Come on then Michael, why don't you have a go?

judy, Liverpool, england

Spot on, Michael.

Graham Coleman, Portsmouth, UK

Hague is right, the British public's instincts in being opposed to the new Treaty are spot-on and Cameron should be vigorously supporting calls for a binding Referendum. We certainly do not want another Blair clone and if Camerson persists in trying to ape Blair, I for one will never vote Conservative again.

Ann Jones, Thornbury, England

Arnold Bennett wrote that “Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” David Cameron must recognise that simple truth and combine that realisation with a ruthlessness of purpose that will bring the Conservative Party back into the twenty first century. The time for experimentation is past now that Gordon Brown is at the helm of New Labour. No one ever wins by being on the defensive. Cameron must attack with vigorous, new and very clearly outlined policies. Then, and only then, will he have a chance of winning the next election.

Derek Holmes, Neath, UK

David Cameron has run out of steam, he is all hot air!
Brown was exposed over pensions so why have the Tories gone quiet on this? Keep exposing the holes and go for the vital organs otherwise you will never win again.

Roger Kingston, York,

James Naughtie commented last night that recently the conflict between Blair and Brown has taken the place of party politics in British life. So now I guess we don't even have that.

jon livesey, Sunnyvale, CA/US

I totally agree with David from Farnham in Surrey; I've already gone.

Paul Fedorson, Kyiv, Ukraine

Labour will undoubtedly win the next election it will be a landslide because the Conservatives cannot get their act together.

Firstly, the problem with the current Tory malaise is that the faithful are so unrepresentative of the British public in that it is wholly embarrassing.

Secondly, the Conservatives voted for Cameron as the panacea to all their electoral woes. Oh dear oh dear unlike Blair, Cameron has no charisma, let alone the style to mitigate the utter lack of substance in their policies.

As an voter, I want to know what they stand for, I find it frustrating they cannot tell me about policies on Europe, Defense, War on Terror, Economy, Education, Health etc..

Christopher Irvine, Romford, England

The Tories have completely lost the plot. I loath this New Labour government but I see no hope of the Tories ever returning to power . So , I am off. Farewell UK and all who sail in her. I no longer feel at home in the land of my birth and I sincerely believe that England and the English are seen as the enemy of this Government. We have lowered the standards for which my Parents and Grandparents fought two world wars and the only element left that represents them is the Army which I believe is also about to depart as soon as they return from Iraq.

David, Farnham, Surrey

Come back Michael Portillo. David Cameron, in order to be a viable proposition, needs men like you and Ken Clarke with him in order to hold the right-wing back. There's no hope for Britain if the Old Englanders have any power. They live in the old world and have no place in the new.

leila, manchester, uk

My veiw on Micael Portillo comment is he sould tell his fat freinds in parliment.The people who are dictating an setting laws should abide by them . What happened to porky Prescott. I have been to the doctors for help and I' m on tablets that just don't work .

tracy jolliffe, new arley, uk

<i>Hague’s one apparent enthusiasm in foreign policy (on which he is the party spokesman) is Europe-bashing. Depressingly, the signs are that he is to be unleashed again as the Tories cry tallyho against the new treaty.</i>

The vast majority of people in Britain are against the new treaty and even more want a referendum. Therefore, you seem to be saying that Hague should deliberately adopt a unpopular position - talking up the EU - in order to improve the overall standing of the party. This makes absolutely no sense.

TDK, Edinburgh, UK

David Cameron should stop trying to be Tony Blair Mark 2. Nobody want another Tony Blair for Prime Minister.

D, Wright, Worcestershire,

Portillo on another one of his 'look at me aren't i clever' anti-tory rants again. There's NOTHING wrong with the Tory policies, that's precisely their problem. They have no where else to go.

For Blair it was easier because Labour's old policies were rubbish. He could bin them, adopt a watered down tory version and claim them as his own.

And that's where we've been at for the past 10 years. One day, ONE day even this cosy consensus will break down - the NHS is on it's last legs, the tax burden is too high for too many people, our education and training systems are a joke and the public finances continue to deteriorate.

It may take another 10 years, but the Tories have no option but to twiddle their thumbs until people start to listen to them

Gareth, Northampton,

On the one hand Michael Portillo sees a possibly declining Tory party failing ever to win an election, while on the other he speculates about Brown and Campbell "doing a deal if Labour fails to get an overall majority in 2010". Brown would only fail to get his overall majority if the Tories won several dozen Labour seats - not quite a party facing perpetual decline!

Richard Pearson, Chatham, Kent

Q.What do former prominent (Tory) politicians have in common with reformed smokers?
A.They all know SO much better now, and are prepared to make a song and dance at any price, any loss.
I had hoped that since Heseltine and his fellow so-called Tory "grandees" stopped lobbing in their grenades every time the party seemed to be recovering, the practice was ended, but no: we now have Portillo.
Personally, I am not in the least surprised at the new opinion poll figures; they say nothing about the Conservatives, but everything about optimism in the handover from Blair to Brown, which may well be fleeting - unlike the potentially Oscar-winning retirement performance of 'Our Dear Leader'.
I'm just a voter of course, so I don't count - YET.

MikeM, St. Albans, England

However appealing the message, Cameron is as doomed as an estate agent trying to over-sell a desirable property without any foundations. Maybe he should take a similar approach to Brown and look for fresh talent to fill the void behind him.

charlie, london,

<Yawn> I suppose this article sums up what is wrong with this country, it is all about 'electability', rather than dealing with the issues that confront this nation. Despite the millions of pounds and thousands of intelligence quotients employed at Tory HQ noone seems to have woken up to the idea that the indigenous population might actually like some elect someone who has has the courage to deal with the problems that beset England.

