The World

As kick-off time approached the crowd for David Cameron was smaller than Sarkozy’s, but Our Man didn’t empty the room with his As to Qs, as Sarkozy had done. He fielded the questions himself, they weren’t planted (or didn’t seem to be), so in the second half England edged ahead. As was evident last year, with the Davos audience Cameron has a certain je ne sais quoi.

It was a very different performance from Sarkozy’s: more thoroughly prepared, slicker, more overtly political, less global. We were treated to a full-on defence of Austerity Britain, along now familiar lines. That went down well. Bankers and creatures of that ilk rather go for austerity, as long as it’s not theirs. More surprising was the promise of a new, Made in Britain, economic strategy for a more dynamic Europe, to be delivered in a few weeks time. The expectant public’s appetite was whetted by exciting talk of working towards pushing forward multilateral negotiations on a European patent system, which have so far been under way for about 40 years. Hold page 94.

Cameron is also, it turns out, strongly in favour of deregulation. (Remember you heard it here first.) Just to be clear, though, it applies to everyone but banks, for whom no amount of regulation is too much. He enunciated a new “one-in, one-out” policy. In other words, if a new regulation is proposed, and old one must simultaneously be carded for abolition.

I confess that your correspondent’s attention began to wander at this point. But it returned to base with a jolt when Cameron quoted Jacques Delors about the single market, apparently with approval. I do hope this is not drawn to Lady Thatcher’s attention. I fear the consequences. What short memories our new breed of leaders have.