Wet with a capital 'W' – the unacceptably grey face of the parliamentary Tory party
Sunday, February 9, 2014 at 13:15 
I'm proud to admit I'm a big fan of Jacob Rees Mogg.
It began when I saw him on Have I Got News For You last year. There have been some real car crash moments on that programme involving MPs of all parties, but Rees Mogg survived with his dignity intact and possibly enhanced.
He was sharp, humorous and – most important – self-deprecating.
At the Conservative party conference in Manchester he was on the panel at a meeting organised by the Adam Smith Institute.
The other panellists were Mark Wallace (Conservative Home), James Delingpole and Alex Massie, but for me it was Rees Mogg who shone.
He came across as thoughtful, conservative (yet socially liberal) – and serious. Listening to him I thought, "If only Boris could be like that."
Anyway, Rees Mogg has written a really rather wonderful article for the Mail on Sunday. I urge you to read it:
What a contrast with the sad apology for a Conservative MP I met in Bristol on Friday.
Like me, Chris Skidmore (above, right) was a guest on Sunday Politics West.
On a personal level he was very pleasant. Before recording started he introduced himself and we had a brief chat, mostly about the weather.
We didn't talk about banning smoking in cars with children but when the producer came to take us to the studio I asked, "How are you voting on Monday?"
"For," he replied.
Fair enough. If he feels strongly and has some good arguments for a ban that are clearly his own I can accept that.
However, when asked by presenter David Garmston how he would vote, and why, a blank look came over his face. It was as if he was on autopilot.
He uttered a few platitudes but nothing to suggest he had a genuine view of his own. Going through the motions is the best way to describe it. A zombie would have shown more passion.
Crucially there was little to distinguish Skidmore's opinion from that of Jo McCarron, the Labour candidate for Kingswood, who was also on the programme.
The only real difference between them was McCarron's bright red dress. (Skidmore was wearing a suit with a white shirt and no tie. Significantly the suit was grey.)
Kingswood is a marginal seat. Unless Tory MPs like Skidmore put some clear blue ideological water between them and their opponents, how can the Conservative party hope to win an overall majority next year?
Nice chap he may be, but Chris Skidmore is wet with a capital 'W'.
Contrast his supine, anonymous performance with that of Jacob Rees Mogg and you have the reason why so many Tory voters are in despair.
PS. I probably shouldn't reveal this, because it can happen to anyone, but during recording McCarron made a rookie mistake.
She lost her train of thought, a wild look came into her eyes, and she stopped mid-sentence, saying, "I've lost my thread."
I've done it many times myself in recorded interviews and the reporter will always let you do it again.
However, the regional section of Sunday Politics West is recorded 'as live' 48 hours in advance which means they don't normally edit or re-record if someone makes a mistake.
Unless you're the presenter, of course.
McCarron was quite distressed, and I felt for her. When I left, after the recording had finished, I got the impression a 'conversation' was taking place.
Well, I watched the programme today and I'm pleased to say they edited the offending section out.
I hope they do the same if, touch wood, a similar calamity happens to me!
Reader Comments (2)
It does seem we are on the back foot on the smoking in cars ban.
One MP who I know quite well and a libertarian was on Facebook trying to get some feedback from his constituents. It seems that it is an issue which MPs find hard to not to be "authoritarian" about.
I spent 50 years working to get a Tory Government
I will spend the next 12 months making sure we dont get another
NO I will not be voting for the Lib/Lab clowns,in fact I like any sensible Briton with a love of freedom and liberty will tear my useless ballot paper in two. The present system is little more than a one party state,not worthy of the name democracy.