Is this the real feeling among Tories or a double bluff?

Michael Heseltine:

"If I was a betting man, my money would be on the election resulting in a hung parliament with David Cameron as Prime Minister." 


Michael Heseltine has always been pictured, somewhat unfairly, as a figure of fun. Some remember him swinging the ceremonial mace in the Commons. A colleague said of him, "The trouble with Michael is that he had to buy his own furniture" -  a quote wrongly attributed to Alan Clark. Clark only repeated the comment in his diaries and judged it to be "snobby, but cutting".

So OK, he is a Europhile, but he was wise enough (and possibly informed enough) to predict that the Irish "No" vote would be overturned.

"I would guess that some way will be found to enable the treaty to be ratified" 

said Heseltine with the face of a professional poker player who had a Straight Flush in his hand, a full year before the Irish were pursuaded to vote the "right" way.

So this man knows a thing or two. If I was being Machiavellian, what better way to frighten the grass roots in to action than to predict a hung parliament - a sort of double bluff. However, Heseltine is, and always was his own man, and perhaps, there may be a few more nervously twitching apparatchiks at Tory Central tonight.

8 comments:

JPT said...

Real feeling AND a double bluff. If that's possible.

March election ? said...

Heard rumours of a snap election in March but that Brown is dithering as usual. It would avoid him doing the Chilcot inquiry pre election, no April state of the nation figures, no mini budget and no leaders debates.
I always think of Hezzas spitting image picture with the Westland helicopter on his head. I could never understand why he was ridiculed for sticking up for British workers. I think he resigned over the affair.

Wrinkled Weasel said...

JPT, yes, but are you bluffing?

"March election" - welcome. Damn rumours! Give me inside info!!! I want to be like Guido!

I never understood the Westland affair, even after reading Heseltine's biography, but he was not the villain of the piece by a long chalk.

Spartan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Spartan said...

Cameron will at this rate snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The Cons have been falling since November when they pulled the plug on an EU Referendum. I really don't know what to make of their policies but that's because l don't know what they really are.

Maybe l'm getting too old because all l do see is very lightweight politicians of no substance whatsoever ... and that goes across the whole spectrum of all the parties

Jim Baxter said...

Syraight flush indeed. Pah. Good poker players play Texas and if there's any possibility of a straight flush there's seldom much money in the pot because the other players read the spit cards and bail fast.

No, a good poker layer sneaks in with 7-8 suited or other double-drawing hand, gets two supporting cards from the flop, and so is odds on to make a straight OR a flush by the river.

Sorry, you were talking about Heseltine. No comment.

Jim Baxter said...

Straight flush - seethe - That's what's so annoying about the Cincinnati Kid - it comes down to The Man hitting a straight flush at stud - at STUD!

Big pots are won or lost when fives over fours get beat by eights over threes. And if you're at sixes and sevens now it serves you right.

Wrinkled Weasel said...

Jim, I would never play poker with you. Or anybody. My inability not to shout "Whoopee" when I had a good hand would, I think, place me at a disadvantage.