Cameron's Clarity

David Cameron has impressed as Prime Minister, particularly in his commitment to making the Lib-Con coalition work, and perhaps even to use it as a vehicle to marginalise the right-wing and reinvigorate a centre-right. His message to defeated Tory candidates yesterday was a severe one for the plotting right-wingers - that there is no hope at all for a party which veers rightwards. He was clear in his belief that, whatever flaws the tory election campaign may have had, they do not include a need for the party to have been more right-wing.

As Conservative Home and the restless old guard backbenchers continue to shuffle around uneasily and wait for a chance to undermine the coalition, Cameron's own steadfastness in defending it is much to be welcomed. Conservative Home's editor, Tim Montgomerie, was meanwhile having to reassure his readers that he did not in fact believe in a snap election to dump the Liberals. The main problem here is that such a rumour was so eminently believable!

FRIDAY UPDATE: Tim Montgomerie has responded to the Cameron speech here. He describes David Cameron's belief that a move to the right would be electorally diastrous as a 'smoke screen'.