Cameron plays to the cameras

In Nick Clegg's case, he didn't even have to undertake a campaign visit on Saturday. The Liberal Democrat leader announced that he was spending a day at home with his young family – and he still received the same level of coverage that the TV networks would have devoted to a profound policy speech.

Yesterday, Mr Cameron broke up his journey to the North East in Kirklees to lend his support to those parents campaigning to open their own 900-place secondary school, despite their bid being rebuffed by Schools Secretary Ed Balls. He said that a Tory government would make

it happen.

Mr Cameron's wider rhetoric, about the importance of raising school standards, was passionate. That cannot be denied. But what is less clear is the extent to which parent-run schools will divert valuable funds away from existing LEA budgets.

Conveniently, given the state of the opinion polls, Mr Cameron blamed the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition that runs Kirklees Council. What he did not say, however, is that voters have similar qualms about education standards in cities, like Leeds, that the Tories run with the Lib Dems. He cannot have it both ways.

Equally, voters remain perplexed by the narrative behind his commitment to a "big society" when they have become accustomed, under Labour, to the "big state". They want to know how the inevitable cuts will impact upon their lives or their local school. And they want to know more about Mr Cameron's whole approach to the North.

For, while he now recognises Yorkshire's electoral importance, Mr Cameron implied, during his interview with Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman, that Northern Ireland and the North East could expect public spending cuts if the Tories win power. Presumably, Yorkshire, too, is on that list, but the Conservative leader was not saying so yesterday – nothing was going to be allowed to detract from the occasion's symbolism as he played to the cameras.