Bending To The Wind

As we watch the strange political contortionist act being put on by David Cameron as he tries to bend three or more ways at once we wonder how good; or rather bad, a Prime Minister he is. 

At present we view him in the light, or rather darkness, of Blair and Brown with occasional references by those on the Left to Margaret Thatcher.  The forgotten man is John Major and perhaps we should begin to see Cameron as Major Mark 2.

Major was once employed by Standard Chartered Bank, lucky enough to get in at a time when overseas banking was becoming an expanding racket.  He has remained connected to the trade ever since in a quiet way.

Also, he was at the Treasury and in government when the thrust was made to free the City and others of a great deal of regulation and enabled the Big Bang of the 1980’s when our modern banking and financial system began to take shape.

Then he was Foreign Secretary and much involved in Europe and in the Exchange Rate Mechanism and other dealings.  He seems to have accepted Europe and for the most part agreeing with the way things were going and intended to go.

As Prime Minister with a small majority whilst it was one party there was a deep divide amongst them over Europe.  So it was more of a coalition than a united party and Major certainly did not like the critics of Europe and its deniers.

So an interesting question is that if Major had won a big enough majority in 1997 would he have been able to force through the UK entry into the Euro zone?  As Cameron was close to Downing Street one way or another during all this time was he one of EU and Euro fans?

Major lost the 1997 election largely because of a series of political calamities and scandals.  With Cameron looking accident prone and evidently unwise in his choice of close advisers and connections he is beginning to look doomed in the same that Major did after around 1994.

And 1994 was the year when Cameron went to Carlton Communications with all the media and other connections.  Major often found it difficult to make up his mind.  But this was at a time of rising prosperity and when things were thought to be progressing.

Cameron is in the middle of a major financial crisis and the potential collapse of much of the system he grew up with politically and personally.  So what is the Conservative Party going to do if the game is up with him?

Struggle on in the hope that something with turn up or dump him as soon as possible and find someone more convincing and certain about Europe?  If they don’t they could soon find themselves out of office for another long spell.

Time is very short because the Parliamentary Summer Break is close.  By the time they all return the world might be a different place.