DAVID Cameron has been branded as ‘Flashman’ by a character from a Nick Hornby novel who does not even have a name.
The man, who is mentioned briefly in Hornby’s A Long Way Down, said the prime minister was like the unforgettable character from Tom Brown’s Schooldays who was so interesting and exciting that he eventually inspired a series of immensely enjoyable adventure stories.
Everyone said the man, who gives a reading in a church in North London on page 159, was very clever to compare the prime minister to a rogueish school bully who always gets his own way and is incredibly attractive to women.
The man said: “Look at Flashman sitting there being all handsome next to his muscular friend.
“He is so full of the easy confidence that comes with an expensive education.
“His abundant charm means he can make people do things for him, while his ruthless cunning makes him disgustingly successful at everything he does.”
The man added: “I’ll bet he thinks he is capable of anything and will not let anyone get in his way.
“It’s hardly the stuff of leadership, is it?”
The man then disappeared, though experts suggested he may resurface in a Monica Ali novel, or could even appear as a sad-looking loner who buys a can of Fanta in something dense and meaningful by Ian McEwan.
A Long Way Down, Hornby’s fourth novel, is a thrilling comedy-adventure about the nature of suicide and features an intriguing cast of angst-ridden, left wing professionals who live in North London.
No-one has ever finished it.
