Inevitable doom?

More on that last subject - are the Tories now irredeemably fucked, as some of their backbenchers seem to think? If the economy tanks, then yes I think they probably are. But I don't think the economy will tank. I suspect that GDP statistics aren't much cop (it being much harder accurately to measure a services economy than a manufacturing one), and that 2014-2015 will see steadily improving performance - not so much as to resolve all problems, but enough to run a 'Britain is back to work, don't let Labour ruin it' sort of campaign.

Unless, of course, the Tories do something completely self-defeating and daft - like a suicidal leadership challenge.