Then again, I might be wrong and all the people I speak to who wish to emigrate or bemoan the crime and rampant illegal immigration are mistaken.

Stephen, Ipswich, England

Michael,

You should adopt a theme tune when you are on the topic of Cameron - the old Yvonne Fair song "It should have been me! But it ain't - so less of the schadenfreude please!

Mr Brown's big test will come when his first "event" occurs and he can't retreat to his policy papers and leave it to Blair to step up and explain the mess to the electorate. Blair was able to argue and emote with the electorate in equal measure. He could have had a career as one of Britain's favourite soap characters. Brown just does not have that rapport. His style is essentially paternalistic - seeking respect. When he does attempt to share what he feels about an issue, the effect is always too intense, too personal and too “hair shirt” to generate much empathy. If British politics is crying out for Gladstone reborn, he will beat Cameron easily. It is perhaps a sad comment on what we have become, but a better litmus test would be to ask which of them would survive longer in the Big Brother house.

P Evans, Wolverhampton, UK

I just returned from a visit to the UK. People there could readily tell me all the failings of the Labour Party, peppering their comments wth a few successes. They told of the problems within the Liberal Democrats, and discussed devolition and the pros and cons of self government in Scotland and Wales. The Tories? Now that was a different matter. Few seemed to know what they stood for anymore, or where the leadership was within the party. Will the Tories fail as many have before them, by a re-enactment of the age old "all things to all men" fallacy? David Cameron I am afraid, may well be on the receiving end of another message from the public after the next election; "On your bike David"....or will he have fallen off it by then?

Rod Garr, Miami, Florida USA

The answer to you question about the Tories being able to win again is probably not. Margaret Thatcher was the exception that proved the rule of a morally and politically weak and opportunistic party pursuing power merely for its own sake. This has generally been true since Labour altered the political landscape in 1945. Cameron is merely their most blatant example of unprincipled opportunism.

Like the Liberals a century ago, the Conservatives have had their day. They should gently fade away to be replaced by a new party with fresh ideas and clear principles and convictions.

Strangely enough, Mr. Portillo, losing your seat in 1997 was probably one of the better turning points in your life.

Gervas Douglas, Andorra la Vella,

I guess Luke Blaxill was expressing his opinion before the latest opinion poll (yes, yes, one opinion poll does not make a political victory but it does suggest that exactly what Mr. P fears might be happening).

For the record, the poll in the Observer has:

Support for Labour at 39 percent and the Conservatives at 36 percent.

Forty percent of voters believed Brown would make a more capable prime minister, compared to just 22 percent who prefer his Conservative rival David Cameron.

Mr. Portillo has every cause to be concerned. Shame really, I was banking on "our Dave" making a better fist of things !!

Occam, Solihull, UK

Mr Brown begins as a new Prime Minister this week, and it would be an uncharitable voter who didn't wish him well. He has been an excellent Chancellor, presiding over a period of unprecedented economic stability. However the Prime Minister's brief is much broader, and he will make mistakes. Certainly on Iraq there is no easy answer.

Mr Brown has placed intolerable burdens on young people - five years' extra education to compensate for the failing schools sysem, tree years of it paid for by students, the casualisation of jobs, unaffordable house prices, huge taxes. All to pay for NHS treatment for old people. It is simply not possible for two new Leeds graduates with good but not outstanding degrees to marry and have a family, unless parents help them. If he can be blamed for that, the Tories will win the next election.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

The trouble is that Mr Brown is a very clever man (AND he has the cunning, ruthless streak of a brilliant chess player), whereas nice Mr Cameron is not terribly clever. We British don't like people that are clever, but my, do we respect them!Power of intellect matters in politics. It separates the men from the boys (and the women from the girls).

J.Fletcher, Canterbury, UK

Yet another insightful and eloquent article from Mr Portillo. The truth about Cameron is it was always obvious that relying on image and spin had become a tired game by the time he became leader and I am surprised that his honeymoon lasted as long as it did. It may be that part of Blair's legacy has been the evolution of "spin", but the big difference is that Labour has always had policies at its heart, and those policies ring much truer with the modern electorate than what is really at the heart of the Tories. There is no "New Tory" because we know that they would SAY anything to get elected, and trying to follow in Blair's footsteps is 10 years too late, and having no concrete policy that would be of great benefit to the UK, makes them even less electable. I am a Labour voter, but I still believe that a strong opposition in parliament to any Government is an important part of our democracy. Let's hope that although Tories remain unelectable, they don't obliterate completely

max, Manchester, UK

The Tories are unelectable because they appear vacuous, opportunistic, and with no coherent policies of their own. Who knows what they really stand for? Furthermore, why should the electorate wish to vote for a cabinet crammed with old Etonians, reeking of privilege. No, unless Gordo does something very wrong, the Tories have no hope.

Cathy, Bristol, Uk

Cameron is a great salesman and strategist.

The problem is, he isn't a leader.

The fiasco over grammar schools pretty much sums him up. He was pursuing a sound strategy with a sweet sales pitch, but as soon as he met resistance he vaccilated and then panicked.

The Tory party is too big and too ugly a beast to be tamed by Dave, I'm afraid.

