Even those sympathetic to the ideas in the Tory manifesto see they are not pub-ready

James Forsyth reviews the week in politics

‘But has it cut through?’ This is the concern that nags at the Tories after every announcement. They know that they are winning the day-to-day battle in the media but they worry about whether this is making any difference in the country. They fret that the campaign, so far, is a piece of political drama for the political class and that the electorate are tuning it out.