Rays of delight podcast

Friday, April 16, 2010

The first leadership debate

Reflecting on the tone of last night's debate between Cameron, Clegg and Brown, I characterize:

Brown - An overworked, world-weary, tetchy GP. The sort who's bored with dealing a succession of minor complaints, and can trot off advice in his sleep. Exasperated with the overweight, the alcoholics and the smokers who clog up his surgery and refuse to accept his advice. He's unaware that if he wasn't so bloody prissy about it, more people might listen to him. No-one has the nerve to tell him this.

Cameron - A public school housemaster, torn between familiarity with the boys or aloofness. Wanting to be liked, even loved, but afraid that if he tries too hard to be cool he'll end up a laughing stock. The sort who's so used to people treating him with respect, he wouldn't know what to do if they didn't. He would fall apart if he moved to an inner-city comprehensive.

Clegg - A youthful instructor on an outwards bounds programme for disadvantaged kids. The sort who knows plenty of icebreakers which involve writing your name on a piece of toilet roll. Convinced that no problem can't be fixed by everyone working together and forgetting their differences. A believer in the healing power of abseiling.

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