Cameron causes apoplexy by using the word Love in public

[WhizzBangCaligula]

BBC version of the story here
The Standard was much more funny but you need to be a subscriber. Apparantly all these tory grandees are horrified by this subversive language.

What kind of world do we live in, where anything that smacks of a humane and thoughtful approach to criminality is the cause of total horror in the ranks of the establishment? I can't decide whether this is a cynical ploy to try and erase the memories of Howard "prison works" Widdecombe "chain pregnant women" and Lillie "persecute single mothers" or if he really means it.

I think he probably does mean it, he comes across as a genuinely decent bloke (in the wrong party ). But it's rather like that "changing the world one child at a time" slogan of whichever third world charity uses it (Plan?) - there isn't the time or the space or the money to deal with all those damaged children once they've got to the stage of being dealt with by the legal system .

It does make you wonder why he joined the Tory party though. It seems he's completely out of step with the main membership. Unless of course, the grandees are out of step with the membership and the party really has moved on to a new generation...

I think what is maybe of more important note is not that he joined the Tory party, but that they chose him as their leader. Maybe they aren't as out of step as everyone thinks.

I think they chose him out of pragmatism, not because they agree with his ideas. (The alternative was D Davis, after all. Nuff said!)

hmm, you should have seen footage of the old biddies at the conservate party conference. They all looked terminally confused by him- i think the problem was that he wasn't shouting 2string 'em up"

It sounds crazy to me- I can't see how he can lead the conservative party- he just isn't one!