How Cameron moved to shore up Osborne

The FT reports this morning the muttering in the Tory party about George Osborne, which has been a feature of the Westminster wallpaper over the last fortnight. He hardly looked a bundle of joy at yesterday's press conference (he "wears the grim face of a condemned man" said Ann Treneman this morning.)

The Shadow Chancellor probably would have escaped largely unscathed by the Deripaska / donation affair - had the Tories been making more impact with their alternative economic plan. But the right dont like the lack of bigger tax cuts (as ever), while the modernisers don't like the pictures of George in tweed in the Bullingdon club and are grumbling about judgement.

According to some Tory MPs, there's been a certain amount of disquiet caused by David Cameron's appearance at a 1922 backbench dinner nearly three weeks ago. Cameron made a point at this event to shower his friend George with praise. This left several Tory MPs - who hitherto hadn't really been worrying about Osborne - wondering whether things were worse than they'd assumed. They couldn't work out the need to draw attention to it.

Comments

[john]

If old-guard Tory disquiet at Osborne 'becoming the story' extends to doubts about Cameron's judgement or rumblings about complacency (and it has for a good fortnight, call the Telegraph to witness), then their leader had better watch his rear. Or so it has seemed from observing decades of sacking the team manager. And what may the1922 committee not do at a stroke?. David Cameron is surely wise enough to let things get anywhere near that state and George Osborne's days, on that score, must be numbered. Cameron needs an unassailable Shadow Cabinet now, today. And he must figure that yachtgate did the steadily ascendant Brown no harm at all.

[john]

If old-guard Tory disquiet at Osborne 'becoming the story' extends to doubts about Cameron's judgement or rumblings about complacency (and it has for a good fortnight, call the Telegraph to witness), then their leader had better watch his rear. Or so it has seemed from observing decades of sacking the team manager. And what may the1922 committee not do at a stroke?. David Cameron is surely wise enough to let things get anywhere near that state and George Osborne's days, on that score, must be numbered. Cameron needs an unassailable Shadow Cabinet now, today. And he must figure that yachtgate did the steadily ascendant Brown no harm at all.

[J Jenkins]

Cameron's judgement looks weaker and weaker. His press conference yesterday and his proposals for paying companies to take on 3-month unemployed people in return for £2500 was far from convincing.

Just when the country needs a good leader to replce Brown, we are left high and dry with an abysmal choice between 'Dave' and 'Cleggover'.

Time to emigrate.......!

[oldasiahand]

Osborne has been abysmal on the economy. The economy needs tax cuts and increased expenditure on worthwhile projects. The deficit does not matter in the face of this downturn. In trying to be different from Brown he has lost the plot, is pandering ineffectual nostrums and doing nothing for Tory chances.

[tommy cockles]

David Cameron and George Osborne are looking more and more like the Tory version of John McCain and Sarah Palin. As the Tory lead shrinks Dave gets more angry and less coherent. George prefers personal attacks to policy and can't manage interviews.

[Nick Cooper]

This is what he's really worried about

http://thestupidtimes.blogspot.com/2008/11/osborne-fears-donations-collapse.html

[Dave Gould]

3rd October: Peter Mandelson re-appointed to Cabinet. General disapproval by all.

15th November: Govt narrow lead to 5%.

Coincidence? I think not.

Knowing full well the economic bad news that was coming, Mandelson orchestrated this damaging slur on Osborne - thereby crippling the Tories' ability to respond.

The public, somewhat naive on economic matters, fail to blame Brown for letting debt and house-prices get out of control or unnecessarily exposing taxpayers to Northern Rock's mistakes.

And Labour have been pre-empting any Tory calls for tax cuts by half-leaking suggestions of making their own.

Mandelson is a genius, albeit an evil one.

Osborne is starting his comeback:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5158962.ece

BTW, I have met Nick Clegg and he would make a good PM. He is humble, smart, a uniter (moreso than Obama) and has a deep understanding of Britain's 21st century challenges: crime, energy, sovereignty & privacy rights.

[Dean]

George's comeback went well then, didn't it Dave? Let's hope the Tories don't get rid of him, he's our best chance of another Labour government.

[thomas arthur]

what amazes me we have george osborne telling the truth about what gordon browns borrowing can do to the british economy and new labour do not like it,all the g20 countries who attended the meeting in washington rejected gordon browns spending spree they said it would lead to economic meltdown,now we will have to wait till later this month to see what brown will do without any support from other countries,and gordon brown was accused of electioneering in the states.

[thomas arthur]

support new labour and live now pay later,

[steven]

I think Cameron needs to bring back Ken Clarke, he's the only Tory with the muscle to take on Brown and Darling and win, he's also extremely popular with large parts of the population.

[bilythefish]

To the gentleman that has meet Nick Glegg and thinks he would make a good leader, sir there is absolutely no chance in a million years that this will ever happen
I just hope that they only released you from the mental home for a days shopping and you are not out on long term release, otherwise I will begin to lock my door more often.

[Mike Ryan]

Cameron might be thought incompetent and to have a weak front bench if he does the right thing and fires Osborne. Mr.Soros will send him a Xmas Card.The shadow Finance Minister is expected to be patriotic,have gravitas,and know what he is talking about. Osborne fails in all three criteria. Fire him. A.S.A.P.

[Ian Bryan]

The reason for the conclusion that this is spin by the Labour Party and moves The Times into the same league as the BBC as being its mouth piece. Is that both Darling and the Bank of England have said more to damage the economy in the last month, than Osborne. All that Osborne has done is said it an away that the people of the country might understand.

Is it not time that The Times started thinking of the country and its people above its partisan support for failed economic ideals of the left. After all while this may be a cheap story for a headline, it is also feeding the reasons for the declining advertising revenues with the paper.

[Highgrove]

We still have not heard a single word from either Cameron or The Boy George about how THEY would tackle the big picture of this debacle. There is no clarity of thinking here. Just shallow vote-catching gimmicks which fool nobody. A schoolboy-ish muddle of sniping and sniggering from the back of the class. Time for Tory "regime change"?