The Monday outing of the not-serious-about-power element of the Tory party

If it goes on like this can we expect Our Dave to throw in the towel and say, “Why should I bother?”

The Indy has details of a poll on the mood of Tory backbenchers towards the NHS:

Asked whether the NHS should receive guaranteed spending increases in real terms during the course of the next Parliament, 29 per cent of Tory MPs agreed and 62 per cent disagreed. Only 33 per cent believed the current NHS model, funded from general taxation and free at the point of delivery, was sustainable for the next 60 years, while 62 per cent did not.

Firstly, the poll produces just the headline that Cameron will not want to see.  Secondly, the poll is, in a way, meaningless, as some of the Tory MPs canvassed will not be standing at the election, so what is the point of stirring the pot?

And here is Tim Montgomerie, editor of ConservativeHome, in the same paper:

David Cameron is a conviction politician – comfortable with all of conservatism's key traditions but he is leaving it late in the day to spell out the tough decisions that he intends to make. His support across the nation is currently wide but not necessarily deep.

Granted, that Montgomerie makes some valid and obvious points in his article.  But it is hardly sensible politics for a leading Tory supporter to highlight where Cameron is weak.

Cameron will lay out his plans when he is good and ready and if he doesn't need to so to win the election, he won’t.  As discussed, in reply to John Rentoul yesterday, elections are all about ‘selling’, not freighting the voters.  Everyone excepts that there will have to be cuts, but how you tell the voters of the pain to come is the key.

As one Tory MP says:

The hope is that we would be more radical on health in office than we say now, that he [Mr Cameron] is anxious not to frighten the horses.

Spot on, old boy.

No wonder Cameron hasn't ‘sealed the deal’ with the voters.  The Tory party is the problem.

Mandy’s eyes must light up when he is briefed about this stuff.  Just imagine if a so-called leading supporter of the Labour party had said similar at the same point of the electoral cycle leading up to the 1997 election.  His Lordship and Alastair Campbell would have him despatched to the Tower of London without delay.

The Tories have got to get their act together.  Notwithstanding his other difficulties, Brown is going to launch the mother of all attacks on the Tories in September.  Just watch this space.