1. He's the one candidate who could reach out beyond the Tories' ageing heartland. Just a thought: the last time people voted wholeheartedly for the Tories was 1987. So nobody aged under 36 has cast a heartfelt vote for the Tories. That's an entire generation lost to the party. And don't believe that people will grow into the Conservative cause. Empathising with the Tories is the behaviour of an ageing and dying cohort, like reading The Daily Express or holidaying in Morecambe.
2. Lose Cameron and you lose the brightest hopefuls in the parliamentary party. David Davies has all the vindictiveness of a Whip - no way will his big tent extend to Cameronistas. Can Cameron and you cast out George Osbourne and Michael Gove, who is probably the brightest intellect in the Commons today. Ditch Davies and the Cameron party machine is inclusive enough to welcome back Davies supporters.
3. Choosing Cameron despite his drugs ambiguities is a sign to the electorate that the Tories have grown out of their self-destructive phase. It's a sign that human experience, rather than The Daily Mail, sets the moral agenda in Tory Britain.
Let's see what happens at today's hustings and tomorrow's first vote.
