Why poor Mr Howard can’t get a good press, even from Tory newspapers

The Tory party conference began on Monday, and Radio 4’s Today programme gave it the kind of send-off reserved for truly hopeless causes. Item after item emphasised the Tories’ unfitness to govern, their uniformly low spirits and their enduring unpopularity. One excited reporter even suggested that the party might slide off the political map as the Liberals did, an event which he chose to place in the 19th century. The reason for all this wailing and gnashing of teeth was the Conservatives’ abysmal performance in the Hartlepool by-election — which we had known about for three days — and a Populus poll which appeared in that morning’s Times showing the party’s support at 28 per cent. The story covered almost the whole of the front page of the tabloid version of the paper, and was about as unfriendly to the Tories as it was possible to be in the circumstances, and as supportive of Tony Blair.