John, I read that article too – with a lot of interest. You were right that it was brilliant, but it was also quite wrong. All parties are in essence coalitions, as the California result reminds us, and unless the right is happy to retreat into sectarian obscurity they will need to continue to be so. More seriously, as you know, the nature of Britain’s ‘first past the post’ voting system makes it very difficult for any third, let alone fourth party to do well. For all the faults of the Tories, their structure (tottering, rotten and entirely laughable though it may be) and the residual loyalty that it continues to enjoy still make it the best base for a right of center party. That said, I’d agree that the party does need to change its approach (although not always in ways that Hitchens might approve). To start with, it needs to understand one thing. Being in opposition means more than recommending what Labour does, only less so.