A New Politics?

On the grammar school farce, one could ask why Willetts didn't come out with something less open to confusion in the first place. Was this another over-intellectual gaffe in the fashion of the supposedly incomprehensible Oliver Letwin earlier this month?

Alternatively, is it possible that David Cameron and the Conservative Party are attempting to overcome political apathy and disengagement by introducing more intelligent debate into the political arena? If so, we should perhaps be somewhat more forgiving and hope that they persevere in their efforts to find a way of raising the level of debate. For, as I have said before: "What we need in the post-Blair era is a new approach to political leadership in which politicians are brave enough to argue their case and engage in intelligent debate — and so influence, instead of simply following, public opinion." However, let us also hope they find the way without leaving themselves open to misrepresentation too many more times!