Cuddly or conservative?

Iain Dale neatly skewers the Cameron rebranding of the Conservatives by pointing out that you can't be friendly to new parents and to small businesses at the same time:

Imagine you are a small business, employing a dozen people. Imagine that you employ a husband and wife, who suddenly inform you that in three months time that they will be having a child. Your joy for them is unalloyed, but at the back of your mind you are dismayed. You are embarrassed at your train of thought and try to hide your dismay.

Why might you be dismayed? Because these two people have been trained to do a job and it would be impossible to replace them for a temporary period of six months if they both decide to take maternity/paternity leave.

While we hope this isn't a reference to Iain's new politics title and its upcoming launch, it is worth pointing out that this is the essential problem Cameron has with his new narrative, and everybody knows it. We'll vote Conservative for a dash of discipline, a slice of slashing and a bit of brutality. As Thatcher said: if it isn't hurting, it isn't working.