Cameron’s Off

By Mike Buchanan: We bring good news, the exit from British politics of David Cameron, the self-described ‘heir to Blair’. Our thanks to a number of people for this. An excerpt:
On June 27 [Note: four days after the Brexit vote] David Cameron issued this statement: “I will continue with my duties as the MP for Witney. It is an enormous privilege to serve the people of West Oxfordshire.”
So enormous that he could only bear it for a few more weeks, apparently. He’s off, leaving the Commons and triggering a by-election in Witney: some lucky Tory will soon inherit one of the safest and prettiest seats in the country.
What does this tell us about Mr Cameron? Nothing terribly positive, to be honest. Let’s remember, he fought the EU referendum campaign promising not to quit if he lost, then quit when he lost — but only having clung to office as long as possible and having banned the Civil Service from doing any preparatory work for Brexit, thus making it harder for his successor to actually get on with the job.

In between breaking his promise not to resign as PM and breaking his promise not to resign as an MP, the only significant official work he undertook was drawing up an honours list handing an OBE to his wife’s stylist and a knighthood to his press officer.

From time to time we present ‘Toady’ awards to men in positions of power, who use that power to drive or support radical feminist agendas. Cameron was a supreme example of the type.
Having worked as a consultant for the Conservative party over 2006-8, I resigned my party membership – along with many others – in the autumn of 2009, when Cameron announced his intention to introduce all-women PPC shortlists, a plan he dropped after furious reactions from MPs and party members. His plan inspired me to write my first book about gender-related matters, David and Goliatha: David Cameron – heir to Harman? (2010).
The book’s cover design was drawn by the late lamented cartoonist Martin Honeysett. I’d been an admirer of cartoons since I was a teenager (40+ years ago), reading Punch. All the greatest cartoonists have been men, and the same goes for almost all fans of the important art form. So I was naturally delighted when Martin accepted my request to draw the cover design in line with my concept, and he was a joy to work with. He’d always had a particular gift for drawing grotesque women. With Harriet Harman MP being a key element in the design, Martin had been an obvious choice for the commission. I still have the original drawing, and may auction it one day to raise funds for J4MB.
David and Goliatha is now out of print, but all its contents (and more) are in my subsequent book, the snappily-titled The Glass Ceiling Delusion: The real reasons more women don’t reach senior positions (2011).
Cameron was a deserving winner of our Toady of the Year awards in 2012/3/4/5. There are links to all his awards here.
Cameron’s key strategy adviser in opposition, and for two years into his first premiership – until 2012 – was Steve Hilton. I met Hilton a number of times while I worked for the party, and soon reached the conclusion he had bats in the belfry, a common conclusion among those who had the misfortune to work with him. In May 2015 Hilton fawned obsequiously over Harriet Harman on The Andrew Marr Show – here (video, 2:38). Don’t watch it after a large meal, unless you’re prepared to buy a new computer or keyboard.

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X art by WB7