Protecting Frontline Services

As his government gears up to kicking half a million people out of work, and as the nation celebrates the hanging, drawing and quartering of one of the few men of principle ever to enter Parliament, another radical difference has emerged between Daveybloke the Cuddly Conservative and his predecessor, the Venerable Tony. Daveybloke has placed his personal image consultants on the public payroll because, unlike the Venerable Tony, Daveybloke believes that political advertising is always good value for money when the taxpayer foots the bill; and Daveybloke has waved these public servants into their jobs with no formal recruitment process because, unlike the Venerable Tony, Daveybloke believes in competition and a level playing field except where his own little whims are at stake. Even more unlike the Venerable Tony, Daveybloke has issued a spokesbeing to say that, much as he would have liked to have the appointments paid for by Lord Ashcroft, he received intelligence that civil service posts would be a more appropriate token of his commitment to fair play. In this case, perhaps the intelligence was right. Though both have their different reasons for being a little disappointed in Daveybloke and his Cuddly Conservatives, Lord Ashcroft can influence those whose salary he pays, while the taxpayer cannot.