Between a rock and a hard place?

Cameron and company have a difficult task. They have assiduously built a party image as very much a centrist party.

Now they are confronted with a situation quite different from that expected. The next government will have to emphasise austerity. There will have to be cuts and tax increases. So far G.Brown and company have not laid out how they would "square the circle", but Cameron as challenger is repeatedly asked for details.

A Times leader today suggests that it talking about a freeze on funds to the BBC Cameron could be giving the impression that he is moving to the right. This is staggering, - stand still is still a cut in real terms if there is any inflation, but while the competitors of the BBC are making massive cuts in many directions it would not be unfair for the BBC to do a little belt-tightening.

The Times is right in one respect. There are already signs in poll ratings and by-elections that disaffected labour voters are turning to their natural alternatives, the LibDems, although they too are keeping mum about how they would deal with the recession/depression.

So what does Cameron believe. He was asked the question by Fraser Nelson at yesterday's press conference, "Give me five good reasons to vote Tory." (This was itself the winning entry in a "Coffee House" competition.) Cameron's answer was:

"1) Get rid of the exhausted Labour government.
2) Tories would give people more power over their lives, and devolve power to people and local authorities.
3) Move away from an economy built on debt to one built on saving.
4) Mend the broken society.
5) Radical school reform."

Fraser gives his own comments on the answer, generally favourable. As far as Tories generally are concerned, I suspect that most would be happy, but see it as a long haul.

If he can expand a little more on 2,3 and 4, - we already know some detail on 5, thanks to Michael Gove, then it could convince others, but don't ignore the power of Labour to spin and smear nor the Libdems to be all things to all men.