The Tory party is dependent on one man

Alone in Brighton

Andy Coulson did his job and Cameron’s speech is all over the front pages this morning.  But beneath the headlines there is a mixed bag of reviews.

The Times rips apart Cameron's little chat:

If anyone, anywhere, ever again uses the phrase “make this country great again” I will probably write something rude about them in the newspaper. Yes, the country is called Great Britain. It’s a geographical term, not an epithet. You might as well say that a week is a long time in politics. Along with the shouty delivery this spoilt the ending.

Michael White was on an economy drive and only used 601 words to sum up Dave’s utterings:

It was a lacklustre, tick-box speech and Dave had just ticked off non-judgmental compassion. A few minutes later he promised to "recognise marriage in the tax system" ("Hi, marriage"). Behind him, William Hague looked glummer than ever. Years of sitting in cabinet lie ahead of him. Probably.

The last word goes to Simon Carr:

That was a persuasive speech by any measure. From the first standing ovation I was persuaded that Gordon Brown could still be there after the election. Normally, Cameron is good at these things, but at no point yesterday did he produce the tingle that tells you you're a Tory.

Who were all those people sitting behind Cameron? 

Well two of them are lobbyists, a breed condemned by Cameron just a few weeks ago, who are yearning to become MPs at the election.

There they all sat in the hope that Our Dave can work his magic on the electorate.  At the end of the day this is very much a party of one man who does, in very sense of the word, stand out from the crowd. 

It just wasn't the same in 1997 when Labour was stacked with talent.  Then, even Gordon Brown would have won by a landside.

We are on the verge of an election, which will be dominated by the personality and character of the party leaders.

The electorate may not want five more years of Gordon Brown, but there is also considerable doubt whether they want David Cameron.