The Tories' Hung Parliament message will only work if it is endlessly repeated until polling day

Nick Wood's High Noon column.

Will it work? That question will be uppermost in the minds of CCHQ officials in the wake of yesterday's fierce assault on the perils of a hung Parliament mounted by David Cameron and George Osborne.

As I noted at the weekend, Cameron is now running not against Brown and Clegg but against the cosy idea that Britain would be in better hands if the election ended in a draw and the parties had to work together.

For all kinds of reasons, this is nonsense. But it is a public perception that will be hard to shift. That's why the Tory high command was right to go on the front foot yesterday, changing their PEB to target the Hung Parliament Party.

They will have to go on driving the message home all the way to polling day. No message ever gets across unless it is endlessly repeated. Dave should use the Leaders' Debate on Thursday to step up the attack, leveling with the public and pointing out that the painful decisions necessary to restore the nation's finances to health will not be taken by a weak coalition government.

The media will help. Today's Daily Mail contains an excellent piece on how proportional representation has made the government of Italy a byword for corruption and instability. Do we want that in the UK?

It is a time for hard pounding by the Tory leadership. And it will work.

Nick Wood of Media Intelligence Partners.