Not being Ed Miliband’ may not be enough to win Cameron the general election
There is something odd going on in British politics. The traditional link between the economy and the political fortunes of the governing party is in abeyance. David Cameron and the Conservatives are much less despised than they expected they would be; a year ago, not even the most optimistic Tory would have thought they’d be level pegging with Labour in the polls. But the economy, by contrast, is in far worse shape than anyone in government predicted.
Despite the gloomy outlook, the Cameroons will arrive at their conference in Manchester in good heart. They believe that they still have the party firmly behind them. But the real source of their confidence is the belief that Cameron will always beat Ed Miliband.
One focus group of swing voters conducted a fortnight ago was so damning about the Labour leader that it even cheered up Andrew Cooper, Cameron’s pollster and chief strategist, who regards it as his job to warn colleagues that the Tory brand is still contaminated.
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