David Wright is a Minister of the Crown. He has not only insulted Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, but feigned cloak-and-dagger infiltration of his tweets and conspiracy. This post gives absolutely no pleasure at all – none whatsoever. Whatever the political allegiance of a Minister of the Crown, subterfuge deserves to be exposed and the consequences endured.
Mr Wright, a Labour whip, was responding to the latest Conservative advertising campaign targeting people who have never voted Tory before. The MP for Telford tweeted: ‘Because you can put lipstick on a scum-sucking pig, but it's still a scum-sucking pig. And cos they would ruin Britain.’
But after an hour, Mr Wright took down the comments, later issuing an apology. He said: ‘Think you'll find the pig is the Tory Party, not Tory voters. But fair does, apology in the ether.’
He told The Daily Telegraph: ‘Somebody has tinkered with my tweet. I never said “scum sucking”. I said “you can put lipstick on a pig and it is still a pig”. I need to find out how this happened.’
He would save an awful lot of time (and preserve what remains of his dignity) if he just admitted that he typed it with his own fingers. It appears that ‘scum’ is Mr Wright’s favourite word, and he has form in the use of it.
The Conservative Party Chairman Eric Pickles said: “This is exactly the sort of politics that voters are so sick of This sort of language falls way short of what you’d expect of a Minister of the Crown.”
Except, of course, it’s not.
It is precisely the sort of puerile insult-hurling one has come to expect of politicians.
But it is not the ‘scum-sucking pig’ comment which causes Cranmer great offence; it is the assertion that that the Conservatives ‘would ruin Britain’.
Setting aside the question of hyperbole, what does David Wright think Labour have done to the country after 13 years?
Taken us to war on a false premise.
Replaced Cabinet government with a politburo.
Diminished democracy.
Marginalised Parliament.
Taken in three million immigrants.
Saddled us with recession.
Soaring unemployment.
The highest youth unemployment in history.
Eroded our liberties.
Abolished the right to trial by jury.
Raped the Constitution.
Politicised the civil service.
Brought us to the brink of bankruptcy.
Sold off our gold reserves at the bottom of the market.
Raided our pensions.
Subjected us to the Lisbon Treaty.
Failing schools.
Relegation from 7th to 24th in maths and literacy rankings.
Pensioner poverty.
Increased inequality.
Caused fascists to be elected to Brussels.
Increased tax burden.
Given us 5000 new laws.
Created an authoritarian state.
Debased our politics.
And David Wright believes it is the Conservatives who would ruin Britain?