Bob, Liverpool, UK

For someone who has "left politics", Mr Portillo displays a remarkable case of sour grapes. Why not wait a bit longer to actually see Brown at work as Prime Minister? These dog days before Blair slips into long-deserved oblivion are unimportant. I predict that Brown will be an awful leader, whom the country will hasten to despatch as soon as the time comes. The more Mr Brown intends to change the whole thrust of the Labour Government, the more the electorate will have the moral right to demand an election. The British voted Labour in 1997 largely because of Tony Blair's smiling, confident, youthful face, not guessing the confidence trickster that lurked behind it. They didn't vote for (and barely knew the existence of) Gordon Brown. If Brown plods on until 2010 then Britain will look even more like an elected dictatorship. The Tories' job is to constantly remind the British public that Brown is there under false pretences, never elected, not even by the Labour Party's own machine.

Mike Mitchell, Spalding, England

Cameron's honeymoon was always going to end. The lack of any policies 18 months in to his leadership has not helped. What we see is a leader either trying to outdo what Labour proposes or pandering to the old thinking which has kept the Tories out of government for the last 10 years and counting.

Given Gordon Brown's propensity to spring surprises, he may call an early general election. This would be a disaster for Cameron as he tries to rally his troops and put some policies together on the hoof. Cameron will regret not sorting his party out quicker, and it will be left to yet another Tory leader to put together a credible plan for taking power. Given the current lack of talent on the Tory side it is difficult to see who he or she will be.

In short, Gordon Brown knows what he wants to achieve as he has been planning for his entry into No. 10 this week all his adult life. Cameron seems to come into his job quite by accident. Thein lies the difference between the two men.

Edward Horgan Goumas, London, UK

I agree. That is why I have decided never to vote in an election again until politicians grow up. They can convince me to change y mind by simply making eveyone pay tax - with no exemptions with swinging fines, made public, for any evasion and scrapping ofdom status, exemptions for "royal" middle easterns etc.

Mike, Denham, UK

So "every country in Europe is in step with the EU"? Norway and Switzerland spring to mind as those which are not! And what of the opinion polls that reveal overwhelming Euroscepticism among the British public?
If Cameron is so clever, why does he not distance himself from the other two parties and declare the Tories against the EU? I would predict a lndslide.

Archie, Vancouver, Canada

"The MPs unrestrainedly mouthed off to opinion pollsters, with 59% disagreeing that Britain is a better place to live than it was 20 years ago."

It's not that they were "unrestrained", it's that they think these thinks in the first place. That poll was a damning indictment of the Tory party. I might vote Cameron if it wasn't for the Tory party.

Jacob Kestner, St Albans, Britain

Labour won in 1997 because they were an alternative. Give me an alternative to Labour and I'll vote for it. Give me this insincere imitation and I despise it.

Terry, Radstock, England

Abandon core principles at your peril! New Labour could because the nation is not inherently left wing but the Tories should resist pandering to the fleeting whims of the chattering classes. You don't win votes by by trying to influence a section of the electorate that would never ever vote for you. Strengthen the core vote and see what happens.

C Hall, Manchester, England

Portillo talking about loyalty? It doesn't seem to fit.
When Cameron made it clear he wished to eject swathes of the Conservative Party activists because he wished to chase after the 'centre ground' (what is left, right, centre?) and attract unattached voters I took him at his word and left.
Now we wait to see what hapens but if an election is called now and it is possible i would vote UKIP.

Dr J Findlater, Carnforth,

It's simple: whilst the Tories pamper to the Euro-sceptic blue rince brigade they will remain forever unelectable to a modern European electorate.
QED

Martin Johnson, Cheam, England, EU

I stick with my prediction after Cameron became leader - they will be forced back into the same old core vote strategy by the next election and will lose again. Plus ca change.........

Bob Richardson, Welwyn, UK

Why do pundits like Michael Portillo keep repeating that Cameron is charismatic?
After Michael Howard, almost any leader would seem more appealing but Cameron is a moon faced Old Etonian who is gradually revealing that he hasn't a clue what he is doing.
The leader the Tories needed was David Davis and I'm sure the Labour Party breathed a sigh of relief when Cameron was chosen on the strength of one successful TV debate.

F Carpenter, Birmingham, UK

The complete lack of political talent in the Tory party, the huge internal diversity of views on such issues as Europe and education, and the reputation as an uncaring elitist organisation (not dispelled by the number of old Etonians in the shadow cabinet) all conspire to reduce confidence in electability to roughly zero. Add to that the reputation for desperate financial incompetence, hard to forget even though they have been out of power for a decade, and you have a party that is destined to spend at least another decade out of power. What exactly do the Tories stand for and why would anyone vote for them? They can't decide this themselves so they can't muster a decent opposition.

colin, Shrewsbury, UK

BNP and UKIP will reap the benefits of all this nonsense. The British people are very pissed off with the current political hypocrisy and we are in for a change all right. But not what Gordon and Cameroon are expecting. They have lost the trust of the electorate.

John , Farnham, Surrey

The Conservatives are even more to blame than even Mr Portillo admits. If only they had done the sensible thing and made Ken Clarke their leader when they had the chance, then none of the disasters of the last few years would have happened.

David Hadley, Cradley Heath, UK

I couldn't believe my ears when, on The World This Weekend, I heard William Hague say that the Tories "were led by a formidable politician in David Cameron." What planet is Hague living on, I wonder? The answer to that is the same planet on which he led his party to its second biggest defeat in over 100 years. If he cannot see that Cameron is going to be as much of an electoral disaster as he himself was, then the Tories will be out of office for another 10 years.

