The FT has noticed the complete mess the Tories are in. Commenting in an editorial today they say:

[T]he Conservatives, long considered the “nasty party”, are now thought to be concerned about tackling the problems facing poor families.

It must be admitted that, despite his good intentions, Mr Cameron is muddled about how he intends to do this. He confuses poverty, social immobility and inequality. He gives too much weight to family breakdown: the Tory leader would be surprised by how few social questions there are to which the answer is “encourage more people to get married”.

Quite so: the Tories might like to think they have a heart, they just have yet to find it. But things are worse than that:

The Tory stance on fiscal policy, however, is to tighten as quickly as the UK economy can absorb it — if not faster. To square this circle, the party could give up some of its reforming zeal or ease its fiscal hawkishness. Otherwise, it will need to pursue some combination of deep service cuts and tax increases to find the money so that it can both close the deficit and bring in reforms. Grim choices indeed. But, rather than economising on their aspirations, the Tories keep finding new ways to spend.

This, of course, is inevitable. Need rises when we have a recession. Their mislaid hearts have notcied: their heads are fighting the need they know exists. So, how to square the circle?

This might be awkward: an admission — even an implicit one — that tax rises may be the price of reform will upset the electorate. It may also provoke irritation among activists, MPs and the right-wing press at a time when party relations have been rubbed raw by Mr Cameron’s sensible refusal to call a referendum on the Lisbon treaty.

And they note:

The British public needs to know whether David Cameron can find the money — and the authority over his party — to follow in the footsteps of Benjamin Disraeli.

The reference is, of course, to the great ‘one nation’ Tory:a tradition that has an honourable history — I concede — but which the Tories have forgotten for far too long. And the analysis is accurate: there are no real cuts to be had: reforms will cost as much as they save, and there is no appetite for cuts in this country. We like and need our public services and the idea of losing them is horribly unpalatable.

No wonder the Tories or beginning to fade in the polls. Being different is not enough — even when opposing Gordon Brown. Having ideas is essential. And the Tory cupboard looks horribly bare of those — and too conflicted to create them.