The purpose of a political party is to gain power. The hunger of the Cameroons for power is palpable, nothing will be allowed to stand in the way of that objective. Principles will be dispensed with if the polling demands it. When the rank and file object on ConservativeHome they are disparaged by the Cameroons in the same terms as the mid-nineties Blairites disparaged the Labour left.

Political professionals have little time for activist true believers and their pesky principles. Freedom of speech is one of those fundamental principles in a free democracy. It requires that you especially defend the rights of those with whom you disagree. Guido has gone to the trouble of watching the Fitna video, it contains no call to violence, in fact it condemns violence.

In the past and at great cost diplomatically, a Conservative government defended Salman Rushdie’s freedom of speech. It is therefore profoundly disappointing that the Tories have chosen to be officially agnostic about Geert Wilders. The decontamination strategy has turned into moral cowardice.

*Chris Huhne’s sophistry has brought disgrace to the name of “liberalism”.