Clash of the Davids?

There has been much written about the current leadership of the Conservative party - and I wouldn't want to bore people with the numerous comments, rumors and so on that are circulating at the moment.

If we are to believe the papers, and perhaps more importantly the bookies (and they usually get it right) whenever the contest happens, and whatever the rules are - it's going to be between David Davis and David Cameron.

As an ordinary party member I have to say that most people will not have heard of Mr Cameron - and won't really know what he stands for. There is a very interesting piece in this weeks New Statesman entitled "The birth of Blameron" which liken Cameron to Blair. The basic thrust of the article is that Cameron is trying to be a Tory Tony Blair. My one question is that does the party, and indeed the country need or want an updated version of Mr Blair?

My personal view is no we don't. Yes we all can learn the lessons of the Labour Party and how they had to modernise their own campaign machine and so on. And yes, image does count for something - though not as much as some people probably think.

Whether MPs, members or indeed both have a role in selecting a leader I think they should be looking for certain things. Someone with a track record, someone who can be a statesman yet "retain the common touch" which to me means they know what people are really interested in (and whether we like it or not it isn't the European Constitution or whether Peter Mandelson has more power as an unelected bureaucrat) , and quite frankly someone who has leadership qualities.

You can't learn them, you can't inherit them, you don't get them from a posh school - perhaps its the hand you're dealt with - but some people have it and others don't.

The New Statesman article comments,"

At about the time Evelyn Waugh was complaining about the modernism of his generation, a journalist confronted Brendan Bracken, Winston Churchill's slippery but plausible sidekick. He couldn't put his finger on what was wrong until something clicked, and in an indomitable voice cried: "You're phoney! Everything about you is phoney. Even your hair, which looks like a wig, isn't." Unless he can mature overnight by at least ten years, the same will be said of David Cameron."

Now I am certainly not in a position to comment on the merits of David Cameron - Im sure he is very capable. What I do know is that if we are choosing a leader for today - and that's what we are doing, we need someone who can inspire our activists and engage with the public. That means engaging with people not just in leafy suburbs in the South - but reaching out to the millions of voters who have deserted us in many urban areas in the North.

We aren't choosing someone who might be ready to win in 10 years - we need someone with the capabilities to win now. If you are looking for a winner then in my book it has to be David Davis.