Spell out your vision for Britain, David Cameron - Telegraph.co.uk

It may be that in his efforts to modernise the Conservatives, Mr Cameron is reluctant to embrace, at least in public, the principles that defined his predecessors: an unequivocal commitment to free choice, to free markets, and to individual responsibility. But the effect of emphasising how different the new Conservatives are from the old ones has not been to convince the voters that the Tory leader and his friends are committed to a radically new kind of Conservatism. It seems, rather, to have created the impression that Mr Cameron doesn't mean what he says; that is far more damaging than an unequivocal commitment to "old" Conservative policies, for it weakens the voters' trust in him. And if voters don't trust him, they won't vote for the party he leads at the next election.

The only way to reverse these negative perceptions is for Mr Cameron to be forceful and frank about his commitment to increasing prosperity, opportunity and freedom for all. To do that, he needs to articulate the philosophy of the market, and of individual responsibility, much more clearly and enthusiastically. As we report today, the legislative programme for the next year, to be outlined in this week's Queen's Speech, suggests that the Tory leadership is beginning to see the importance of this. What is not in the statement is almost as important as what is. Gone are those issues that Right-wing Conservatives deride as "wind-turbine Toryism". There will be little on the environment, and nothing on foreign aid. Lords reform will be tied up with so many qualifications that it appears unlikely to happen soon. HS2, the high-speed rail link between Birmingham and London, won't be in this year's Speech, we understand. There will be sensible proposals to make it easier for employers to hire and fire employees, something that should increase employment. There will be a renewed focus on helping people who work hard and play by the rules.

All this is welcome. But the Tory leadership need to go further if they are to regain voters' trust. The task is to persuade the electorate that the Conservatives are genuinely on the side of ordinary men and women, rather than of privilege. They will only win a second term if they succeed.