True Grit

A Government's resolve is invariably tested as it approaches
mid-term. PM Dave's recently handling of the Coalition has seen some distinct policy wobbles over the NHS and education which hints at a growing soft-centre. Perhaps his inexperience is coming to the fore again.

Ken Clarke's long-telegraphed penal reforms were carelessly dumped this week. Clumsy old Ken had made a good case for turning away from New Labour's inspired 'punishment first' criminal justice agenda. For a country where crime has fallen for a dozen years, it is more than an anomaly for prison numbers to be constantly at a record high. Slashing the numbers of pointless custodial sentences and the 11,000 needlessly put on remand anually, would also go along way to saving the £2bn demanded to sate the Treasury machine.

Dave sat Clarkey down this week and told him 'no dice' - the power of the right wing media and backbench headbangers was too strong. So the Coalition's sole progresive policy was binned in favour of reactionary prejudice. If Cameron want to achieve status of a PM with a bold vision then this is a mere political molehill compared to the mountain he has yet to climb. This policy triangulation typified Brown's premiership where No.10 evetually reached a state of paralysed fear of upsetting anyone.

Ken is back at the drawing board and must be wondering what his place in the Cabinet is for. Cameron's special advisers must be whispering the same.