Sorry for the frivolity, but I can´t stop laughing since I heard about the Tories buying their "ideas" in bulk from Polly Toynbee.

The Telegraph has one of those affected Boris articles:

of course she is a hypocrite; but by their deeds shall ye know them! Never mind the rhetoric of her Guardian column. In her actions, Polly emerges as someone who cares about securing the best possible chances for her own children, and in that way she is bowing before the strongest and deepest conservative force of all, a great and immutable fact of human nature, a truth of biology and motherhood compared with which a thousand hypocritical Guardian columns are nothing but chaff.

Then there will be those who complain that it is hypocritical of Polly to have her lovely second home in Italy, to which she doubtless repairs on so many cheapo flights that she has personally quilted the earth in a tea-cosy of CO2; to which I say, yes, it probably is wrong of Polly to keep calling for higher taxes when that would put such opportunities – for air travel to second homes – beyond the reach of millions slightly less fortunate than her. But never mind the hypocrisy: look at the fundamental Tory behaviour. At least she's renting the villa out at pretty keen rates. Good on you, Polly! You can't buck the market, as Mrs Thatcher used to say.

OK, not so funny. But the comments are better

Of course, it's not hypocrisy to spout greener-than-green tree-hugging baloney one day, then fly off in one of those environment polluting planes to Spitbergen to be filmed being environmentally concerned and right-on; nor is it hypocrisy to cycle to work but have your butler (sorry, chauffeur) drive behind with your briefcase and suit; nor, indeed, is it hypocrisy to big it up in the party of the family and then behave in a way that undermines all notions of family values... Accusations of hypocrisy have a nasty habit of coming back to haunt you, Mr Johnson, because as someone once memorably said, he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her...
Posted by Richard Sympson on November 23, 2006 9:19 AM...

I was privy to the conversation that led to this recent policy change

David Cameron: Listen Greg, we need to reach out and reconnect to our base. Go read the conservative leaning blogosphere and find out the name of the commentator they quote the most.

Greg Clark: Then what

DC: If they get quoted so often, that is a positive endorsement and we must adopt the policies without hesitation.

GC: Right David, we'll do it.

Posted by John on November 23, 2006 9:25 AM

Boris - if I wanted a hypocritical control-freak in charge, I'd vote for the master, a certain Mr T Blair. The Cameron tories may be trying to ape him, but they make for a pale immitation.
Posted by Stu on November 23, 2006 10:32 AM

From Boris Johnson's column:

"Polly is the high priestess of our paranoid, mollycoddled, risk-averse, airbagged, booster-seated culture of political correctness and 'elf 'n' safety fascism"

Regardless of ones thoughts on the necessity or wisdom of a legislative programme to enhance personal safety, I resent with some vigour the "'elf 'n' safety" quip. I dislike the movement as much as anyone else, but this Eton, floppy haired, affected, ineffective, chubby, cheating, caricatured poppinjay chooses to use class as a basis for his attack.

Ooh how hilarious, some people can't say their 'h'! Do you know, some of them don't even have nannies, and one or two aren't even Oxbridge. Can you imagine?

Every now and then, Boris' guard slips and he's revealed for what he is. An elitist snob with nothing even approaching self-awareness. Is he just a bumbling fool, one of the guys, as his media appearances would suggest? Or in reality is he nothing more that a conceited little doughball of mediocrity who has built a career out of a pencil sketch of some imagined past? I have a suspicion that I know the answer.

Posted by Allen Simpson on November 23, 2006 11:36 AM

What a merry jape by golly!
Are you one of the extraordinarily high number of Old Etonians on the Tory front bench? Just which 'highly selective school' did Ms Toynbee attend?

Elsewhere the Spine has an amusing article and great graphic.