David Cameron kisses a hoodie

Cameron meets shoppers in Bury Market, Greater Manchester (Photo: PA)

David Cameron is enjoying the daily evolution of the Nick Clegg position on PR and deals. His gag on the plane to Manchester was “Vote Clegg, get Balls”, which will make Labour folk laugh even more. There’s a rumour that Dave might turn up in Morley and Outwood shortly to see how the Education Secretary is getting on. As James Kirkup pointed out earlier, Dave made a big play of his admiration for Gladstone, to buff up that progressive conservative idea he’s on about, as well as Barack Obama and his “audacity of hope” line, saying he wanted a bit more audacity and optimism from his party for the next 10 days.

We are heading for Bolton where Mr Cameron will press on with the Big Society by meeting Helen Newlove, whose husband Gary was beaten to death by thugs outside his house a few years ago.  This is a challenge for Mr Cameron: he’s identifying himself with people who have experienced the worst horrors of crime but he is criticised for not being clear enough on crime.

At the moment though he’s kissing babies and buying black pudding in Bury market. It’s a high speed walkabout, during which he was grabbed by a teenage goth who said “you are so going to win”, comforted an elder woman barged by the BBC, ate pastries. All done in 5 minutes.  The baby provided the quote of the moment: he had a hood, so Dave said: “It’s official: I’ve now hugged a hoodie.”