Gordon Brown is not the only party leader with a tendency to blow his top.
The Financial Times continues its four-part series on David Cameron today, and George Parker quotes several (unnamed) sources who tell him the Conservative leader has a quick temper.
One Tory staffer says:
I've seen him go nuclear. It was the ferocity of the language that surprised people.
Another staff member says:
He has high standards and expects the best. He won't accept substandard work.
A "long-serving aide" says:
In his first six months as leader, he used to lose his temper a lot more than he does now.
And someone else who has worked closely with Cameron says:
He does have a quick temper, but it doesn't last long – he will always apologise 10 minutes later.
The article is worth reading in full. Parker has spoken to plenty of Tories – most of whom aren't named – and a few of them are quite scathing about Cameron.
Their comments include: "only interested in policy to the extent it helps to get him elected", "you never get the idea he might have any ideas of his own", "not a nerdy policy wonk", "more rightwing than people think" and "the coldest individual I have met ... ruthlessly ambitious".
Generally, these verdicts sound quite harsh. But I can remember almost exactly the same comments being made about Tony Blair – and he did quite well when it came to winning elections.
