Cameron attacked
The piece in today's papers that attracted most discussion in the office this morning was Johann Hari's piece in the Independent, Now we know where Cameron really stands.
In it, he says that the Cameron's handling of the grammar schools debacle demonstrates that he doesn't have the strength or will to resist the right-wingers in his party.
He concludes:
The Tory leader... has given in to his right-wing instincts and the foaming fringes of his party. David Cameron half-heartedly picked his symbolic Clause Four fight this fortnight, and lost. His liberal language is now exposed as the tinsel and baubles on a big Redwood tree.
The piece is entertaining enough. Many liberals are suspicious of the depth of Cameron's Liberal Conservatism and he has certainly fluffed the grammar schools issue.
However, I doubt that this moment will long be regarded as the seminal moment in Cameron's conversion to the dark side, that Hari implies. His piece is entertaining and appeals to those already hostile to Cameron - but there will need to be another two or three major fumbles before the general public share Hari's analysis.