K Philips, London,

It's simple: whilst the Tories pamper to the Euro-sceptic blue rinse brigade they will remain forever unelectable to a modern European electorate.
QED

Martin Johnson, Cheam, England, EU

I wish David Davis had won the leadership contest. At least we would have a Tory with substance at the top rather than a Royal-like Cameron.

James Wong, Macau,

Opening with a pitiful homophobic barb and continuing with barely-supressed, unfocused and impotent rage. Sadly, L. Stewart is the very personification of why the Tories are destined to spend the next twenty years in the political wasteland.

It seems - as Cameron wobbles and weaves - that Mr. Portillo may have been the last best hope for a Conservative recovery.

Gerald Doyle, Dunstable, Bedfordshire

It is more complex. The wide dislike of Blair is tending to make Brown look attractive and Cameron is suffering from that.

Mind you if you want to govern Britain, then starting with a floppy haired old Etonian does seem rather ludicrous. Cameron may be charming but he is such an obvious old school toff that most folk just find him somewhat unreal. (Etonians talking about Hoodies is rather like rappers singing about their experiences of fagging at school).

M Reid, Northampton,

I certainly hope that the Tories can and will win again. I voted Labour at the last 3 elections, with progressively less enthusiasm, and now find myself horrified at the prospect of a Brown government. Nothing on earth could persuade me to vote for Brown. The Lib Dems are dead in the water, as usual, and a socially libertarian Tory party represents about the only hope I have left of a State that isn't continually extending its Nannyish reach into how we choose to live. If the Tories don't come out punching soon - for our rights and freedoms - this country will be irredeemably ruined.

Mark Jamieson, Bristol,

Mr Portillo is as out of touch as Mr Brown regarding the Middle Classes. They are being royally fleeced - paying twice for their schools and health services, suffering wage deflation due to off-shoring and immigration, and subsidising those on benefits who are less inclined to work. It's Tony's Cronies putting together Private Equity deals with 10% tax rates, not average voters in the South East.

Mr Brown has alienated this group, but worse, has ignored the public's desire to achieve personal aspirations. The Tories simply need to show that hypocracy, meddling from the centre, PC nonsense, military underfunding, and inefficient public spending have had their day.

Andy, Hampshire, UK

Spot on I would say.

Malcolm , Hayle,

There are doubts about Cameron. He is smooth and slick but comes from, and associates with, wealthy circles.
Recently one of his associates was talking about compulsory insurance to pay for the NHS. Many people, particulary the elderly and the poorly paid, could not afford this.
In the USA the Insurance companies costs are far higher than the costs here. This is why they support presidential candidates who will leave them with their lucrative life-style i.e. Hillary Clinton.
Voters who hear such policies being articulated are likely to stay with Labour or the Liberals.

David, Swindon., UK

i am from somerset and we have NO labour AT ALL none not one. we are extremly anti labour just look at our local MP's and those who make up the council. and i am throughly happy for it. no labour no problems. obviously you like i have just done about my home county made a sweeping judgement on the entire country.

Dave , Taunton, england

Surely if Blair was unbeatable we wouldn't have Gordon Brown.
Who would vote fro the man who has created a new class war between the private sector, condemned to an old age of poverty and misery or work till you drop and the public sector retire in comfort at 60, by his theft ?
To add insult to injury we now pay double the council tax for half the service to pay for their lavish pension provision.
If the Conservatives were any better and that isn't difficult he wouldn't stand a chance.

D CAge, Highworth, UK

59% of tory MPs disagreeing that Britain is a better place to live now than 20 years ago is a telling poll. It seems that these politicians truly have no feel for normal working people and their latter day prosperity. The tory party is all about class and division.

Neil Bradley, liverpool, UK

Despite what the media might reflect, many people do not like the fact a) Brown is going to be PM and b) the people of Britain were not given a choice. Any right-thinking person would be riled having Paddy Pantsdown in the cabinet! Mr. Portillo seems to have this overwhelming need to appear impartial in his assessment of the party he once stood in. So Cameron made one or two U-turns. How many has the Labour party made? Too many to count, that's how many!

James, London, UK

The next election is some way off yet so it's difficult to predict what will happen - especially with the economy. I had always thought that Brown would be a very difficult opponent. He may not be as much of an actor as Blair but he gives the impression (illusion?) of substance. Further he can point to redistribution of wealth - something close to the heart of Labour supporters. Compare Brown to Cameron and you see experience vs naivety; realism vs 'idealism'; and strength vs 'fluff'. I believe that the Brown government will look very different from the Blair government. It probably won't be as politically correct nor will Gordon be travelling all over the place spouting soundbites. No, the Tories will have a real challenge and in my opinion Cameron will have to use Davis more to counteract Brown. L. Stewart's comments about Osborne really hit the button. In these days of presentation he needs some advice about the sound of his voice. And we don't want to be the heirs to Blair.

Ian Burgess, Bristol,

This sounds like sour grapes , As Portillo looks back on his undistinguished career as a political lightweight, he appears to resent anyone who may succeed where he failed.

Having undermined Hague in the 2001 campaign he is clearly not well-placed to lecture the Conservative party on loyalty.

Elections are all about how people feel. Portillo ignores the fact that Brown has finally had to admit that he has indeed increased taxes - something which Middle Britain is only too well-aware, The damage Brown has vindictively inflicted on the country as Chancellor will surely come home to roost now that he is Prime Minister. From now on - for the Labour Party - things can only get worse.

