Ask the audience. Who was flanking Cameron at UEL?
Who were those students seen behind David Cameron on Monday while he made his speech on constitutional matters at the University of East London (UEL)?
"They weren't our students," my source at UEL tells me. "We were puzzled when we saw the pictures on TV because there were so many white faces. Whereas the population of UEL is much more black and Asian."
And I'm also told that when the Student Union President Joseph Bitrus was asked on LBC radio today why the student audience looked so bored with the speech, Mr Bitrus too expressed puzzlement, and said that they weren't his students.
So did the Conservatives bus their students in from somewhere else just to be sure that Mr Cameron's speech got a good reception and there weren't any embarrassing protests?
Indeed, were the audience students at all?
I think we should be told. After all, one of the themes of Mr Cameron's speech was "transparency".
Comment number 1.
At 9th Feb 2010, ryanw wrote:Another Tory bashing post. Does it matter where these students was from?
Isn't the substance of what was said more important?
I wondered why there are so many anti-Tory posts on this blog .. a quick googling and surprise surprise...
He [Michael Crick] joined the Labour party at 15 and wrote a book about Militant, the Trotskyist faction of the Labour party, soon after graduating with a first in PPE from New College, Oxford.
Until the age of 30, he had every intention of becoming a Labour MP, but when the opportunity to become the candidate for a safe-ish seat presented itself, he agonised briefly, then decided not to take it. It clashed with another opportunity that had come up: to be Channel 4's Washington correspondent.
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Comment number 2.
At 9th Feb 2010, ryanw wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 3.
At 9th Feb 2010, ryanw wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 4.
At 9th Feb 2010, Garryq wrote:If the substance was so important, why bus in students in the first place?
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Comment number 5.
At 9th Feb 2010, BaaBaa grumps wrote:Same old Torries always cheating...
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Comment number 6.
At 9th Feb 2010, tommy wrote:It doesn't take an idiot to work out why it matters that they aren't students at the university, but i'll point out the obvious none the less
In any normal circumstances, the REAL students would be sat in front of him, not behind him. This is clearly for the media's sake. To achieve the appearance that the students of UEL are behind David Cameron and the tories, both literally and figuratively.
If these aren't the right students, at worst they are actors and at best they are young conservatives from another uni in which case, in which case, why do they look so damn bored? Is he not supposed to be this new exciting brave new leader?
If the theme was transparency then why create a visual deception akin to the airbrushed poster saga.
Seems to me hes playing the PR game but lacking goods. Jedward of politics.
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Comment number 7.
At 9th Feb 2010, vstrad wrote:tommy - sorry to blow your conspiracy theory but I seem to have an advantage over you as I have seen the footage of this speech on the TV news. The audience was in a circle with Cameron in the middle. So there were students in front of him, as well as behind and to the side.
But I do concur with your inference that Labour politicians never speak in front of a carefully-chosen audience of fellow-travellers.
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Comment number 8.
At 9th Feb 2010, tykejohnno wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 9.
At 10th Feb 2010, barriesingleton wrote:BRINGING IDS TO THE CHILCOT. YOUR MOVE MICHAEL.
If Crick has that much anti-Tory form, surely he can bring IDS to the 'justice' of appearing before Chilcot to explain why he whipped his pathetic flock into supporting the war? Blair was the knave, but IDS was the fool who gave him what he wanted.
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Comment number 10.
At 10th Feb 2010, barriesingleton wrote:HE COULDN'T GO ON LIKE THAT
Since Dave had his jaw lengthened and his cheeks made sleek, by the poster photoshoppers, it has been born in on me just how pink and chubby hs cheeks REALLY are. (Picture above.)
Would you buy a well-used teddy bear from this man?
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Comment number 11.
At 10th Feb 2010, ryanw wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 12.
At 10th Feb 2010, ryanw wrote:Three times I have tried to post about a source mentioned by Mr Crick in this post being pictured embracing with Ken Livingston last month on Facebook.
Three times my post has been rejected.
What was that about transparency? And why havent I received one email telling me that my post was rejected and on what grounds?
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Comment number 13.
At 10th Feb 2010, stanilic wrote:Well spotted, Michael!
They did seem rather glum, didn't they? Rather than listen to Cameron I found myself watching the eyes of the bloke just behind him as this guy had clearly switched off from the speech and was gazing around the room. I thought for a moment that he was sizing up the local talent but he seemed too disconnected off even for that.
It wasn't a very good speech as Cameron gabbled his way through it for some reason. I would have thought a speech of that portentous content should have been made at a more elegant pace in an oak-pannelled room with a spotlight with subdued lighting behind.
I concluded that the audience had to be the Conservative students because they had no obvious interests in politics. A bit like the speaker, perhaps.
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Comment number 14.
At 10th Feb 2010, SackthePanda wrote:Complain about this comment (Comment number 14)
Comment number 15.
At 10th Feb 2010, SackthePanda wrote:Of course is matters whether they are planted students, are black and asian students not the right colour for right on Dave? This is all so Americanised at the moment, they are scared if some kid picks his nose behing him, I know its not just the Tories who are doing it but the racial element stinks.
I've a horrible feeling these debates are going to be micro-managed to death...
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Comment number 16.
At 10th Feb 2010, Neal C wrote:There is most definitely a flavour coming through as the months go by of all not quite what it seems with Cameron. Disquieting.
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Comment number 17.
At 10th Feb 2010, leithin wrote:The young blonde lady and the young man with glasses in the front row either side of DC look awfully similar to those just to his left here-
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Comment number 18.
At 11th Feb 2010, bright-eyedwendym wrote:I assume David Cameron - if this blog is in fact true- must be taking his lead from all those cheering people who were wheeled out for Tony Blair to shake hands with when he went to Downing Street. I remember being really shocked when I found out that Campbell had arranged for party workers to line the street. How innocent we were.It was only the beginning.
In general I agree with those on this blog who find Michael Crick biased in the extreme. Maybe he would like to do a piece on Labour parachuting favoured candidates into seats they have no knowledge or experience of. I remember reading a glowing piece by him about how lovely it was to see the Benn family down the generations.
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Comment number 19.
At 11th Feb 2010, DebtJuggler wrote:Don't get many posts to your blog!
I wonder why?
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Comment number 20.
At 12th Feb 2010, Isatou wrote:Is Michael Crick paid by the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ or by the Labour Party or both ?
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Comment number 21.
At 12th Feb 2010, balancedthought wrote:Really good piece Michael, who are these people are they really students of UEL or is this a piece of deception by David Cameron and the conservative party. What is really interesting is how board they look with David Camerons speech. It shows the conservatives can buy people in people to deceive the public, but you can't make them enthusiastic in party policy.
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Comment number 22.
At 12th Feb 2010, Isatou wrote:balancedthought
Of course the Labour Party would never be guilty of spin ?
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Comment number 23.
At 12th Feb 2010, Isatou wrote:ryanw
Keep up the good work !
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