Cameron for Prime Minister

The Conservatives leadership contest is coming to a close in less than two weeks. I had the opportunity to listen to both candidates several times in the past few weeks. I even went for dinner with David Davis. In terms of content, policies and presentation, I prefer David Davis. I think he knows what he is talking about, and he successfully presented himself as a sincere politician who wants to fight for the less fortunate. His policy plans are clear and he did not hesitate to comment on controversial issues, even when he knows his comments may be unpopular in some quarters. Davis is the type of politician whom you can describe as “what you see is what you get”. He spins less and he is straightforward. As someone who much prefers straightforward politics unadulterated by spin, I naturally lean towards Davis. I like the fact that he said politics is about “selling what is right to the public”. But unfortunately society has been too much influenced by the media. The most important qualification if you want to lead the country nowadays is your “media-savvy-ness”. It doesn’t matter what changes you are promoting, you just have to present yourself well to the media and they will do the rest. It doesn’t matter if your policies are not clear, you just have to say you want to gauge what the public wants first, and the media seems to like that. Politics is no longer about ensuring what-you-see-is-what-you-get. It is now about politicians ensuring what-the-public-wants-to-see-is-what-they-will-get. It is about spin. And all credits must go to David Cameron in this case. He is excellent in dealing with the media. He put Paxman in his rightful place. He told the public he will not present detailed policies, not because he does not have them yet, but because he wants to find out what the public wants first. (What an excellent campaign material!!! I will only tell you what you want to hear, and because of that I cannot say anything until I have measured what it is that you want). He is young. He is charismatic. He is also aggressive at times, which is very good. In short, he is the type of person who is able to bring the Conservatives to victory in the next election, when I suspect the media will play an even bigger role in influencing the public. Thus, although I personally prefer Davis, only Cameron will bring victory to the party. Cameron must become our next leader.