Talking the talk while walking the walk

Nick Kaplan

This article is truly Cameron at his best, he’s saying the same right-wing things the Tories have rightly been saying for the last 25 years, but saying them in such a way that people might actually vote for them... it’s genius!

Anan

Who cares what the "traditional" Tory voters think? Their votes didn't bring electoral victories for 10 years. Since there's less of them by the day, better to just do as Cameron is doing, and tell them: the Conservatives must hold true to their principles but express them in 21st Centuryspeak rather than 19th, so either vote for us or stop complaining. It's the only way to win votes, and if you don't realise this you are confused.

To the moaning former-Tory now-UKIP folks - you don't matter anymore, and "your" type of Conservative leader will always be unelectable to the general population. Get with the times. Its absolutely ridiculous to claim to be a Conservative while doing everything possible to undermine the party. Get some sense or just vote Labour, since that is what you are doing anyway through your insurrections.

Verity

First - David Cameron and every other British politician who thinks it's breezy and American to refer to children as "kids" - American politicians do not do this. They pay their electorates the respect of addressing them formally. This use of "kids" is over-familiar. Second, I don't think Cameron is comfortable as leader of the Tories. And even if he gets enough votes to get in, it will make no difference because he's a notional Tory in the way that Chris Patten and Edward Heath are/were notional Tories. His heart is on the Left, with them. He will not bring in radical changes. This is the man who commanded a standing ovation for the most wicked prime minister in British history. If the people want socialist policies, they can vote for socialists. No, Anan, you are not qualified to judge whether other people are "confused" because they don't agree with you. They may see things with much greater clarity than you do and they may have a larger frame of reference.

Buckinghamshire Tory

"Who cares what the "traditional" Tory voters think? Their votes didn't bring electoral victories for 10 years." Maybe not, but the traditional Tories were the people that stayed with the Party during the bad times, unlike Tories like you.

Nick Kaplan

Verity; with all respect the whole Cameron is left thing is an illusion in order to persuade a bias liberal media and a fairly fickle public that the Tories are no longer the “Nasty Party.” Labour have got one thing right in the last couple of years, the Conservatives under Cameron really are “The same old Tories.” The point is Cameron has been forced to use spin because, after 11 years of New Labour this is the only tactic that can win the public over. He is saying what the Tories have been saying since Thatcher, but in a way that doesn’t put the public off; for “social responsibility” read “personal responsibility”, for “Sharing the proceeds of growth” read “tax cuts”, for “we would scrap ID cards” read “we would build more prisons”, for “we want to reduce poverty” read “we will get people off benefits and back into work”, for “we want build any more grammar schools” read “instead we will reduce the far more right wing idea of a voucher system” and for “we demand a vote on the Lisbon treaty,” read “we will go no further we EU integration.” Cameron is certainly not a creature of the left, the difference between him and the last few Tory leaders is that Cameron has hidden his agenda so that he can win votes, thus he may actually have a chance of implementing some of these great ideas, whilst previous leaders had to consign them all to the dustbin of electoral defeat at the hands of Labour. I implore you, please vote Tory at the next election, the right of the party are alive and kicking!

Verity

Thank you for your thoughtful response, Nick Kaplan, and I know it was heartfelt. But we have heard "He has no choice. He has to sound lefty so as not to frighten the horses" before and I'm sorry, but I find myself unable to take that one on trust. I find Cameron a deeply disagreeable individual and I don't trust him. The way he peddled around his disabled child during the leadership election was disgraceful. Actually, it was stomach-turning. That fatuous trip to an ice floe in Norway was clue number two. Not only was the message that he believes the "manmade global warming" lefty meme anti-Tory, anti-progress and anti-capitalism, but he was naive enough to pose with two handsome,intelligent-looking Huskies who stole the show. ("I 'ad that David Cameron on the back of my sled once.")

TGF UKIP

Verity, what a sound, sound man you are. I take my hat off to you and as I recall you either live, or have lived, in the great state of Texas, so it really would have to be a ten gallon hat at that!