Have Tories got the substance, or are they just thriving on abuse?
there is no doubt that voters favour the Tories, at least when talking to pollsters. The difficulty is in turning that theoretical lead into reality. One problem is in overcoming the effects of the electoral system, with its in-built Labour advantage. There is the danger of complacency. Thirdly, there is the need for the Tories to present a compelling case of their own rather than merely relying on current Labour unpopularity. These are dangers that are familiar to Mr Cameron. The phrase in vogue at Conservative headquarters is that the party has yet to "seal the deal" with voters. As Mr Cameron told the BBC yesterday: "People say: 'They haven't sealed the deal.' They are right, we haven't, but we can and we will."
According to John Curtice, a politics professor at Strathclyde University, the Tories need to deliver a clearer message on tax. He said the party needed to recognise that, following a decade of massive state spending under Labour, there was now a mood for lessening the tax burden on individuals.
It is time to reveal the beef, the promised school policy sounds excellent (as a start), this week the Tories need to show they can deliver.