Revolting, Panic-Stricken Tories are doing Ed Miliband’s job for him

Panic, once let loose, is hard to corral. And there seems to be plenty of panic on the Tory benches at Westminster. The Eastleigh by-election result, the stagnant economy and the rising sense that the Prime Minister has somehow lost his way all contribute to this. Each fresh setback – or perceived setback – now has an impact disproportionate to the actual size or importance of the problem. These things are no longer measured on a linear scale.

Read, for instance, Ben Brogan’s analysis in today’s Telegraph and you will perceive an under-current of deep panic presently afflicting the Tory tribe in London. Similarly, when Paul Goodman is writing – correctly, I think – that a post-2015 leadership campaign has already, if quietly, begun you can sense the fear in Tory ranks. Indiscipline, already rampant on the backbenches, is spreading to the cabinet. Nor is this merely the standard pre-budget jockeying for position.