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David Cameron 'does God' in fuzzy, sort-of-Anglican way

We all suspected that when Alastair Campbell told journalists that Tony Blair did not 'do God', this was because of the uncomfortable truth that the then British Prime Minister did God rather too well for comfort. Best to ignore his faith altogether than have to face questions about praying with President Bush about going to war or deny reports of pending conversion to Rome that everyone knew would turn out to be true. Denialism is after all a heresy not listed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church - yet.

It is a relief for those of us who have to fish facts from this slippery net with our pens to discover that will be no need for any comparable Christian coyness from David Cameron's advisers. How reassuring to discover that  Cameron's version of doing God is so very Church of English.

This revelation comes in an interview with Evening Standard editor Geordie Greig, published today.

Interesting how so many of our political leaders have significant links to the Christian faith.

So here's the thing - isn't this just a rerun of the Blair-Mandleson-Gould pre 1997 era?

Given this, aren't we in danger of entering into another first-term of stagnation as fear of the polls restricts creative policy development...

(2) David Cameron's fascination with mastering public opinion

80% of the time I ask a member of the Cameron operation a policy question I get a political answer.  They are doing 'x' because that's where public opinion is.  They are doing 'y' because it will wrongfoot Brown.  They are pursuing 'z' because they don't want to upset a particular constituency of voters.  Insiders talk of David Cameron's fascination with opinion polls.

This fascination has to be understood in the context of the last two decades.  Excepting John Major's surprise victory in 1992 the Conservatives have been struggling in the opinion polls since 1988.  William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard are the only modern day Tory leaders not to become Prime Minister.  Tories have now been out of power for 12 years at a national level and some had wondered if the party would ever govern again.  The electoral success of the Cameron machine is yet to face its ultimate test at the General Election but most grassroots Tories - members of the party often styled as the natural party of government - will forgive the political focus if Mr Cameron enters Downing Street next year.

The question is whether the political calculations that are necessary to end the electoral drought are largely tactical or have they entered into the DNA of the team that surrounds David Cameron?  Has the party leadership become resigned to following public opinion, rather than leading it?  Chief policy adviser to David Cameron Oliver Letwin - once referred to as the Gandalf of the leader's circle - is known to believe that opposition parties cannot change public opinion other than in one or two areas if they push very hard and in a very single-minded way.  It is much easier to make great arguments in government.

 

 

There are two great forces in the Cameron project - the fascination with mastering public opinion and David Cameron's broad commitment to the whole conservative coalition.  Only in government will we know which of those forces gets the upper hand.