before people could follow up or think about his answers. But this isn't Dave's fault, blame those 'assistants' he referred to - he'd loved to have talked all day if he could. To us, not with us, I presumed.

Cameron Direct is all rather pointless in the end but he did get out of the 'Westminster bubble', so that is to be applauded. And, let's be frank here, he is insane to do them at all. Hopefully, Andy Coulson can have a word and return to PMs seen on the TV but not heard locally. That's the good old days; where's Mandy when you need him?

Oh, he was at Smith's in Manchester - don't think there was a queue.

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