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I suspect something much more mundane. Politicians love to shout about their successes. Only, this government hasn't really got any to shout about, so they're

I suspect something much more mundane. Politicians love to shout about their successes. Only, this government hasn't really got any to shout about, so they're falling back to the old standby that all governments do in situations like this. Wave the flag and be proud to be British.

herghost 12y ago
Sort of. The problem that the mainstream political parties have right now is that right-wing sentiment just scored high in the elections. They need a little bit of sabre-rattling and flag-waving to convince those on the left-most fringe of the newly-empowered right to come back towards the centre, and the only way they can do that is through winning the stupid, populist vote on simple issues again. That of course, coupled with the lack of real achievement from the current government, the ongoing and incredibly unpopular austerity cuts, and a long and drawn-out recovery that doesn't seem to be materialising for most people means that any way to make political hay right now needs to be grasped.
- seren 12y ago
  The worrying part is : what happens in 10 years if the sabre-rattling was not enough? What is the next step? (And this is not specific to UK but most European countries)
- arel 12y ago
  Charlie Brooker, brilliant as ever: David Cameron has responded to this crisis by declaring we need to celebrate "Britishness" with more enthusiasm. More enthusiasm? More? We've been celebrating Britishness with the strained determination of a man desperately trying to shit a cricket ball for the past five years. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/16/david-cameron-britishness-charlie-brooker http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/16/david-c...
disputin 12y ago
I don't see that - Cameron recently pointed out that he's a christian, and said that Britain is a christian country. He's bringing religion forward.

herghost 12y ago

Sort of. The problem that the mainstream political parties have right now is that right-wing sentiment just scored high in the elections. They need a little bit of sabre-rattling and flag-waving to convince those on the left-most fringe of the newly-empowered right to come back towards the centre, and the only way they can do that is through winning the stupid, populist vote on simple issues again. That of course, coupled with the lack of real achievement from the current government, the ongoing and incredibly unpopular austerity cuts, and a long and drawn-out recovery that doesn't seem to be materialising for most people means that any way to make political hay right now needs to be grasped.

seren 12y ago
The worrying part is : what happens in 10 years if the sabre-rattling was not enough? What is the next step? (And this is not specific to UK but most European countries)
arel 12y ago
Charlie Brooker, brilliant as ever: David Cameron has responded to this crisis by declaring we need to celebrate "Britishness" with more enthusiasm. More enthusiasm? More? We've been celebrating Britishness with the strained determination of a man desperately trying to shit a cricket ball for the past five years. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/16/david-cameron-britishness-charlie-brooker http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/16/david-c...

disputin 12y ago

I don't see that - Cameron recently pointed out that he's a christian, and said that Britain is a christian country. He's bringing religion forward.