David Jones, Cardiff, UK

The problem with the Tory party enthusiasts who think they should veer to the Right is that they do not realise that those voters are safe with them in any case. The Tories have always managed to hold their hard core. What they have not done is to reach past that core.
If they revert to the right wing policies which lost them the last three elections then they will not gain those votes. And with a weak LibDem leader with much the same bankable appeal as brown, expect a swing to Labour next time. Which could happen anyway.I still think its about the economy, stupid. Get to the ballot box and if people feel reasonably prosperous - they'll stick with Labour. And Brown sounds somehow more Labour, as well...which may motivate the core vote.

Mike Homfray, Liverpool,

I think Michael Portilli has very accurately pinpointed all the errors and wisful thinking that seem to imbue the rebirth of the Tory Party. Cameron may have started the process to chnage his party...but it is rather messy and ill defined. he will be like Kinnock....who knew the Labour had to change but had to watch someone else pull off the victory

cherry, london, uk

I am beginning to wonder what Michael Portillo wants the Tory party to do. Purely adopt Green, Liberal and Labour policies just to win power? Perhaps let the EU roll over us just so long as we don't squabble or, heaven forbid, have a honest arguament about it?
I do not believe all this clap trap about why the conservatives lost the last 3 elections. Tony Blair outshone Hague, IDS and Howard. The policies weren't that bad.
More backbone needed by Cameron. A centre-right party CAN win the next election!

MB, Nottingham, UK

So, Cameron is clever and charismatic, is he? The fact is that at least 80% of Conservative voters don't think so. And if he was 'clever and charismatic' he would have a 20% lead in the polls, and not be struggling to keep up. Sorry, traditional Tory voters have had enough waffle from political commentators and failed MPs. It's time to listen to middle-England or face the total demise of a once-great country.

Bill Holmes, Derby,

Its a shame that Portillo has moved to become a psudo-liberal/socalist. He is seduced no doubt by Blairs ten years of power.Please explain Mr Portillo why it is neccessary to have a third Liberal/leftist party in Westminster?Perhaps Mr Portillo was a little disappointed this week that he,or some of his liberal friends,where not invited join join Browns government.Cameron /Osborne whould make ideal Nu Labour ministers.I feel Mr Portillo miss the whole point about Brown vs Cameron.Its there closeness in policy and ideology that is the problem.How can Cameron/Osborne hope to challenge Brown with any conviction when they agree with so much that NU labour stands for.Unless there are clear differences between Nu Labour and the Tories at the next election,then Cameron has little hope.After all why would anyone want to vote for the Camerons `Not the Conservative party `when they have two certainly not Conservative parties to vote for already.

Patrick, Nottingham, Notts

The Tories had a winning leader in Ken Clarke, the only Tory for whom disaffected Labour voters would willingly turn out.
Brown will win the next election and the rest of us will be condemned to more years of authoritarian government, a government which will be elected by probably only 25% - 28% of the population.

C Degroote, London,

As I stand in the middle ground politically, and it is us who decide the government, M Portillo has one point of view that seems to be missed, whatever his own feelings for the present opposition front bench, unless they get elected first, their policies are pointless. I think Browns motive for aproaching Paddy Ashdown was to start a split in the Libs that would bring about a more friendly attitude from the Libs with the hope of cabinet seat or seats, he may see that he needs this in the event of a hung parliment. Be under no illusion Blair hired advisers and was led, Brown knows what he wants and will lead. Strength from a leader is probably the most attractive asset they can have e.g. Margret Thatcher, on its own will attrached many voters.

N. Halton, Bromley,

Why listen to a failed politician like Portillo?
His theme: the Tories rejected him so they must be wrong.
Why do we love to destroy rather than build up?
For those of us that believe that the present government has done more to destroy England than any other government with its thousands of restrictive laws, its overt opposition to moral standards and the encouragement of stupidity in nanny-state interventions, what we need is hope and that can only come from the Tories. Come on Cameron, give us something to look forward to!!

John, Chania, Crete

In 10 years out of power the Conservatives have not learnt the lessons of why old Labour under Kinnock were unelectable, and why the tories lost power - a lack of unity. If the ruling party is in trouble then just shut up and let them tear themselves apart. Cameron seems to be busy taking attention away from Labour's problems - will his downright daft grammer school discussions be distractions similar to Kinnock's constant nuclear disarmament and Clause 4 problems. In modern British politics the strong position seems to be "not the other guy" - Blair's sucesses all built on a basis of "not the tories" rather than actually policy strengths. "Things can only get better" was all about pushing attention onto the negative attributes of the opponents - New Labour didn't win because of its policies... it was the default option when people wanted a change!

Al, London,

margaret thatcher in her downing street years memoirs describe jim callaghans government as perhaps the last labour government ever

the determination of the conservative party to make itself unelectable suggests that tony blair could write the same thing about them with considerably more justification

colin grayson, saint cloud ,

The real problem with the Tories is they have believed their own nonsense that we need to be "in Europe" but definitely "not run by Europe".... a position which is not on offer and never has been. Every other country in Europe is firmly on the bandwagon of ever-increasing union, the Tories are the only party in Europe which is marching in-step on this view of what Europe should be like.

This, and not who is their leader, is why they are not fit to govern.

