The public doesn't expect a great deal out of its politicians on the caring front. Often a sympathetic face is enough. Tony Blair understands this, which is why he will still be prime minister next Christmas. William Hague does not, which is why he invariably hits the bum note.
Tone is what it is all about.
Our Tone's heart has gone out to the countryside and he's delayed the elections by a month just to show how much he cares. It won't much impress the farmers, to whom a month's delay seems rather paltry, but it should go down well with the largely urban British public. And that's what matters. There are votes in showing a little charity. In a poll last week two thirds of those interviewed felt that Tony Blair should delay the elections.