The last few weeks have given a small insight into just how nasty the forthcoming election campaign is going to be. Today comes the news that David Cameron is trolling off to Brighton to throw some red meat to the blue rinses.

Apparently he will say that it is his “patriotic duty” to oust Gordon Brown. I’m not going to grind a political point here, but I do wonder what went through the mind of Cameron’s speechwriter. Like the fly hitting the windscreen, it was probably his arse.

Given that the average age of the modern Tory activist very nearly qualifies for a telegram from Her Maj, surely someone in that hall this afternoon will be able to remind the lad about Samuel Johnson – “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”.