Page 3 of the Daily Mail
George Osborne's reputation took a hit from the Deripaska affair because of the revelation he discussed receiving a £50,000 donation with an impermissable Russian billionaire.
But he now is suffering lasting damage because the tale appears to have opened the floodgates on the hitherto underexplored subject of Osborne's love of the high life. Which is the last thing the Shadow Chancellor needs in the week repossesions rose 71 per cent.
Last week we had the Bullingdon Club photograph of Osborne at Oxford. At the weekend the News of the World was revisiting Osborne and his relationship with dominatrix Natalie Rowe. Today the Daily Mail uncovered a picture of George Osborne and chums - rifles in hand - at an Bullingdon Club vs Cambridge Athenaeum Club shooting competition (copyright prevents repition of the photograph here, so for those "new romantic throwback" looks and quite amazing hair click here.)
Labour MPs cannot contain their glee, straining not to repeat Tory toff chants which caused them so much damage during the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. The unedifying sight of any who try to make political capital will surely backfire.
But at the same time, Osborne is taking a serious hit from these pictures - it's the kind of thing the public finds hard to forget - it's already made Have I Got News for You. And it's hard to see how the Shadow Chancellor will be able to stem the tide of reverse class snobbery.
In the comments, Curbishly takes me to task: "Today the Daily Mail uncovered a picture of George Osborne and chums - rifles in hand - at an Bullingdon Club vs Cambridge Athenaeum Club shooting competition." Actually it's an over and under shotgun, not a rifle. "Labour MPs cannot contain their glee." Nor, it would appear, do certain journalists at The Times.
"Today the Daily Mail uncovered a picture of George Osborne and chums - rifles in hand - at an Bullingdon Club vs Cambridge Athenaeum Club shooting competition."
Actually it's an over and under shotgun, not a rifle.
"Labour MPs cannot contain their glee."
Nor, it would appear, do certain journalists at The Times.
Posted by: Curbishly | 29 Oct 2008 12:19:30
There once was a time when a gentleman could expect a journalist on The Times to know the difference.
How things change.
Posted by: machiavelli | 29 Oct 2008 13:14:48
Are just using this blog to attack George Osborne these days?
Looking at everything around at the issues making the news today, and you decide to dust off this blog from the last attack on Osborne by going big on a picture in the daily mail, with a helpful note of the page number!
Posted by: ChrisD | 29 Oct 2008 13:19:32
Of course a gentlemen would never use an over-and-under; frightfully infra dignitatum
Posted by: Recusant | 29 Oct 2008 14:00:33
Of course a gentlemen would never use an over-and-under; frightfully infra dignitatum
Posted by: Recusant | 29 Oct 2008 14:00:52
Must be a slow day.....
Posted by: Bernard from Horsham | 29 Oct 2008 17:14:01
So when a Labour politician is enjoying watching a football game, as I'm sure some do, they should be worrying about all those home repossessions instead.
As for shooting being a toff thing, in the rural area where I live quite a few working class people shoot.
Posted by: Paul | 29 Oct 2008 23:35:26
Inverted snobbery is just as ill mannered as snobbery. My message to "gleeful Labour politicians" Your juvenility is silly and boring.
Posted by: Jean Andrews | 30 Oct 2008 06:41:12
Why the constant dragging up of old photos of Osborne? I have several photos of me from my youth that I would dread resurfacing. Toga party, peeing against the wheel of the Rugby tour coach. These would be extremely valuable fodder for the tabloids (which the Times is becoming) in the event that I was to become famous. There are very few people in the world who were considering their political career and the implications of their youthful indescretions. If these people do exist, it makes them unfit for office.
Posted by: Don Smith | 30 Oct 2008 08:48:56
Oleg Osborne has been caught out. He and the whole Tory front bench are Toff; s trying to be ordinary Joe’s, in their Asda cloths and PR Trips to Cornwall and then off with their rich buddies for all expenses paid hol’s on luxury cruisers and free flights paid for by 9 millionaires. What ever happens to the economy they wont affected. SAME Old Tories
Posted by: nigel | 31 Oct 2008 11:24:50
The odious "Wanabee" toffs of NUlabour make a mockery of the taunts made about the real toffs.
Two Jags Johnny Mr Croquet
Commie LORD Mandy
My house is many mansions BLIAR
Etc Etc Etc
The OLD Labour stalwarts would have had them drummed out !
Posted by: tony | 31 Oct 2008 17:53:35
The Labour Party are the new champagne socialists. They dictate to the electorate and tax the poor. They spend our taxes as a right because they pretend to 'know best?'They ensure they have inflation proof pensions simultaneously raiding company pension funds. Brown is the most successful burglar in history having stolen our retirement. It is sickening to listen to false outrage from Labour's self-opinionated, jobsworths pretending to support the working man.They are the hypocritical toffs.
Posted by: B.Garvie | 1 Nov 2008 07:41:20
I think Oborne is the best looking in that picture by far
Posted by: Samuel | 2 Nov 2008 11:17:51
The Toffs do not seem to be all that good at clay pigeon shooting. In the photograph, they are all using shotguns. The real test is to use a double barreled rifle and to hit a right and a left. However, they are probably not up to it after all the Bullingdon food, booze and wags (it all causes the hands to shake).
Posted by: bruce | 2 Nov 2008 19:16:24
Why does not anybody investigate Osborne's reported attending Bilderberg 2008 meeting in Istanbul, Turkey? The participants there were capable to plan much more serious hunting expeditions like a global credit crunch.
Posted by: Dr Alok Bhattacharyya | 2 Nov 2008 20:44:29
I cannot contain my glee that a comment from me that included the word Bilderberg has been published. Now can some serious journalists pick up my clue on Osborne + Bilderberg. I do not want to single Osborne out.
A cross-section of the western ruling elite meet at Bilderberg meetings, but never divulge what they discuss and decide hiding under private nature of the meeting. But doings in private should remain private if they cannot affect public affairs in any shape or form.
It's impossible to believe that people like (King!) Henry Kissinger and a who's who of western rulling elite gather in complete secrecy to discuss global affairs that would have no public ramification. Only completely naive or thoroughly ignorant would believe such an excuse.
If an Osborne or a Mandelson can be investigated for their meetings with a Deripaska, why is their such a reluctance by the supposedly western free press to investigate them and others for attending Bilderberg meetings?
Posted by: Dr Alok Bhattacharyya | 2 Nov 2008 21:08:15
Oh and only a few weeks ago Gideon Osborne did an interview with a friendly journalist where he took pains to point out that he was just a normal bloke and not a toff or millionaire like David Cameron who was into huntin,shootin and fishin at weekends with his toff friends. The Bloke is one hundred percent phoney and should get out of politics.
Posted by: Frank Lord | 3 Nov 2008 16:56:06
Are you thick Mr Coats ... ?
WELL ARE YOU? Its obvious some of your trolling correspondents are.
All you are referring to was at University years ago.
BIG EFFING DEAL.
Has he been seen cruising the bars in Rio?
And gawd 'elp us that bumming word Bildeberg again.
What a pathetic load of toss.
Posted by: TrevorH | 3 Nov 2008 23:39:15