Cameron and his party

An interesting observation from a Tory friend who has attended some party events recently. Two of them were held by candidates who have been selected to fight seats at the next election. Surprisingly, at both events, there was the singular omission of David Cameron's name in any of the speeches. The third event featured the Tory leader himself. Here, during a bland speech, he was regularly heckled by his invited Tory audience.

Now this is but a small sample, but if it is in any way typical it signifies an extraordinary gulf between Cameron and his party. His blandness might also suggest that he himself is uninterested in the party membership. Certainly, the admittedly self-selecting contributors to the Conservative Home site seem to endorse this image of a leader who has no emotional connection with his grassroots. What impact that has remains to be seen, but it is a useful observation.