10/10/2013 00:00
TW
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by RAY FLEMING
DAVID Cameron began his speech yesterday by reminding the Conservative conference that two years ago he had stood in the same hall and made the case for being leader of his party. “Today,” he said, “I want to make the case for being leader of the country.” It was a nice line but a dangerous one because it overlooked the fact that poll after poll in the last three months has shown that Mr Cameron lags far behind Gordon Brown in the public's estimation of what makes a party or a national leader. Speeches are not everything, even if they are impressively delivered for an hour without text or autocue, as Mr Cameron's was.

In substance there was almost nothing in Mr Cameron's speech that had not already been announced at the conference or before it. His pledge to repeal the Human Rights Act predictably brought cheers from the faithful, showing only how ignorant they are of the purpose of the Act and how mindlessly anti-European they remain. Mr Cameron's decision to defend his Eton education was a mistake. He said that because he had such a good education he knows how to help to deliver a good education for the rest. How? Be born to rich parents?

Some well-informed commentators continue to insist that the last thing the Conservatives want just now and that they are trying to frighten Mr Brown out of calling one. Judged on that basis, Mr Cameron's speech was probably not good enough.