Wednesday, November 03, 2010

The 'worst week ever' ! That's utter 'tosh' Nick.

Nick Robinson seems to think that this week has been David Cameron's 'worst week ever'. I've always thought Nick to be a decent journalist, but this is utter tosh. Perhaps he was just trying to be noticed. But lets look at the supposed catalogue of catastrophes that instigated this hyperbole.

Firstly, there have been aspects surrounding how the discovery of a bomb plot was handled which have attracted some comment. Just don't see this as damaging. It can reasonably be argued that the bomb plot has actually been valuable to the UK's security. Firstly it's reminded us all that the guard against 'terror' cannot be relegated down the Coalition's priorities. And secondly it's identified faults in the system, which can be corrected, without costing lives. OK, it might owe something to good fortune, but the whole issue has actually made us 'safer'.

Secondly, there was the EU budget deal. The fact that the Eurosceptic press, some of his backbenchers and Lord Tebbit have not been supportive of the deal was no surprise at all. Personally, I'd have been shocked if anything else had happened - unless our Prime Minister came home and announced that he intended to withdraw from the EU altogether. I sat through the entire statement in the HoC, and thought David Cameron did very well. Nick Robinson's words give me the impression that he hadn't watched, and that he'd written his words before the statement.

Thirdly, there's allowing prisoners the right to vote. OK no-one likes this. Prime Minister said in PMQ'a today that the thought makes him physically sick. But all that happened this week was that the Government decided to act on what has been an inevitability for the last six years. And the fourth issue that is supposed to have contributed to this 'worst week ever' is the putting of a photographer on to the Government's payroll. Despite the media's best efforts, there is no credibility behind either of these issues, which will give neither any traction.

What we have is a media desperate to create an image of 'the worst week ever'. The issue is never the problems that confront a Prime Minister, but the way he or she manages them. And if Nick had beenwatching, David Cameron managed all of these issues with a comfortable confidence. I for one would be absolutely amazed if this week (so far anyway) is remembered as a bad week by the weekend.

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