-end of line- the monster or the man.

Iain Duncan Smith.
I really want to ask this: is there a man behind the monster? Richard Nixon, America's most complex leader, was a man loathed by many and adored by few. His re election, against George McGovern, in 1972 was only a landslide because there was no one for him, to compete with. I mean McGovern was not presidential material. However, It was also won because he was a man devoted to destroying communism, yet, still did something remarkable and led to the creation of the proverb: "Only Nixon could go to China"
Where Am I going? Is Iain Smith a Richard Nixon? He is molded from the same stock as Nixon. Like Nixon his parents were poor, he had to fight for everything. His marriage into money saved him, and led to him making the choice of becoming a career politician. Yet his run for the highest office in the Uk had the stench of Moseley about it; despite that, in thinking about Smith and Nixon a story has come to mind.
When Nixon committed American forces to bomb Laos, he was having a meeting with his chief's of staff. He cut into a steak, and it bled all over his plate. He excused himself and paced about, when an aide asked him about his decision to bomb Laos, he replied thus.
"Sure I hate it. But Richard Nixon must be seen to be strong." Does this justify the actions of a tyrant? no, but it goes some small way to see that politician's, both the worst and the best of them, place upon the general public a personae that they want us to see. Thus protecting themselves from the honesty of a real debate.
For months, Ian Duncan Smith has given us a personae: he has, like Nixon, wanted to be seen as the man fighting for the honest hard working British individual, who pay their taxes and keep the nation going. In doing this, he has created a substrata of individuals and increased a sense of indolence for the nation. Through which hatred is seen to be growing.
Moreover his figures are wrong, and he knows it.
Today, at the BBC, I saw something start to appear, he seemed dull, distant, awkward and resentful in being on the news, especially on the BBC, which cannot be said to be a paragon of left wing sympathy at the moment. This led me to wonder is his personae starting to slip, is the monster he longs to show the world a mask that he uses? is there a real man, who cares under all that political hype.
Many people hate him. I find his actions and choice of ideas morally questionable. But there is still a man of religious conviction underneath... perhaps the monster will be broken. Perhaps, he'll resign... only time will tell. But let us not forget, that his policies are the policies carried out by a government, not just by one man. That despite my loathing of this man's ideas, he is still a man, and liable to the fallibility of human weakness.
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