David Cameron is planning a government of GOATS and Dragons

James Forsyth reviews the week in politics

There is one promise that David Cameron makes regularly that even the shadow Cabinet doesn’t believe he intends to keep: that he is going to end the era of ‘sofa government’ and bring back ‘Cabinet government’. Their experience over the past four years has taught them that real power in the Cameron Tory party rests not in the shadow Cabinet room but in the suite of offices that Cameron, George Osborne and their advisers inhabit. Rather than bringing back Cabinet government, Cameron intends to bring in a whole new style of government.

The Tory command chain has Mr Cameron at the top, and those who work within a ten-metre radius of him below. Shadow Cabinet meetings are where the various Tory spokesmen are briefed rather than consulted; the leadership talks of ‘giving’ shadow ministers policy. The closer the party gets to power, the less interest there seems to be in the opinions of the front bench.