Cameron is not sunk. But we need to know what his Britain would be like…

The Conservative leader needs to get his mojo back. At least he had some to start with, mojo not being a quality much associated with his predecessors: ‘That often elusive quality that sets a person apart from everyone else. The word “magic” could, almost without exception, replace it in all of its contexts, sentences or applications.’ So says urbandictionary.com and it should know.

Yet something has gone wrong with Dave’s magic. We are approaching the point when the Conservative chances at the next election will either crystallise or begin to break apart. Having risen to 37-38 per cent in the polls, Mr Cameron is drifting downwards — well away from the 41 per cent minimum he needs to contend for victory. Some of this is ‘Brown bounce’ but not all. The end of the ‘phoney war’ with Tony Blair gives the Tories their best chance yet to define their election bid more clearly. It is also the time when weaknesses and neglected opportunities begin to tell.

That is one reason Central Office has a new boy this week, the former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as communications supremo (strategy remains firmly in the hands of Mr Cameron’s trusted ally, Steve Hilton). Mr Coulson and I were once guests at a lunch where the representative from Camp Cameron got a general roasting for the inconsistencies of the new Conservatism. As one of the loudest complainants, Mr Coulson ended one argument by methodically banging his head on the table in protest at the spin from the Tory leader’s emissary. I interpret this as a good sign. Being from a different background, with experience of how the new Tories can irritate as well as impress, should be a valuable corrective to too much inbred thinking in the leader’s inner circle. He should also bring a sceptical instinct about some of the ideas from the Cameron factory which sound clever but end up in a retreat or a muddle and eat away at any sense of clarity or priority.