Timpson: A Profile | May 13th 2008
Now then, it’s time to get cracking. After The Times decided to feature the blog before I’d started to update it (after all, there is still a week and a half until the by-election), I thought I’d better give all the internet-surfing Tory toffs who have come onto the site today something to moan about.
Let’s start by looking at a quick profile of the Tory Toff candidate ‘Ed’ Timpson. ‘Ed’ has tried to present his childhood as the epitome of normality, facing the sort of problems of low incomes as many of us living in Crewe experienced under various Tory governments.
Apparently, according to ‘Ed’, there were times “when money was tight”. So tight in fact that his parents were only able to send him to a £23,000 per year school, rather than Eton with the rest of the Tory front-bench.
Whilst pupils at Kings Grove School in 2006 scored an 11% pass rate at 5A*s - Cs, Ed’s old school scored a whopping 100%. In fact, here’s some pictures of Ed’s old school that shows just how hard up his family was, and how similar his life has been to those of people in Crewe!
In fact, as it turns out, ‘Ed’ is the heir to the Timpson shoe-repair throne of 550 shops, and is widely valued at hundreds of millions of pounds. Now, that’s just like most normal families in Crewe. Whilst we make Bentleys, it turns out he buys them!
His rich family also allowed ‘Ed’ to go to university at Durham; a place known for taking those plummy-voiced public-school toffs who weren’t good enough to get into Oxford or Cambridge. I’m currently speaking to someone who went to Durham with ‘Ed’, and apparently there’s some interesting stuff to follow showing his sheer wealth and elitism.
Now, however, ‘Ed’ is a normal bloke living in a million pound mansion as shown here; out in the rural village of Kelsall, well away from the plebs in Crewe.
What does this all tell us? It demonstrates that ‘Ed’ has no understanding whatsoever of living in Crewe, of what real life is like, what struggles people have on a day-to-day basis, of what its like to not be a millionaire! This Tory toff cannot represent the ordinary working people of Crewe and Nantwich; it would be a travesty. Keep the Tories out.
I don’t really get the argument that an individual’s upbringing must have a bearing on their ability to do the job. Bill Clinton and JFK, for example, had very priveledged backgrounds but are generally considered to be better than most of their lot at empathising with the less well off. Mrs Thatcher, though, came from humble, working class origins, as did John Major: neither of whom are known for helping the poor. I’d be more interested to see this blog concentrate on policies or, if it is to concentrate on personalities, to demonstrate why my examples do not stand up to my argument.
Comment by Al — May 13, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
As a devout Tory I have nevertheless enjoyed reading the two posts on this blog to date.
They have a sincerity and straightforward passion that is all to lacking, and never more conspicuously absent than among “conviction politicians”.
Despite the setback it was cause for the party that I believe should, and will, win the next election I almost hope for a Labour victory in Crewe & Nantwich.
The author has an authentic and compelling voice and I hope this election will lead to more people reading this blog.
I cannot hope for a Labour win; it would be a disaster for the people of Crewe & Nantwich, and a setback for the majority of the people in Britain. Nevertheless I wish the author well.
Comment by Tom Foster — May 13, 2008 @ 8:47 pm