Andrew Shanks, Watford, Herts

Why is it the Tories seem incapable of electing a leader with the necessary "gravitas"? They had the chance with David Davies who could have developed into a fine leader. Instead they choose a Notting Hill "house husband" who looks good on the telly. It is noticable the way Mr. Cameron is avoiding those issues that are of most concern to people; Uncontrolled immigration and rising violent crime, the two of which, as recent cases have shown, are often linked.
Why is he intent on dragging the party onto the "centre ground". Haven't we had enough of centre ground politics for the past ten years?
I predict Mr. Cameron will prove to be a very effective recruiting agent for UKIP.

B. Shaw, Kingston, Surrey

I don't understand Michael Portillo. As a Tory defence secretary he was regarded as a right-winger and a possible successor to Mrs Thatcher. His subsequent defeat in 1997 seems to have brought about a Damascene convertion. Now he sounds more right-on lefty than even Heseltine.
If the Tories want to get re-elected they should stop prancing around the centre field and concentrate on scoring a few goals. Lord knows Labour have left their defence wide open for a good Tory striker to score goals on everything from health care to Foreign Policy. If the Tories would start alcting like a real opposition and not a bunch of B list celebs, they would win back respect and with it the millions of lost votes they need to get into office.

Adrian Gilbert, Tonbridge, England

If Labour under Gordon Brown should win the next election, then emigration will really move up a gear. So if you going, make the move sooner rather than later; before exit visas and currency and fund transfer controls are introduced.

Andrew Milner, Yokohama, Kanagawa

The Tories appears to be in turmoil again. When it appeared that they looking electable once more, they have blown it with the shadow chancellor's comments about being the true successors to Tony Blair's legacy. He is so naive! I cannot trust this man to look after the treasuary. David Cameron should sack him before he makes anymore serious gaffs like that, and make the Tories more unelectable.

Eddie Forde, Livingston, West Lothian

The sooner the ludicrously named 'Conservative' Party vanishes and makes place for a genuinely patriotic party, the better. It serves only to waste the votes of conservatives. How many times have you heard the old refrains that it is "at least better than Labour", or that "one day" it will return to a belief in traditional values - all in spite of the evidence to the contrary ?

L Stewart, Spalding, England

Spot on Michael - now is the time for David C to emphasise that he will NOT be pushed around by the weirdo's who have ensured the party has been out of government for ten years - and out of touch for a generation!

The analysis of the almost inevtiable 'drift' to the right under successive 'leaders' since 1997 - Willam (baseball cap the wrong way round) Hague, Ian Duncan (excuse me who are you?) Smith and then Michael (a touch of darkness) Howard - seems to me to identify the sheer contrast of David C's impact.

If the party have now succeeded in blunting his message and 'taming' him to their way of thinking - than I say with Michael Portillo - will they ever be worth supporting for government again?

David Jesson, St Ives Cornwall, England

Cameron could make a start by apologising for the Conservative government's privatisation of the railways. Come to think of it Portillo could do the same.

Jon, London, UK

Come off it Michael. How can Cameron ever make progress with negative ideas like yours giving heart to Labour. But the truth will dawn when Brown has been in power for a while. He always makes me think of the nursery rhyme, 'There was a crooked man and he had a crooked smile' or something like that. He brags of a moral base to his thinking. Are those the same morals that inspired the pamphlet he composed while at university, or the way he describes the tax increases as tax cuts, or going behind Campbells back with the invitation to Ashdown?. I don't think the Conservatives will have as much to worry about as you predict.

Ellie Atkins, Brighton,

Mr Portillo is wrong to say that Blair was or is unbeatable. If Blair believed that he'd not be busy packing.
Unfortunately the Tories have abandoned all pretence of principle in a vain effort to be popular. That they should choose to do this by adopting all the things that have made Labour unpopular only demonstrates how completely out of touch the Tories are with public opinion.
Mr Portillo asserts that Euroscepticism is a vote loser, which shows that popular opinion does not encroach on his world.
A few months ago the next election was the Tories for the taking. Dave, in his desperation to be 'popular', seems to be hell bent on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

Bernard Mahan, Edinburgh, Scotland

Portillo has "left politics"? I always thought he had "right politics".

Cameron is right - he truly is Blair's heir apparent - precisely the worst thing to be when the country has soured on slick, youthful spin-meisters.

RV Kennedy, Manchester,

Did anyone see Doctor Who on Saturday where the new evil PM killed the cabinet and called them traitors as they left their parties to join him? Parallels...

Machiavellian, London,

This 'commentator' is the man who told us that Britain doesn't need a strong military deterrent because its CURRENT enemies do not CURRENTLY have to ability to reach it with long-range missiles.
With such a grasp on reality, such analytical prowess, I don't think we need Portillo to teach our grandmothers how to suck eggs.

Ann Sinclair, Manchester,

Cameron should abolish Inheritance Tax. That's 5M households won over.

Phil, Hong Kong,

Brown as well as Blair in past were there for the taking.
Brown as plenty of baggage from the last 10 years.
Pensions mess.Part of the Immigration mess.
Losing our independence to unelected people in Europe
Balance of payments mess.His means tested benefit system.
And with above inflation increases in council tax,and other stealth Tax's with poor returns on the money spent.
Cameron was bogged down on Grammar schools.
He like a few politicians ,have gone from school to university then into politics,and it shows.There are millions of people in the Country who feel that there are not being represented by the main parties.

A Walton, Leicester, England

I agree whole heartily with Micheal, well written. Having just watched the Labour Party meeting on tele, I would say that If Gordan Brown would agree to a speech writer it would be worth another 5 points on the polls.

Peter Mace, Eastbourne, England

Oh dear, Michael. You're not after a job in Brown's 'multinational' cabinet are you?

