|
@@@
Landale, whose gentle manner belies an acute political brain, knows that Cameron has f
orm for putting his foot it in when he relaxed. Remember his unguarded comments in Ame
rica about the Queen urring?down the telephone to him over the nationalists failing
to win the Scottish referendum?
Perhaps the BBC man sensed that the kitchen would be the most fertile place to ask
tricky questions, while the PM was surrounded by his family. Yet the question over whe
ther Cameron intended to serve a third term was hardly a bombshell: Cameron could have
easily dismissed it.
The fact that he answered it calmly and directly triggered suspicion in some quarte
rs that it was agreed in advance.聽
But Landale says he was taken aback by the response, so much so that he hoped the surp
rise didn show on his face. The meltdown that followed in Downing Street as the gra
vity of the political story became evident supports Landale version of events.
In his BBC blog, Landale denies it was a set-up. 業t was not something that a helpful
Downing Street official had suggested I might ask ?with a heavy hint I might get an in
teresting answer. It was just one of many speculative questions that political jour
nalists like me ask in the hope that occasionally they might get an answer. And this t
ime I did.
Earlier this week, Cameron announced he would not bid for a third term if he is su
ccessful in May's General Election. He has since insisted he is taking 'nothing for gr
anted' and his focus is on beating 'Ed Miliband'
|
