Today saw the latest Cameron Direct event, and the Prime Minister defended his
government’s position of bankers’ bonuses and Europe, and he devoted a section to profess the fortitude of the coalition itself. But Cameron realises that he needs to offer positive
news, both to a country acclimatising to austerity and to a party that has broken out in a rash of
ill-temper.
Fuel duty was his chosen tonic. There were no commitments, but Cameron promised to review the level of duty or road tax as part of the March budget. This lends a little weight to the rumours that fuel duty and/or road taxes might be cut or a fuel duty stabiliser introduced to cheer anxious motorists and avert the threat of strikes. Now that the expectation has formed and been fed, Cameron is likely to deliver.
It will not be enough to convince the country, but the party is another matter. Party management has never been a Cameroon forte, and some backbenchers have expressed mild disgust at the overbearing whipping operation that marred the recent EU Bill vote. The Old and Sad by-election has done nothing to quell the burgeoning dissent, even without Baroness Warsi’s injudicious hectoring this morning. So Cameron needs to attend to his stables. The word is that the party will unite behind a fuel duty adjustment or some such measure – tax cuts and frustrating union militancy have that effect on the various factions of the Conservative party.
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