Forget about the drugs, it's being a Tory that David Cameron should regret

alexanderbaker Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 10:24:58 AM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

There has been a lot of debate overnight and this morning about whether or not taking drugs when young should disbar you from taking high office.

Forget about the drugs, being a Tory should be an obstacle enough...




David Cameron hasn't denied that he took cannabis when he was at Eton, but said he did things when younger that he now regrets. As a member of the infamous Bullingdon club whilst at Oxford (read more about them here or here) I imagine he probably did far more outlandish things.

Yet drugs aside, I'm personally far more concerned about his commitment - should he be elected as Prime Minister - to embarking on a programme of massively cutting public expenditure in real terms (or "sharing the proceeds of growth" as he calls it), dismantling public services, destroying the union, and damaging our relations with key foreign allies both in Europe and further afield.

Cameron's Eton drug experience just confirms what we already knew about him: that he is an archetypal Tory toff. And it is this which should disbar him from high office.


tags: , , (all tags)

Display: Sort:
Forget about the drugs, it's being a Tory that David Cameron should regret | 22 comments (22 topical)

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#1)

by TimSwift on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 11:28:05 AM GMT

Agreed. It's not the smoking cannabis we need to remind people of, it's the Eton connection!


Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#2)

by Glass House on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 11:55:49 AM GMT

Your dead wrong if you think that going to Eton is going to count against him.

Any attempt to make hay out of it will only result in us looking like bitter, crusty class warriors - the image that we've spent 15 years trying to get rid of.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#3)

by swatantra on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 12:11:51 PM GMT

Disagree. Eton equates to privelige; denied to 90% of the population. Working people have to struggle through life and do not take too kindly to people who have had it easy all along the way.
As for the drugs, he should have come clean a year ago and until he does the issue will not go away. His premise is wrong: your past conduct is a major factor in the way you are and your beliefs and we should know it of our politicians who aim for high office.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#5)

by Margaret on the Guillotine on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 01:38:23 PM GMT

"Disagree. Eton equates to privelige; denied to 90% of the population"

As indeed does Fettes, the Eton of the North, yet we don't have any quibble with that in a leader.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#9)

by Guy Gardener on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 07:15:39 PM GMT

Yes, but that guy won't be around for long!


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#16)

by JR on Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 12:54:09 PM GMT

Unfortunately.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#17)

by Glass House on Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 01:14:24 PM GMT

No JR, Blair has been a good leader - in my opinion one of the best leaders we've ever had, but it's time to move on. Unfortunately we seem unwilling to define 'moving on' as anything other than Brown or a jump to the left.

People who go "on and on" come a cropper.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#19)

by JR on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 02:53:49 PM GMT

No GlassHouse I can't agree. When Blair leaves, this party will be on a downward spiral.

The 'old labour' crew are salivating at the prospect of dragging the party back down to their level. And whilst I know they won't succeed, I worry that Brown will try to appease them too much.

Blair has been the greatest leader this party has ever had and it's such a shame that so many in this party are too scared to say it.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#20)

by Glass House on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 03:08:27 PM GMT

No way could Blair fight another election - Prime Ministers just can't go on that long. The longer a PM goes on, the more enemies he makes, the more disgruntled ex-ministers there are, the more flaws in their record there are for the opposition to exploit and the more the media and public get bored. That has come to a head with Blair over the last year and it's time to move on (not that I think he's doing a bad job - just that it is becoming increasingly difficult, for the reasons stated above, for him to do a good job)

As for Brown - keep calling for someone better to stand and then support them. That's all you can do.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#21)

by JR on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 07:28:02 PM GMT

I understand that Blair has to go soon given that he's already said he's going. But there's little doubt that we're going downhill once he does.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#22)

by Glass House on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 09:00:04 PM GMT

I think you're probably right but we'll see


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#11)

by Glass House on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 10:50:11 PM GMT

Totally disagree. People aren't jealous of that sort of thing in the way they used to be.


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#12)

by bornin84 on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 11:55:18 PM GMT

Absolutely agree! Lots of people secretly like a bit of privelige of exclusivity. Anybody wanna discuss that broad coalition a little more?


[ Parent ]

Re: It's not Drugs - it's Eton (#23)

by Glass House on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 05:57:31 PM GMT

here's why attack Cameron for going to Eton is not a good idea: http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2007/02/the_guardian_is.html


[ Parent ]

Re: Forget about the drugs, (#4)

by Loz on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 12:11:58 PM GMT

I don't really care about him doing what he did. HOWEVER it annoys me that on the one hand he wants to clean up politics, change it for the better and improve the connection between politicians and the public.

Yet, he had time and again ducked this question.

It raises a more important point. Why don't these people learn?

If you've got something to hide, save yourself the trouble and tell the story.

If anything, he would have come out of this with more respect.


Re: Forget about the drugs, (#15)

by HOWLERMONKEY on Mon Feb 12, 2007 at 05:20:42 PM GMT

He also nipped off to Sweden pritty quick.


[ Parent ]

Re: Forget about the drugs, (#6)

by benhe on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 01:39:47 PM GMT

"dismantling public services"

At least the last Conservative government didn't close hospitals like this government is doing


Re: Forget about the drugs, (#8)

by JR on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 03:05:13 PM GMT

They're only closing hospitals that don't work. They're replacing them with bigger, more centralised hospitals that will be able to deal with emergency patients much better.


[ Parent ]

Re: Forget about the drugs, (#10)

by petercoe on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 07:16:04 PM GMT

"the last Conservative government didn't close hospitals".

Do you want to reconsider and amend that ludicrous statement before I provide you with a list of hospitals axed by the last Conservative Government.

While considering that, bear in mind that I was heavily involved with a campaign in 1993 to save a major regional hospital in West London from the Tomlinson closure plans (which we were successful with, but plenty of others were not).

All governments close hospitals; most governments (this one in particular) also build new ones.

However the premise of your assertion is that it is wrong in all circumstances to ever close a hospital, regardless of need, conditions, location, patient need and medical advance.  Is that really what you believe?


[ Parent ]

Re: Forget about the drugs, (#14)

by HOWLERMONKEY on Mon Feb 12, 2007 at 05:17:44 PM GMT

I think you have a short memory... Britania hospital and all that.


[ Parent ]

Re: it's being a Tory that David Cameron should (#7)

by JR on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 03:03:56 PM GMT

I couldn't care less about Cameron's drug habits but it concerns me that he is actually unable to admit it even though we all know it happened. By constantly 'refusing to deny or confirm it' he's making things worse for himself and shows him to be dishonest.

I think the reason why he never talks about it, is because he has taken much harder drugs in his youth and doesn't want the media to find this out - the 'cannabis' story isn't really that important as it's not a high class illegal drug.


Re: Forget about the drugs... (#18)

by otware on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 02:50:27 AM GMT

To be honest I don't give a damn about him smoking cannabis. I'm sure many MPs on all sides of the house have done it. He should, however, just admit it and move on. Barack Obama admitted to doing cocaine for heavens sake, and nobody really cares because he came clean!


Forget about the drugs, it's being a Tory that David Cameron should regret | 22 comments (22 topical)