he was one of the most talented political thinkers of his generation, and an architect of a decade of Thatcherite economic policy, Ridley was often painfully unsuited to the demands of modern politics and the media age. This was mainly due to his unstinting inflexibility. He refused to believe in any opinion other than his own, and dismissed his critics with all the subtlety of Basil Fawlty. Once, during a BBC interview, he responded to a question by sneering, ‘That is the most stupid question I’ve ever been asked.’ When the interviewer bravely repeated the question, he replied, ‘That is the second most stupid question I’ve ever been asked.’ But the question was undoubtedly not as stupid as his answer to an interviewer on the subject of European integration in 1990; he claimed that it was ‘all a German racket designed to take over the whole of Europe… I’m not against giving up sovereignty, but not to this lot. You might as well give it to Adolf Hitler, frankly.’ The Germans were not amused, and Ridley had to resign as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
But gaffes aside, Ridley’s intemperate nature led to serious miscalculations on matters of policy. He was right on many things, but also occasionally spectacularly wrong. For example, when at the Foreign Office during the early years of Thatcher’s government, he advocated ceding sovereignty of the Falkland Islands to Argentina, against the wishes of the local residents, a decision which in part encouraged the Argentinean junta to believe that Britain would not fight for the Islands before they launched their invasion in 1982. Arguably, Ridley’s greatest political blunder was his enthusiastic endorsement of the Poll Tax, about which he refused to tolerate objections. The tax was not his idea, but, as the Cabinet minister responsible, he wholeheartedly pushed for its immediate introduction. His phrase, ‘Every time I hear people squeal, I am more than certain that we are right’, seemed to sum up the Thatcher government’s uncaring attitude.
29. Hazel Blears
(b.1956) Labour, Salford 1997–
Poor Hazel. She just wanted to be loved. And she was doing so well. After a series of junior ministerial positions, she joined the Cabinet in 2006 and quickly became one of the public faces of the government. If things were going badly, you could be certain that she would be touring the TV studios, and her chirpy voice would be on the Today programme to tell you just how rosy everything was in the garden. When she stood for the Labour deputy leadership in 2007, photos of her astride her motorbike showed her credentials as a woman of the people, while supporters’ T-shirts proclaimed, ‘We’re Nuts About Hazel’. So popular had this bearer of good news become that, in the contest, she stormed to last place.
But nothing deterred the irrepressible Ms Blears. Nothing, that is, until the expenses scandal of 2009. No one would deny her commitment to her beloved Salford and its voters, but her attitude to other matters left her vulnerable to criticism. For tax purposes, she declared her London property her primary residence, which meant that she avoided capital gains tax on a hefty profit. But she had told the Commons’ authorities that it was her second home – on which, of course, she could claim expenses. It turned out that she had stayed in expensive hotels for a while after she had sold her London home, and had then purchased a pricey bed and a new television. But who would begrudge her these little privileges?
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
