Cameron: We've got no principles or policies, but I've got a wonderful webcam

The Sunday Mirror quotes some of the things David Cameron will say today:

In his speech today, Cameron will defend his lack of policies by comparing his drive to reshape the Tories to building a house.

"First you prepare the ground," Cameron will tell the Tories faithful. "Then you lay the foundations. And then, finally, brick by brick, you build your house."

He will add: "But preparing the ground is just the first stage. Now we must show what we will build there. That means laying strong foundations. Not pulling policies out of a hat.

"Policy without principle is like a house without foundations. It will not stand the test of time."

This chimes in nicely with what Cameron's spinmeisters have been saying - that their conference will announce no policies and that first, they say, the party must lay out a "solid foundation" of principles before designing any policies.

So the Conservatives have no principles or any policies at the moment. Or at least if they have any principles they are not sure, collectively, what they are.

But they have a leader who acts beautifully in front of the webcam, so that's alright then.

The Observer gives another angle on the Cameron speech:

David Cameron will echo one of President John F Kennedy's most famous speeches today when he asks the British public to stop asking what the state can do for them and instead ask what they can do for each other.

In other words: don't look at us for any policies folks - or principles or even leadership, for that matter.

The Times borrows an Americanism and says that the question to be asked about Cameron is: "Where's the beef?"

Devastatingly, The Times goes on to say:

He is wrong...to think that he can get by purely by steering the Tories towards the centre ground and offering a few touchy-feely ideas. To take him at his own words, where is the principle? A Conservative party has to stand for a smaller state and lower taxes, for freedom of the individual rather than an interventionist state. It has to believe that private enterprise is generally better at doing things than the public sector. It has to demonstrate that it would be more effective at controlling crime and immigration than Labour. Above all, it has to show that it believes in something. Mr Cameron has yet to show that he believes in anything other than Mr Cameron.