M-A-N-I-F-E-S-T-O

Am I being harsh? Quite possibly. But I couldn't resist said "invitation".

Still, we shouldn't criticise too much. After all, if the Conservatives do get into power, it's important to support the Government of the day, albeit without doing so blindly. And some of the proposals by the Conservatives could be very good indeed for Britain. If Cameron can really provide people with the opportunity to set up their own school - and it works - then he will have truly worked wonders. However, it is a sizable "if".

Unfortunately for Cameron, he can't really seem to keep on the same tack. A few months ago he was talking about the deficit being the thing to solve: the manifesto barely talks about that, and there's not a lot about taxes either. He is also clearly trying to promote the idea of "change" in the same way Obama did: but whereas Obama timed his run perfectly, Cameron is making his pitch 18 months too late. The economy has technically recovered, Brown is bad but not pathetic, and more importantly, has shown himself to be capable of hanging on in a tough situation.

Personally, I think the Conservatives do have one ace in the hole when it comes to their election campaign - and indeed their manifesto - and that is their Shadow Education Secretary Michael Gove (above). He has only been in the post for three years, but already he is looking very impressive: in an interview on Channel 4 tonight he was confident, clear and coherent. And that is a very potent mix in politics.

Many politicians who have been Shadow Education Secretary have gone on to be big things within their party. Margaret Thatcher was one, Neil Kinnock another, Tony Blair and David Cameron also.

Michael Gove might well be about to join the club. Keep an eye out for him.

Chris