When will Dave take us to Third Base?

Will David Cameron scrap quangos? Photo: PA

David Cameron was surprisingly restrained on the Today programme, which explains why there’s mutterings in the Conservative village. He’s identified the quango problem, but we are still waiting for the bonfire while he tries to find the firelighters. On public sector pay his reply was principled – a freeze “is not the way we do pay in this country” – but by defending the independence of the pay review bodies he missed a chance to give a lead.

Protecting them from meddling politicians is one thing, but it is up to governments to set the framework. It might have helped to hear him say he planned to redraft their terms of reference or give them tighter targets. Hoping they might follow the private sector’s lead sounds a bit anaemic in the current circumstances, even if it is refreshing to hear a leader pass up a chance to dictate how an independent body should operate. Maybe it’s a cunning triple reverse ferret ploy, with the Tories ready to accuse Labour of public sector pay ‘cuts’…

More striking was his promise to take us to third base. On his chart first base is the acceptance that cuts are necessary, second is suggesting a few candidates (ID cards, databases, regional quangos). Third he defines as “pointing to those things that in some ways are desirable but because of the straightened finances” have to be cut. “We will be coming forward with more things before the election…We have made certain headway on these public spending issues but I accept that there is more to be done”. The suspense is becoming unbearable.