CAMDEN Council leader Nash Ali came up with a snappy soundbite at Monday’s full council meeting when he declared during his annual extended speech that ‘democracy is in my DNA’. 

….but has he been listening to David Cameron a little too much? After all the Prime Minister sometimes seems obsessed with telling us all what’s in his DNA and the DNA of the Conservative Party. As you can see below, it’s all DNA, DNA, DNA with DC. More ideas needed from the speechwriters? Maybe originality isn’t in their… well you get the punchline with that.

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March 7, 2011: Cameron’s message on the economy during a visit to Wales

Enterprise is in our party’s DNA. We have always been on the side of the doers, the grafters, the entrepreneurs. They are the wealth creators and the job creators, the ones who will drive Britain’s prosperity in the years to come, and that’s why this government is doing everything possible to get behind them today.

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November 11, 2010: Cameron tells China all about his government’s DNA.

Britain is the country that argues most passionately for globalisation and free trade. Free trade is in our DNA. And we want trade with China. As much of it as we can get.

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Conservatives loathe waste. Efficiency is in our DNA. We never forget that fundamental fact about public money, which is that it’s public. I don’t think people quite get how radical we propose to be.

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October 8, 2009: DC’s most heartfelt DNA analysis.

This is my DNA: family, community, country. These are the things I care about. They are what made me.

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April 1, 2008: Big stage, big DNA.. Cameron shows off his DNA to the Americans.

Atlanticism is in my DNA and in the DNA of the Conservative Party.We have always believed in the cardinal importance of the relationship between Britain and the United States, a relationship which, in the security context, is anchored in NATO.

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June 12, 2007: Cameron digs deep for that trusty DNA

There is something deep in our Party’s DNA that believes in Israel, the right of Israel to exist, the right of Israel to defend itself and that a deal should only happen if it means that Israel is really allowed to have peace within secure borders and real guarantees about its future”.

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….the DNA soundbite is obviously infectious among the PM’s well known Conservative colleagues. From past speeches, Iain Duncan Smith claims ‘this Conservative-led government has concern for the poor running through its DNA.’ Andrew Mitchell, meanwhile, thinks ‘economic development and human development go hand in hand – that knowledge is hardwired into our Conservative DNA.” And John Redwood adds for good measure: “‘Deep in Conservative DNA is the belief that society and the economy work better if you allow people to be successful and to pay their own bills.”

Nash is in good company.