Max Hastings - still awful after all these years.

Max Hastings - you all know Max Hastings - today writes in the Spectator that David Cameron "could tell more of the truth" to regain public trust in his article An age of broken promises. But there is an awful lot to argue with. His "intelligent middle-aged, middle-class woman" certainly sounds middle class but "intelligent" is really pushing it. His conviction that the world is becoming a more comfortable place certainly doesn't chime with the latest figures from even the "leaders of the free world" America where in 6 years the low earners have seen their average net worth drop by 50%-ish, middle earners by 20%-ish and the top earners average has gone UP by 45%-ish - so, more comfortable for himself , Parris and Ridley, perhaps. "Today’s political class is collectively more intelligent and better educated than those who went before". Really? Our chancellor is mathematically illiterate, our PM is a foul-mouthed ranting bully, most of the other ministers are by turns corrupt, hypocritical and willfully ignorant (you really need examples?) and a large proportion of the opposition (all parties) are little or no better and arrogant enough to assume that it either doesn't matter or nobody has noticed. Or both :) "Yet those people somehow commanded more respect than do their 21st-century successors." ... hmm! Martin Rowson vs Hogarth? There's always been a low opinin of politicians. In my opinion, natch. "Twitter, Facebook and other social media have raised new obstacles in the path of rationality and understanding". Equally though, they have subverted the ability of establishment pundits to frame and limit debate and provide the conclusions. Corbyn has vetoed the mainstream media becuase he knows that whatever he says will be twisted around and weaponised against him; but using new media the result is that his riposte in the HOC to the Queen's speech was viewed - unedited and untrammeled by "opinion" - over 2,000,000 times in the first day. Yes there's a lot of static on Twitter etc but the fact that it is uncontrolled - not least by the 5 billionaires running the rest of the media machine - is its strength. I'm kind of struggling to discern his real point though - politicians have always been lying scum so it's OK if they continue to be? I don't think David Cameron telling the truth over the next few years is going to help the Conservatives much. "We defrauded the public in over 100 constituencies at the last election"? "1500 disabled people have killed themselves since we started harassing them and casting them into destitution"? "12,000 disabled people have been thrown out of work and now have to exist on benefits because we deliberately took away their motability vehicles"? "Homelessness is at its highest level ever because we have an uncontrolled rental market, have destroyed social housing, we think £450,000 is 'affordable' and BTW 45% of MPs are landlords"? "We said tax havens were immoral but we have billions stashed away there and our MEPs block all attempts to to open them to scrutiny because it's only immoral for other people"? "More people are in work than ever before but somehow in-work poverty is at its highest level ever too, likewise the number of children in families in in-work poverty"? "Children living in poverty is up by 30% to 4,000,000 since 2010"? "Destitution and malnutrition and paupers' burials have risen by an unprecedented amount in the last 5 years"? Most damning of all - "austerity" is justified by us "paying down the debt and reducing the deficit" but the debt has now risen to £1.7 trillion and the deficit more than doubled to £100 billion, while (surprise) the richest 1,000 people's net worth has gone UP since 2010 from around £270,000,000,000 to £ 540,000,000,000. The biggest lie of the lot. And so on - and on, and on. No, Max, I really don't think Cameron should start telling the truth if he knows what's good for him. Hilariously, the only election promise that Cameron has ever kept - the EU referendum - is the one that will destroy him. There's irony. And the clear lesson? NEVER tell the truth!