Analysis: Cameron won't mind controversy over language announcement

THERE’S been no shortage of people rushing to criticise the Prime Minister’s announcement of cash to support language skills.

Arousing particular criticism has been his connection of poor English and social isolation among some Muslim women and the development of extremist views.

The move is the latest development in the social agenda set out by David Cameron in his Conservative Party conference speech last year where he vowed to enter “no-go zones, where politicians often don’t dare to venture”.

Warning of the danger of “passive tolerance” he said: “For too long, we’ve been so frightened of causing offence that we haven’t looked hard enough at what is going on in our communities.”

Mr Cameron has framed the debate in such a way that criticism of his initiatives, such as the one outlined today, can be portrayed as the very “passive tolerance” he is crusading against.

That careful shaping of the political battleground is very different to the approach being pursued by his chief opponent.

Jeremy Corbyn’s grilling on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday led to criticism that the presenter was lurching from topic to topic to elicit a response which would produce a headline.

But Labour’s leader was the architect of his own problems having apparently agreed to take part in an interview with no particular agenda or message to convey while also lacking the skill to move the conversation away from difficult topics.

The result: Labour started the week explaining why it would legalise sympathy strikes, build Trident submarines without nuclear warheads and seek an “accommodation” with Argentina over the Falklands while the Prime Minister set the political agenda.