Michael, London, UK

Sir,

Once again I have to say that without Portillo at the helm of the Tory Party I won't vote for them anymore. Although I have always been a Tory,
I dislike Cameron more than Blair and Brown.

ROSS HENRY, london,

Sadly the conservatives lack any crunchy ideas - it's all soft soap and sound bites - much like Tony before his first win - but this time the electorate won't buy it - the mood for a change is not sufficiently strong despite crushing taxes and red tape.

Until the conservatives ditch their stodgy conservatism, there traditional rural dominated agendas and their phobias for Europe and liberal economic and political reform they will be whistling in the wilderness.

We need a new urban, service oriented, people empowering, globalisation friendly, low tax, small government party that dispenses with much of the machinery of interference . At the same time it needs to take a more dirigiste approach to planning nationally important infrastructure projects including releasing large chunks of land for redevelopment across the country.

Huw Sayer, Norwich, England

Today Ipsos MORI poll confirms Michael Portillo's analysis . According to the poll per cent of voters believe Brown would make the more capable Prime Minister, against 22 per cent who believe that Cameron would be better. Labour has also moved ahead of the Tories for the first time for eight months in same poll. The party is on 39 per cent, up four points on last month, while the Tories have fallen one point, to 36 per cent.David Cameron's band-wagon had been hoping on Gordon Brown to look and sound more like a traditional Old Labour politician. They had hoped that Labour would lurch conveniently to the left, legitimising a Tory claim to be the new party of the centre. It hasn't happened. The chances are this will not happen and in coming months Gordon Brown once officially crowned today would further tighten his grip.He is definately not John Major-Post thaterism.Tories are rightly warned by Portillo.

Dr Kailash Chand, Manchester,

'The problem the Tories have is Cameron only has spin and no policies to offer the public' (Bill Rees, Truro).

What's wrong with that? It won Blair three landslide elections!
More seriously, I believe Cameron should start to stand up for the hard-working middle earners who miss out on benefits but who are struggling to pay the mortgage, escalating council tax bills, student loans etc. He should also remind people about Brown's disgraceful role in wrecking our pension plans, leaving millions to look forward to an old age of penury.

James, Cardiff,

The Tories have never come to grips with running the whole
of Britain, they represent only the top 25% of society. The cost
of living is so high in Britain now that without state benefits,
tax credits and other helps the bottom third won't survive.
Brown and Labour understand the need for this support system, the Tories still can't grasp it. Labour in many respects
by grasping the market economy, helping the poor, honouring
our defence committments has become the new moderate
conservative party, they are Mrs Thatchers greatest achievement and could be in power easily for another decade.

P Hoskins, Dorset, England

I always get the impression that Michael Portillo is much more concerned with the electability of the Conservative Party rather than the question of whether its policies would actually benefit the country should it be elected.

Mark Roberts, nottingham, UK

Cameron's biggest problem is the difference between the spin and the reality. He is trying to be the middle-ground choice, yet stuffs his cabinet full of lightweight Old Etonian cronies. He really, really does not have a clue how the other half live.

John Austin, London, England

I am in total agreement with the argument with Mr Portillo's article. The major point he makes that "reassuring the party and widening its electoral support are opposites" shows just how out of touch the Conservatives are with the electorate. Between now and the next election I see Gordon Brown driving a mildly reformist agenda that will do nothing to disturb the wealth of most whilst bringing a perception that the Brown years will be real social democracy.

Geoff Stairmand, Macclesfield, Cheshire

The Cameron project has failed, and calls for unity are misguided. It has consisted of a serious of gratuitous gestures to the left - grammar schools, positive discrimination, staying in the EPP, environmental extremism - that have not in any way been concerned with winning Lib Dem and Labour voters. It talked of "heir to Blair" when Blair was at his most discredited stage. While failing to win the centre, it has alienated the core vote and increased the temptation to support UKIP; there is no point to winning power if it is just to implement Labour policies. Oh that it were true that "Cameron has wobbled", but I see little sign of it. What the Party needs is a new approach, and a new leader; then we can unite.

William MacDougall, London,

It would be impossible for them to get further off-message. Cameron knows that reassuring the party and widening its electoral support are opposites

guoxingliu, xiamen, china

Brown has kept his powder dry and has the advantage that Blair will take his baggage with him (Iraq et all).
Cameron latched onto Blairism when it was going out of fashion and so has displayed lack of judgement in opposition, after years of desperately looking around for policy he has come up with precisely nothing of substance.
Brown has already started to throw out certain Blair principles and in this he is quite astute (he has recently come over as the hard man over European constitution as opposed to poodle Blair).
Cameron bought the wrong ticket to the wrong destination and has just missed the bus again, he's a nowhere man.

Simon, Leeds, U.K.

Mr Portillo is absolutly right. I cringe everytime I see Haigh and that other Eurosceptic, Heathcote Amery. Do they really believe that time does not move on and that we are suspended somewhere between 1500 and 1945?

Robert Holton, London, UK

The problem the Tories have is Cameron only has spin and no policies to offer the public.They are now getting in a mess over European policy again with Hague trying to copy UKIP policies and upsetting the UK business leaders on Europe bashing. Both the conservative leaders Sarkozy and Merckol have no faith in Cameron due to him being weak and frightend to discuss policies on Europe.When will the Tories dump Cameron for Davis.

