The politics of division are the politics of despair
Posted by Richard | Filed under Democracy
Substance in politics is what really matters but sometimes the tone matters too. Contrast the opening efforts in the General Election campaign between Gordon Brown and David Cameron.
Gordon Brown and the Labour Party have launched divisive attacks – based on class, on bankers, on those with support hunting. The tone is one that seeks to deflect blame from the Government’s own failings but also one which seeks to divide the country in to “them” and “us”.
David Cameron meanwhile has recognised that we are all in this economic mess together – that little can be achieved by pulling the country apart, and much can be achieved by working together. He has reached out to Liberal Democrats in the search for common ground and has praised the ideas on social reform championed by the Labour MP, Frank Field. Right from the start of his leadership, David Cameron has offered his constructive support for the Government where there is common ground, rather than just opposing for the sake of opposing.
David Cameron’s constructive approach is surely the right one for the country, and Labour’s embrace of the politics of division is surely a reflection of their own despair.
