To "Dave" or not to "Dave"? Daniel Finkelstein has a point when he says that the term is a sign of right-wing crustiness. Still, I think you can safely use it as shorthand when you have doubts about handing over the country to a clique dominated by ex-pupils of That School and former stalwarts of the Bullingdon Club. (In case you missed it, the Sunday Times has more on the pros and cons of the Eton effect.) Trying to present Cameron as just another hard-working, ordinary bloke doesn't work for me. If it does for most people, well, fine. Maybe I'm just out of touch.
On the other hand, I've been thinking about the criticism Cameron took for his recent references to neo-cons, lib-cons and America. And, somewhat to my surprise, I've decided he was right after all. Does a leader in his fragile position ever have a choice in these things? Seems to me a lot of Cameron's foreign policy instincts are neo-con, yet he appreciates how tainted the word has become on this side of the Atlantic.
What's more (and I never thought I'd hear myself say this) there's no longer any mileage in pursuing a doggedly pro-American foreign policy. Tony Blair has tried that, and how much of a reward did he ever get from Washington, apart from a few nice banquets? One thing that's struck me over and over in talking to American colleagues and acquaintances in the last few years is that, deep down, the overwhelming majority of them simply aren't interested in Britain or Europe. (Given the amount of dumb anti-Americanism over here, I don't blame them sometimes.)
But they also behave as if they have nothing to learn. The conversation about multiculturalism is a good example. I happen to think our model has worked well in many respects, but needs reform. I don't think it's been a disaster. American commentators consistently assume that their version is the one to imitate. But again, I think it's done well in some ways, and not in others. (The conversation about immigration, for instance, is more open and honest in Britain, relatively speaking, than it is in the States.) One reason I started this blog (he said, grandiosely) was that I thought there could be a conversation about what we can learn from each other. I'm not sure that's the case any more.