The problem with veneer is that it is only a thin top coating designed to cover what it is not underneath. Chip away at it, and it exposes the hidden side, one that is certainly less glamorous. David Cameron's Tory Party should be renamed the Veneer Party. Because that is all it is, show. Patrick Mercer has not been sacked for his views, because these are shared by the Tory Party. He has been sacked because he has exposed the underbelly to the electorate. Iain Dale is refraining from commenting until he gets his instructions from Head Office. However, his friends include the Tory and BNP supporter Paul Staines aka Guido Fawkes, and the Tory "The Hitch" who regularly posts racist comments on his and other peoples blogs, particularly Guido's.
It's the old saying which springs to mind, you can fool all of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time.