Published: July 24th 2010 - at 9:00 am

David Davis calls it the ‘Brokeback coalition’


by Newswire    

The scale of Conservative rightwing frustration at David Cameron’s coalition government has been graphically illustrated in unguarded comments by the man he beat for the party leadership.

David Davis, once Mr Cameron’s shadow home secretary, approvingly repeated a barb that he attributed to another senior Tory who described the David Cameron-Nick Clegg partnership as the “Brokeback coalition”.

He also lampooned the flagship Big Society policy as “Blairite dressing” and suggested that the Tory leadership was more concerned with appeasing the Liberal Democrats than its own party.

Mr Davis made his remarks to businessmen, including former colleagues from Tate & Lyle, during a private lunch at the Boot and Flogger wine bar in Southwark, London, on Thursday within earshot of everyone at the establishment.

He was speaking in a personal capacity, but his remarks reflect deep unhappiness among Tory rightwingers who fear that Mr Cameron is ignoring his own party to keep the coalition together.

…more at the Financial Times


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Reader comments


Great evidence that the Tory right-wing are feeling as alienated as the left-wing Lib-Dems. Which shows that the Lib-Dems are acting as a moderating influence on the coalition.

Right wing Tories unhappy? Can only be good news.

>>But he went on to note that there were not many jobs “unless you’re female”.
>>Dwelling on the Liberal Democrats’ lack of ethnic minority MPs, he joked that David Laws, the gay former chief treasury secretary who resigned in May over his expenses claims, was “one sort of minority” brought into the team, but he had left government “within a few weeks”.

He sounds like a charming man…

4. Margin4eror

He’s a rather bitter man these days isn’t he. None of this criticism really says much about the government – just shows him sounding off because he’s not part of it and hates it.

II get the impression a lot of older guys like him in the party resent the young leadership and resent not being deemed up to a cabinet post – though they see it as being passed over to please the libdems – rather than just not being valued.

Dumb & Dumber would be more appropriate

6. Paul Wilson

If it weren’t for all the rightwing nonsense of savage cuts implemeted so that the top bankers can go on awarding themselves millions instead of paying us back, the unhappy rightwingers would be a reassuring sign.

Not only is the comment homophobic, it doesn’t even make sense. If I recall the two gay cowboys actually really liked one another and it was society that kept them apart.

It’s more a “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” coalition. In that it’s not very funny.

What is David Davis going on about, he’s got his right wing government if only he’d look at the policies being reeled out?

I think this must just be sour grapes at the politics being played within the coalition….. they’re not a liberal government, are they?


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    David Davis calls it the 'Brokeback coalition' http://bit.ly/cbE946

  2. TheBiPolarBearMD

    RT @libcon: David Davis calls it the 'Brokeback coalition' http://bit.ly/cbE946

  3. Sam Carson

    RT @libcon: David Davis calls it the 'Brokeback coalition' http://bit.ly/cbE946





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