The Guardian view on David Cameron's memoirs | Editorial

When great power comes with great irresponsibility

The publication of extracts from David Cameron's memoirs casts a chill light on the flaws of the British political system. The interest lies not in the detail of who stabbed whose back or which lies Boris Johnson told and when. By releasing only extracts, Mr Cameron is able to control the narrative for a few days. The full verdict must wait until the whole book is out. But a broad outline already seems clear.

Mr Cameron is upper-class - a distant relation of the Queen. Yet he won two elections in a country which was supposed to be a "classless society". His father was a stockbroker who sent his clever son to Eton. From there, he went to Oxford where Mr Cameron was a member of a posh dining club. He was also smart, gaining a first-class degree. His poshness never held him back in politics, neither did the Notting Hill set he cultivated. Mr Cameron's right-hand man was George Osborne, the son of a baronet. At a time of austerity and economic gloom, it might have been considered dangerous to look out of touch. His political skill was to translate his personal brand into a guarantee that his was a new, moderate Tory party.

This editorial was amended on 15 September 2019. The original version of this editorial posted online fell far short of our standards. It has now been amended, and we apologise completely.