Reinventing the Tories seemed so simple: New Tories are racism free, they’re cool with homosexuality and they love the Public Services. Everything you need to win over those squishy swing voters, it seems.

Well, sort of. There’s something else they need to do, too.  Something that distances themselves from the sins of the past: First they need to keep quiet about Immigration. Second they need to keep quiet about Europe.

Europe is the Tory curse, it seems. Even if it’s not causing them to fight amongst themselves (like Dan Hannan standing down from the front bench to pursue the Lib Dem policy of an In or Out referendum), it’s still forcing them to talk about it.

When they talk about it they upset the anti-EU types because they don’t go far enough. They upset everyone else by simply being seen to be interested in a subject that people don’t consider important.

In my opinion Europe remains toxic for Cameron. The EU is still the top political story (what with a French Minister becoming highly emotional about a potential loss of British influence in the EU) and, for me, it feels like the first serious crack in the Tory machine.

But worse than bringing up Europe (although in fairness the other two parties are keeping schtum and letting the Tories flounder around on their own here) is the constant, constant “when” rather than “if” on the subject of the Tory Government.

Hague was doing it on Radio 5 live last night (while talking about Europe at the same time), and it made for repellent listening.

Get it sorted: If Brown gets another term, I’m blaming you.