[tories for 2010] cameron does not impress the less committed

Everybody will probably be blogging on the issue of the North South divide, covered in the Telegraph today.

All this blog has said about the paucity of party politics in the UK is not relevant in the short term, for the simple reason that the paradigm is hardly likely to shift before the next general election. Most pundits say the real changes will start after that.

Meanwhile:

This blog has consistently held, for example here but take your pick of posts, that David Cameron is a liability for the Tories and as a Tory in the north, I am quite concerned.

I'm not sure what they think further south - maybe the clearer air up here helps but I can tell you that all Tories I speak with are concerned and that is not through any leading question from me. My question is usually, "Will the Tories win?" or "What do you think of David Cameron?"

The feeling is that he is a Blair clone, adjusting his policies to suit the changing political climate and whatever will gain votes. Now, we all know that all politicans do that but this is so blatant that it gets noticed. The Telegraph says [no doubt you've already read it]:

A geographical divide also showed that Labour still polled better in the North, with only 33 per cent of voters backing the Tories compared with 35 per cent backing Labour. With few Tory gains expected in Scotland and only marginally more in Wales, Mr Cameron needs to improve his standing outside the South to secure a majority that would enable the Conservatives to govern comfortably.

So far, in the middle of what is perceived up here as the Nu-Labour debacle, those who might have voted Tory [small parties don't have a great standing this far north] feel, as the Telegraph says:

While the headline figures still showed a comfortable Tory lead of 13 points over Labour, the poll, carried out for The Daily Telegraph, disclosed uncertainty among voters over the party’s policies. Nearly two thirds of those questioned were unconvinced about whether there was substance behind Mr Cameron’s words. More than half agreed that it was hard to know what the Tories stood for at the moment.

Rhetoric and making punches land at the despatch box at PMQs may be important in better economic times, when Westminster is not reeling from scandal and self-aggrandizement issues but in the current climate, it cuts very little ice. While David Cameron plays the Westminster game to the hilt, to the delight of the Westminster debate lovers in the south, it means precious little to those on the brink of job loss or who have lost pensions.

What these people want is rock solid, clear policies, outlined one-two-three-four and no ambiguity please. Instead, what they seem to be getting is generalizations like, "Brown's responsible for the mess, which we'll clean up." We know Brown is the one at fault, we don't need to be told that. We do need to be told, in terms of costed proposals, precisely what Cameron intends to do about this situation.

As for traditional Labour voters, many will still vote Labour, considering that they're voting for the "old" Labour. This feeling has been heightened by the rumours that Brown will be replaced shortly before the general election and if a leader acceptable to Old Labour gets in, Cameron will have his work cut out.

Adding to this is the UKIP and LPUK, both who have the capacity to hit hard in the south. I do not consider, as David Cameron himself has pointed out, that this next general election is by any means in the bag.

What should Tory voters and bloggers do?

For a start, it's all very well calling me, for example, a traitor to the Tories but I am still a voter and the Tories need all our votes. Many are disgruntled with the leader and others are papering up the cracks and calling for loyalty, calling for support for a leader who just doesn't cut it. A leader is never going to be 100% supported and I agree that once the party makes a decision, then there needs to be a time during which he can expect loyalty.

However, if the choice was SO wrong that the chances of a Tory victory are diminished substantially or if he has failed to impress over a long period of time, then something must be done and done quickly. Remember, it is not the party faithful or the dyed-in-the-wool voter who is important here. It is the swinging voter, the semi-Tory who's thinking out his position who is critical.

And I'm telling you that this sort of voter is not happy with a government led by David Cameron.

There will come a time when bloggers like me will have to shut up, for loyalty's sake - probably New Year's Eve. But for now, this issue which won't go away will need to be addressed by the Tories and addressed quickly.