Potlach dissects the politics of New Labour hand movements:
The thumb-press is a straight-forward mode of manual expression, in which the user makes a traditional fist, but then manoeuvres the thumb from its position clasped over (or under the fingers) and lays it gently on top of the index finger as a hint of diplomacy. So easy is the thumb-press, in fact, that lay-members of the public are welcome to use it in every day convesations – but they will experience the bizarre sensation of having morphed into a New Labour politician. Used at a dinner party, it may result in shoulders being turned and mutterings to the effect that “I prefer not to talk about politics, thankyou very much”. As Wittgenstein would have been keen to note, were one to say the words “look – the bus is coming”, while gesturing with the thumb-press, the listener would assume that one were claiming credit for having invested more money in public transport.