The truth about the Auschwitz ‘gimmick’ row is that Labour exploited Jewish sensitivities
David Cameron, said the Times last Saturday, ‘was facing intense political criticism last night after including student “trips to Auschwitz” on a list of government gimmicks.’ The Daily Mail was more shrill: ‘Pressure was piling on David Cameron last night to apologise,’ said the paper. ‘Senior figures from the Jewish community expressed dismay after an attempt by the Conservative leader to attack the Prime Minister spectacularly backfired.’ The Guardian confined itself to saying that Mr Cameron had ‘found himself at odds’ with Jewish leaders after including student trips to Auschwitz ‘in a list of “Gordon Brown’s 26 gimmicks”’. Meanwhile Stephen Pollard, in his Spectator blog on 22 February, was expressing horrified disbelief at Cameron’s remark.
So I found and studied the Tory briefing note which had caused all this trouble. It is hard to conclude that most of Cameron’s critics had read it properly, or that some of them had read it at all.
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