Patronising Bastards: How the Elites Betrayed Britain by Quentin Letts

Author:Quentin Letts
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781472127341
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2017-10-11T23:00:00+00:00

Mandelson admitted later that the film was intended not only to promote Kinnock’s ‘stock’ as a leader but also to ‘camouflage’ the policies on which Labour was standing. This was classic Mandelson, taking voters for fools.

A cynic would say that for Kinnock’s true personality to have been shown, he should have been filmed at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Brussels, lifting a glass to the camera and saying, ‘This one’s on you taxpayers!’ And yet, if you today watch ‘Kinnock – The Movie’ you may be reminded that in Parliament and at party conferences, not least when he took on Derek Hatton and Militants, Kinnock was a fine public speaker. The Kinnock seen in those moments was a better performer than anyone in current British politics – and a far more attractive personality than the bloke strolling the cliff with his missus, the two of them putting on all sort of hokum airs for the benefit of Hudson and his schmaltzy film. Had Peter Mandelson allowed that Kinnock, the impassioned orator, to shine more clearly than the soft-focus seagull clips, Labour might have done better.

Marketing aces in the Church of England have devised tag lines for diocesan websites. ‘Loving Living Learning’ goes the zippy trinity offered by the diocese of Leeds. ‘Renewing Hope – Pray, Serve, Grow,’ says Salisbury. At Southwell and Nottingham it is ‘Growing Disciples Wider Younger Deeper’. They do love this modern-managerial use of ‘grow’ – Carlisle ‘Growing Disciples’, Hereford ‘Proclaiming Christ growing Disciples’, while Birmingham is ‘Growing churches at the heart of each community’ and Truro is ‘Discovering God’s Kingdom Growing the Church’. Durham opts for ‘The Church of England from the Tyne to the Tees and the Dales to the Sea blessing our communities in Jesus’ name for the transformation of us all’. They should have stuck ‘Amen’ at the end of it.

Exeter’s slogan sits you down, holds your hand and says: ‘I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope’. ‘Generous engaged open,’ says Newcastle, perhaps reaching out to dentists. Lincoln comes up with ‘Faithful confident joyful’. Bristol seems to have borrowed ‘Creating connections’ from the city’s Temple Meads railway station.

Take the linguistic equivalent of a food mixer. Buzz in a few bland words. Whirrrrrr. The Old and New Testaments of the Authorised Bible are 789,600 words long. But a whizzo consultant reckons the job can be done with one crisp slogan. Easy. Next!

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