David Cameron was grilled over his antics while a member of the posh boy Bullingdon Club today, an issue which exposes him and Boris Johnson as hypocrites.
David Cameron was grilled over his antics while a member of the Bullingdon Club today, an issue he’s loath to talk about, one which exposes him and Boris Johnson as hypocrites. The prime minister and Mayor of London have been amongst the most outraged by the criminality of those involved in last month’s riots – yet seem to wish to brush under the carpet their own anti-social behaviour while members of the posh boy club.
Interviewed on the Today programme this morning, he repeatedly said “we all do stupid things when we’re young”, feigning amnesia about the nasty club’s thuggery:
Evan Davis: “The Bullingdon Club, that’s a youthful gang, you can almost call it, engages in violent behaviour, do you see any likeness in that to what occured?”
David Cameron: “I think we all do stupid things when we’re young, and we should learn the lessons…”
ED: “Did you witness stuff as a member of that club that was, did you witness people throwing things through windows smashing up restaurants, you didn’t witness any of that?”
DC: “We all do stupid things when we’re young, I think that’s clear but I think we saw in terms of the riots was actually very well organised in many cases, looting and stealing and thieving, and we have to react very, very clearly to that, and I think you can see that happening in the Courts…
“I thought the Mayor of London made a good point which is, I think the way he put it is that people weren’t stealing from a shop because Gerald Kaufman had got a flat screen television on his expenses, and I think when you listen to the BBC there’s a danger that all these things are equated into a great mush and you make that as an excuse for not acting, some people almost say, well until we deal with the problem of inequality in our society there’s nothing you can do to deal with rioting, well that’s what it can slip into.”
ED: “That’s not where I was going, it’s more that people do just get caught up in things and I’m sure you will say that you got caught up in things, and in a sense one doesn’t want to have a moral panic about that section of society necessarily?”
As the FT reported last year, Cameron knows a lot more than his squirming interview lets on, and came close to being arrested himself after a night of Bullingdon violence which resulted in a restaurant being smashed up. But I suppose, as with the “second chance” granted to Andy Coulson, unlike the rioters, there were extenuating circumstances for these impoverished, poor little rich boys who had everything to go on the rampage…
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183 Responses to “Cameron’s Bullingdon hypocrisy laid bare”
Ed's Talking Balls
Probably best to read a comment before responding to it.
I’ve not sought to justify criminal behaviour. I’m not overlooking one and condemning the other. No hypocrisy whatsoever in my position. I prefer to leave that to the professionals, like Polly Toynbee.
I merely stated (and now state again, for what feels like the umpteenth time) that if I were to be a victim of crime, I would rather that the criminal paid for the damage caused and didn’t physically harm me.
And as for comparisons, yes, crimes can be compared. But a comparison in terms of scale is a non-starter. Without figures to hand, I’m still confident in guessing that there have been fewer instances of Bullingdon destruction of property this year than there were instances of rioting and looting last month. Probably fewer related deaths too, I imagine.
Dave Citizen
Ed – sounds like you agree with me that the differences in the crimes are not down to the any great differences in the individuals concerned. It would be interesting to swop some budding Bullingdons with a few rioters in the making and see if, given time, either lot stood out as particularly unusual for their new environment. Somehow I doubt it.
Ed's Talking Balls
I’m inclined to agree Dave. A yob is a yob, irrespective of how wealthy his family is
Lydia Paynter
“@SallyBercow: Loving this – David Cameron’s Bullingdon hypocrisy laid bare. http://t.co/Vw0R7DK” most stupid thing that i have ever read.
Leon Wolfson
@22 – Yes, so why haven’t you?
The physical harm aspect is something you’ve made up to justify your blatant special pleading for TORY criminals, and shows precisely how you’re willing to lie and cheat to excuse them. That nicely highlights where you come from on this.
And sure, you agree they’re yob’s. But you only support arresting the poor ones. Got it.