Bill Rees, Truro, Cornwall

It's really not on to blame the party faithful for the recent well-documented mistakes of the leadership. Cameron's signal advantage over previous Tory leaders was that Blair had become unpopular. Polls showed that Brown was even more so. This advantage has been frittered away by ineptitude at the top, not by pressure from below.

Ed, London,

Portillo the failed is letting his slip show in this very chip on the shoulder article.Cameron has another 2 years to attack Brown and plenty of ammunition,such as the Gulf War and the disgraceful performance of the PC MoD,the increasing disparity between the rich and everone else,the failure despite huge amounts of extra taxpayers cash to competently manage and improve the performance of the NHS,stae schools and the
police.
He can be as tough as he likes with the big mouthed diehards, as they have no where to go.He must now ruthlessly whip all Tory MPs ,MEPs, and councillors back into shape.He has nothing to lose by sticking to his gins.

R G James, Brasschaat, Belgium

Thank goodness Michael Portillo failed to become leader of the Conservative Party. Each week reveals that there is nothing of substance behind his political thinking other than a lust for power on any basis and a resentment that he failed in his own leadership bid. This is all too common amongst today's politicians. They want a job and all the trappings that go with it. Governance of the country is a mere inconvenient detail. Giving away powers to Brussels is ok it leaves them with even less responsibility. The views of the electorate count for nothing except to be deceived at election time.
Blair has been a mendacious Prime Minister who has enthralled politicians but has failed his country. The time has come for honest, competent politicians with integrity and principled beliefs. None of these qualities I fear will appeal to Mr Portillo.

Brian Tomkinson, BOLTON, UK

Mr Portillo is correct, but for the wrong reasons. What we have now is a supine population used to spin and selfishness. If Brown does nothing to rock the boat he can win the next election easily, by letting the Blue Labour party lose it. cameron has no feel for the public mind because he isn't of the public. He will hammer the final nail in the coffin of a once great party.

David gardiner, Wolverhampton, England

Mr Brown will get his honeymoon period. Then the problems of Labour's creation will become obvious again. The Tories have to keep going, and land as many hits on Mr Brown as they can. They will have no shortage of targets.

And the West Lothian question will bite hard into Mr Brown's popularity in time. The argument for an English parliament may grow.

Peter Davies, Halifax, UK

For someone who has "left politics", Mr Portillo displays a remarkable case of sour grapes. Why not wait a bit longer to actually see Brown at work as Prime Minister? These dog days before Blair slips into long-deserved oblivion are unimportant. I predict that Brown will be an awful leader, whom the country will hasten to despatch as soon as the time comes. The more Mr Brown intends to change the whole thrust of the Labour Government, the more the electorate will have the moral right to demand an election. The British voted Labour in 1997 largely because of Tony Blair's smiling, confident, youthful face, not guessing the confidence trickster that lurked behind it. They didn't vote for (and barely knew the existence of) Gordon Brown. If Brown plods on until 2010 then Britain will look even more like an elected dictatorship. The Tories' job is to constantly remind the British public that Brown is there under false pretences, never elected, not even by the Labour Party's own machine.

Mike Mitchell, Spalding, England

I think this is unnecessarily fatalistic. The fact remains that in all polls that put Brown at the head of the Labour party, the Tory lead is increaced to at least 6 or 7 points. Therefore, despite the appearences, the public is no more in love with Brown than it was before despite the 'elegant handover' achieved without the inconvienience of an election.

I any case, the Tories had a couple of bad weeks, but the overall psition remains stronger than it has been at any point in the last 10 years by far.

Also, a Tory victory at the next election is not so much the issue- if Labour go into coalistion with the Liberals the government will soon collapse ad then the Torues will win by a landslide. This always happens with coalistions. Better that than a single-figure Tory Majority with the tombstone right holding the party to ransom like the Maastricht rebels.

Luke Blaxill, London,

If Brown reverses some of the worst aspects of control freak government;If he restores power and some dignity to Westminster,the Tories are lost.
I am so dismayed to hear the braying of right wing Donkeys, yet again failing to see that society has changed;it is truly depressing.
Cameron MUST stick to his guns;better to go down fighting than to surrender to the Cancer still infecting his party.

Michael J Rigby, Blackburn, England

All of this goes to prove what I have always thought about Cameron. The Conservatives, in their desperation for their own version of Blair, elected a PR man not a leader and it is a leader they most need. Politics is not just about positioning a party on the electoral spectrum it is about capturing the imagination and speaking from the heart. Cameron just hasn't got it.

Cameron has been desperate to be nice and all things to all people, of being green and inclusive. The public hasn't bought it. The public hasn't bought it not because of all of the chuntering behind his back but because he is being insincere.

Perhaps what we need is a good old fashioned conviction politician with passion without recourse to focus groups and trendy causes. It would be nice to hear from someone who says what he thinks not what he thinks people want to hear. Brown actually comes across as that kind of politician. He makes the others look flimsy and lightweight.

Paul Owen, Birmingham, UK

Surely no need yet for drama-queenery Mr Portillo ?

The trouble with Cameron is that he is unable to sustain a public presence. He appears (usually) with charisma aglow, then disappears for weeks on end.
I used to think that this was some sort of clever rationing of exposure, but increasingly, it looks as though a) he has nothing to say (until the next photo' op), or b) he lacks the leadership skills to maintain and build a public presence.

As for Osborne, he may be capable minister material, but that reedy voice announcing yet another cheap-shot inanity would try the patience of a saint, let alone an elector. I recommend a prolonged period of silence for George - it would give him time to catch up with his homework.

L. Stewart, Cranbrook, UK