Despite my best endeavours, it is becoming almost impossible to make wry comments about the nastiness of the election campaign. The politicians are almost beyond parody, promising free daffodils to anyone who will vote for them; promises which will be conveniently lost when they see the reality of what they have inherited; the lack of money for daffodils - due of course to the incompetent daffodil growers; or being an aspiration without a specific time commitment which can then be kicked into the very long grass.
Labour announces an initiative one day. The Tories - and last week it was Grant Shapps - promptly said it was 'rubbish' and that Labour was doing no more than re-announcing something they had already 'announced'; and anyway they (the Tories) had already done it and more. So, yah boo! the playground bullies used to end.
Who to believe? Much better to read the Daily Mash and have done. There is more truth there than in anything supposedly grown up politicians are saying.
A circular came through the letterbox from Labour today. Labour's Tim Dwelly, who chairs Cornwall Council's Economy Committee, commented:
It is now clear that the Government simply doesn't trust Cornwall to spend its own money. I would describe the Government's approach to the EU programme as a total shambles. It is hard to believe they could be this incompetent - our MPs appear to be either devoid of any influence or completely silent.
Overstatement? Probably not since the arguments on who should take decisions on EU money have been going backward and forward for months. Hey ho for Localism.
He goes on: While £500m of funding for Cornwall is held back, Cameron and Clegg, though adults, could not sort out between them who was going to announce, or re-announce - crumbs from the Whitehall table to provide cycle paths in Redruth.
Having been involved in just such bickering about who should announce what in the past, it all sounds horribly familiar.
But hang on: cycle paths in Redruth? Are they going to make a step-change to the economic performance of Cornwall? Maybe I agree with Whitehall after all and Cameron and Clegg were simply arguing who should not announce the money.
