I can see why people are so quick to pick at Cameron, for his weird over happyness with those around him.
But the way it works now, aside policies, is to woo the public over.
In all fairness, as much as we like to grill them all for smarmy behaviour, there is nothing better than someone leading the country who has a bit of charisma, or some sort of public link. We like to warm to them as people, not these spineless, non-public-interacting false dehumanoid machines of parliament. Maggie Thatcher had that charisma. She served for a long, long time. People like it. Makes them more confident and comfortable.
Look at America. Some of their greatest Presidents' were peoples' people. They public LOVED them. Look at JFK. Look at Clinton. Clinton served the maximum term, and had there not been such a limit, I would have thought he'd probably still be running America now. A shame, really. He was a good guy.
So in fairness, you can correlate good characters with a good population. Which then overlays with how well that said person can conduct their job. Crudely, but you catch my drift?
Off the top of my head I can't, but how many 'nice guys' were total $hitheads at their job in politics? As in nasty, unapproachable, twattish etc. I'd actually like to highlight some, if they exist.
And how many of those $hitheads were quite bad at what they did?
See my point? The smarmy playing and image of the modern election has become as important an attribute as the policies their parties enforce.
We shouldn't ridicule it every time, because a lot of people want someone they can be happy about, almost proud.
And when that person gets in power, the improved public image works wonders. Something as little as that can gain the confidence and change so many things.
Look at what Tony Blair weaseled out of John Major. He came across as this big friendly big eared goof; as opposed to old turtlehead John Major, with the personality of a potting plant. I would be willing to bet that his persona and public interaction made him more earthly to people.
They wanted that. And that was another swinging branch of New Labour's campaign.
Gordon Brown is about as approachable as a dollop of dog crap in the middle of the pavement. And he will go the same way about a dollop of dog crap too. Give it a few hours, and someone will career slap bang into it and send it flying everywhere.
Of the three main guys, Brown is just awful. People just cannot relate to him, he is like the phantom thing that sits behind the curtain in the wizard of oz. The creepy headmaster that never leaves his office. People can't relate. They grow distrust. He loses popularity. Job suffers.
Clegg is like a weedy uncle who just got promoted at his job - a job he has only been at for a very short while, and is already driving a flash car and rolling in cash. Almost like he has big shoes, but can't quite fill them. I find him too.. I don't know... just unfulfilling. Give him time, I think he will be right up there in the next election for sure. But right now he's just a bit... amateur!? He is definitely likeable, but he lacks that experience and confidence. He is kinda like the smarmy salesmen wanting to sell you the latest mobile phone. He makes out that you need it, and how friendly he is, but really, he is just in it for the commission. I get that weird feeling with Clegg. Just a bit amateur still.
Which leaves us to the clear favourite, in my eyes, and many others. Cameron.
Sure, the smarmiest, cheesiest and cockiest of the lot of them. But we need that. We need someone to take things by the balls, and be this person we need to be proud of and not groan everytime he has an idea. We need someone to just be there to do it, in the thick of things. Someone we can laugh at and relate to, and someone who can generate some interest.
We don't want bumbling theories and ideas and options all the time a la Gordon Brown. We want straight, blunt doing actions. Solutions. Cut-throat. We don't want radical revolutions just to be different in how the systems work, or changes so vast they leave us flabbergasted a la Nick Clegg.
Cameron has to win; and he will win. And our country will be a hell of a lot better for it to patch up Labour. But don't get me wrong, Lib Dems are up there. But at this moment in time, Cameron is the man and the party for the job.
Pending how well he can shift our current fortunes, he will have some serious competition if Nick Clegg runs next time round.
The Lib Dem policies are not appropriate just yet.
We just need Cameron first. Then a Lib Dem / Tory shootout in about 8 years.
Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it