Friday 21 August 2009

A Conservative, is a Conservative, is a Conservative...

I can't help but be disappointed by the continuing story of Conservative attitudes to the NHS. It is not that I don't consider the NHS an important news subject, or that I am not proud of the NHS, but rather that I don't believe a Conservative MEP being disparaging about the NHS is news. It is about as much a news story as the Tories having blue as their official colours, their harking back to the 'halcyon' days of empire, or their disdain for the working classes. The 'news story' is merely the brief slipping of some members' masks.

Daniel Hannan was described by Charlie Brooker as “... a boggle-eyed, slap-headed, unpleasant, revolting, heartless, shit-brained, attention-grabbing, foetid excuse for a prick.” Let's just apply the description to the vast majority of the Conservative party and be done with it (excluding 'slap-headed' as necessary).

The biggest mistake in the whole affair was not by Daniel Hannan, but seemingly by Channel 4. Charlie Brooker's apt description is seemingly no longer available on YouTube due to copyright restrictions. Such web 1.0 thinking.