Matthew Dancona

James is right that the Tories are not 'lurching to the Right'. There's nothing intrinsically 'rightwing' about examining the case for tax cuts: if there were, why would Gordon Brown have been so keen to present his final Budget as a 'tax-cutting' package? No, the real problem is one of consistency. If the Tories are serious about abolishing death duties - and I do hope they are - how do they square that enthusiasm with their absolute commitment not to make upfront promises of tax cuts, a pledge most forcefully delivered in George Osborne's conference speech last year? That pledge is symbolic of the moderniser's creed: economic stability first, no matter what. Can the circle be squared? Thoughts, please.

Further to James's post, when the prospect of a Darfur deal at the UN was raised on the PM's plane to Washington nine days ago, I asked British officials this very question: where did the initiative leave Lord Malloch Brown, given that he is responsible for policy on both Africa and the UN? The answer, rather tersely delivered, was that His Lordship would, of course, be 'involved'. Well, yes. But how 'involved'? And how publicly? Since Malloch Brown is presently locked in his grace and favour attic, like the first Mrs Rochester, it is impossible to say.

Editor back online – I have been in the States with Gordon’s travelling party, and fascinating it was, too. Though an evangelical convert to blogging, I thought on this occasion I would break my own rule (Always Be Posting) and save my thoughts for a full report in tomorrow’s magazine. In any case, mobile phones don’t work at Camp David, a naval facility where the Marines take no nonsense from British hacks fussing over their laptops and Blackberries. Suffice it to say that the trip was an unmissable experience, watching a new Prime Minister and his gang settling into their roles with all eyes upon them. You can read my despatch tomorrow.

Geoffrey Wheatcroft has a bizarre piece in today's Guardian attacking Dave for hugging the "centre-ground" and for surrounding himself with a Blairesque "junta". Too much energy is expended on defining - usually as a prelude to trashing - the concept of the "centre-ground": it means no more or less than the political mainstream, what animates voters and makes them worried. Thus, the "centre-ground" should include a civilised response to people's concerns over immigration, as much as an attention to environmental issues. Cameron, by the way, is perfectly well aware of this.

Last night, The Spectator celebrated its (modern) birthday, July 5, 1828, and its move to the heart of Westminster with the magazine's annual summer party. It isn't for me to speak for others but, as host, I had a fantastic time. Inclement weather meant the elevation of a marquee in the garden of 22 Old Queen Street - or, rather, a Big Tent, which was able to accommodate the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet, as well as an A-team of top Tories led by George Osborne. Gordon walked over from Number Ten and revealed that he is still finding rooms in the building he did not know existed. We talked - as you do - about the respective merits of Gertrude Himmelfarb and Linda Colley, as well as the success of Britain's Got Talent.

The Brown doctrine on the war on terror is emerging more quickly than we might have expected and certainly than he would have wished. In his interview with Andrew Marr, the Prime Minister rightly pointed out that al Qaeda's campaign against the West began long before the liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq. He spoke - again, wisely - of the war against our "values", the assault by the Islamists upon a way of life rather than a specific foreign policy. He seems to understand that there is no quick fix. He grasps that we will need tougher security measures and rights to detain without charge beyond 30 days.

What will Gordon Brown say on the threshold of Number Ten? In 1990, Margaret Thatcher famously quoted St Francis of Assisi: “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope." Seven years later, after the poll tax riots and Tory civil war, John Major promised unity in party and nation: “Because it will be neither easy nor quick – if you will forgive me – I will go into Number 10 straight away and make a start right now.” In 1997, surrounded by party workers waving flags, Tony Blair declared: "For 18 years - 18 long years - my party has been in opposition. It could only say, it could not do.