Imitation is the keenest form of flattery, but David Cameron's liberalism is so obviously imitation. If he is going to last, he will have to acquire Tony Blair's gift for convincing himself that what he has just said is what he really feels.

At a CentreForum debate between Vince Cable and Michael Gove, Cable posed an interesting conundrum. What if Cameron really does believe all he is saying.

Surely it is not that outlandish to suggest there are young, well-brought up people out there who believe in a small state, highly sceptical of Europe, but perfectly happy with the the social liberal direction the UK has taken since the 1960s. Who knows... they might even be concerned about the strange weather we've been having recently.

In that case, those who have sat for years on the liberal ground should be wary of just dismissing the newcomer. If nothing else, he has the advantage of being new.

Surely the real question here is not whether or not Cameron is genuinely a liberal, but whether
or not he has the ability to convince the electorate that he is a liberal? So far, it seems that he
does (although only time will tell). The problem Cameron will have sooner or later, which we need
to find ways of exploiting, is that he may be a liberal, but most of those sitting on the benches
behind him aren't. How long will they be prepared to stay silent?

Surely the main question should not be whether or not Cameron genuinely is a liberal, but whether or not he can convince the electorate that he is a liberal, and whether more of us are inclined to vote for his party as a result? Even if his liberalism is fabricated, he has no need to convince himself or his party that it isn't, only the public.

The problem Cameron will encounter sooner or later is that he may be a liberal, but most of those on the benches behind him very definitely aren't. As time goes by, we will have to find ways of exploiting this - of showing people that the leadership of the Conservative Party may have changed fundamentally, but the bulk of the party itself hasn't, and won't.

I was at the CentreForum debate too, and I must say I found it one of the most interesting events of this kind that I have attended.

I think (and it may be that the 20 March writer was suggesting this too) that the danger that is posed to the Liberal Democrats is the rise of a genuinely liberal Conservative Party.

The fact is that while we may all agree with freedom of speech, association and religion, by the rule of law and the dignity of the individual, too many of us have forgotten that liberalism is as much about limiting the power of the state as it is about creating a framework to regulate relations between individuals.

Too many in the Liberal Democratic Party have been won over by Statism. The belief that high taxes funding public services can create a better society than has, will or can arise by individuals pursuing their own self-interest is a common one, but it is in no way liberal.

Now imagine this for an alternative: a party at peace with minorities; open to immigration; prepared to work within Europe while seeking its reform; willing to trust people to make sensible decisions about their own lives; opposed to Government regulation; eager to reduce the role of the State; committed to reducing the burden of taxation for all, the poor because they are needy, the rich because they are the engine of economic growth. Imagine a party that offers not just to tinker with our tottering public services but to revolutionise the way they are run by injecting real market discipline. Where progress is not feared but embraced. Imagine a party that can say to everyone “Our Britain will benefit you all”.

Now ask yourself whether you want that party to be the Liberal Democratic Party, or the Conservative Party. If Cameron and Gove and the other leading Tories I have been watching are smart, that is exactly the Conservative Party they will try to make. If we are lucky and smart, they will flunk it and we will do it better. If we shirk that challenge, we will be hurled back into the wilderness.

Taxi? The Lib Dem Parliamentary Party need a lift!