Cameron sets out his stall

Much clamour today about the publication of David Cameron's fundamental statement of principles, see www.conservatives.com for full details.

Newsnight was getting excited last night about 'Clause 4 moments', 'ditching Thatcherism' etc. and hoping for an instant thunderbolt from the Iron Lady herself, or at least from the High Priest of the Thatcher cult, Lord Norman Tebbit. As DC himself has said, 'we don't have a Clause 4'. The Tory party is also very adaptable. Maybe it is time to redress the balance a little as we have always done from the time of Robert Peel onwards.

Only time will tell whether this latest offering will come to rank alongside the 'Tamworth Manifesto'. Personally I see it as being more in the genre of 'Putting Britain Right Ahead' produced in not dissimilar circumstances by Edward Heath and friends in 1965 (when I was chairman of Lancaster Young Conservatives.) I hope that DC has studied the subsequent history of Edward Heath - and learnt from it.