So a rather explosive reveal has occurred, with Lord Ashcroft – apparently none-too-pleased about not getting a greater position in government – serialising his new biography of David Cameron in the Daily Mail (which the newspaper helpfully reported under the title ‘REVENGE’ in case we were unsure of motives). Of course the allegation that life sometimes veers way too close to a Black Mirror episode has taken over the UK internet.
As it goes I’m cautious about affecting a gun-ho attitude to this because we don’t actually have confirmation of the pig incident. Obviously this type of story is perfect since it captures the imagination (my first reaction upon waking up and seeing it was ‘OH MY GOD, TWITTER WILL BE AMAZING FOR DAYS’), people run with it, denials just draw more attention, and the ‘not dignifying with an answer’ statement makes it seem to many like you’re being evasive. Basically there is no real way of proving you didn’t do something like this even if you actually didn’t.
I say this as someone who is against Cameron and his ideologies; this doesn’t actually change the way I view him. Partially it’s just general low expectations. Cameron was and is part of elitist societies which poorly treat those they view as below them. All allegations seem par for the course.
Still it is quite significant that loads of people can read it and not simply say straight out of hand that it is completely ridiculous. It’s the exact type of story that people instinctively think is true about a certain type of person. It’s the exact type of story which – focused on many other MPs – wouldn’t gain the same kind of traction without concrete proof because it would read like a fantasy.
In essence Cameron, whether or not Lord Ashcroft’s book is true, is a individual who the public can believe would have sex with a dead pig as a drunken jape in university. And, with how the public feels about that sort of thing, that really is a pretty big indictment regardless of anything else.
Rushaa Louise Hamid 