A few hours on from the end of conference and the new political landscape is becoming clearer. David Cameron has succeeded in uniting the Conservative party and the right more broadly behind him. The policies announced in Blackpool mean that Conservatives of all stripes now have positive reasons to want a Tory government. The leadership has also succeeded in distilling the work of the policy groups without anyone’s toys disappearing out of the pram.
The more challenging bit comes now: they have to win over the country. As Tim notes, the news segments on the speech have been positive but watching them it is hard to feel that the case for change has been made.
What Cameron has secured, or regained to be more accurate, is the right to be heard: the next election will be a genuine contest. But it is crucial that the Conservatives capitalise on this opportunity.
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