Politicians beware those words of wisdom

Jul 17 2008 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

REGULAR readers of this column will know that I am not the Prime Minister’s biggest fan. Even I, however, cannot help feel that he is being unfairly treated over what we might call “The Heathcliff Affair”, or maybe even “Brontegate”.

In an interview with the New Statesman magazine, when asked if people were right to compare him to Heathcliff, the anti-hero of the novel Wuthering Heights, Mr Brown said it was “absolutely correct”, adding – no doubt hastily – “Well, maybe an older, wiser Heathcliff.”

Given that the interview was intended to soften the image of Mr Brown, it was unwise of him to admit any association with Emily Bronte’s tortured, brooding hero, who dug up the 17-year-old body of his former lover.

But, having said that, he plainly only wanted to be linked to the more positive aspects of Heathcliff’s personality, however difficult those are to discern. Certainly, his ill-judged comment hardly deserves such an outpouring of national derision.

Still, for a politician, being misinterpreted goes with the territory. David Cameron never said “hug a hoodie”, that being the Labour Party spin put upon his speech calling for greater understanding of hoodies. Strangely Danny Kruger, who wrote that particular speech for him is still proud to have been associated with the phrase he never penned, even after recently being punched in the face by a hoodie stealing a moped.

The greatest victim of wilful misinterpretation, however, must be Margaret Thatcher and the infamous phrase, “…there is no such thing as society”.

This has long been held up as the Iron Lady brazenly parading her philosophy of ruthless, selfish individualism and contempt for ideals of mutual self-reliance and neighbourliness. In fact, the phrase, used in an interview with Women’s Own magazine in 1987, is hardly ever quoted in context.

Mrs Thatcher was arguing – as David Cameron did last week – that too many people look too much to the State to solve their problems, that society doesn’t exist as a thing which can be separated from the individuals who make it up, and through whom any government must work if society is to function. Hardly controversial.

The problem is, for all of us, and not just politicians: it’s too often not what you say that matters, but what your opponents say you said.