I'm no fan of the conservative party but as tories go, David Cameron is probably the one of the best we could have hoped for.
Looking back to the tory leadership election, he was up against the likes of David Davies and Liam Fox. Take a look at their political positions and you'll realise it could be a lot worse. Look at some of his predecessors, such as Margaret Thatcher & Iain Duncan Smith. Look at some of the decisions that tory councils have made - charging people to use publicly funded playgrounds.
The tories have some horrible policies that inevitably make things worse for those who they, for whatever reason find distasteful (usually those on lower incomes). It's a party that still attracts people with some astonishing lack of compassion and empathy for those less fortunate than themselves (the aforementioned rivals for the tory leadership, aforementioned councillors, Kenneth Baker, Daniel Hannan .... etc).
David Cameron has risked the wrath of the far right tories with some of the concessions he has made, eg on overseas aid. Much of the good that his party are doing now is because they are in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, but nonetheless - David Cameron has been willing to work with a party that is not a natural ally, and he deserves some of the credit for that.
@Confused Hal:
"He sure is - he has taxed the poor to pay for the rich"
Did you object when the Bliar/Brown government did the same?
"He has reserved universities for the rich"
...by making university education FREE unless you're earning more than £21k. Are people who earn less than £21k, rich?
Or is it the fact that assistance is being given to students whose parents earn less than £60k with their living expenses? The less their parents earn, the more help they will receive, those children whose parents were on benefits or minimum wage jobs will be given more assistance than those approaching the £60k threshold.
Are you trying to tell us that children whose parents live on minimum wage jobs, or on benefits are somehow rich?
Please explain how the system inherited from labour (whereby poorer families have to find the money up front or go without), gives those from poorer backgrounds better access to university. Or how somebody on a low salary can somehow find an extra £540 per year to pay off their loan, as under the current system. I keep asking, but I never get that one answered.
"he is in the process of privatising the NHS at the expense of cancer patients"
His original backing of Andrew Lansley's NHS reforms was scary. Very scary. I'm not sure that any other leader of the tories would have been more compassionate than Shiny Dave C though. I can't think that the tories replacing David Cameron with another leader would improve things.
ETA:@Mac the Knife:
I hope that's a typing error. The mind boggles as to what a PUBIC sector worker is! (sorry - I couldn't resist!!). To be fair though - low to middle earners in the public sector have been exempted from the pay freeze.
Gotta say, "Deflection Dave" is a pretty good name for him. Quite apart from the LibDems, did you see how quickly, and effectively he deflected the blame on to his aides during that hospital visit?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/surgeon-ranted-pm-previous-123817225.html It was entirely natural to him to do that. Still - an ability to deflect blame is almost invariably how people rise to the top in most workplaces, so it's hardly surprising that somebody who has worked his way to the top of a political party would be so adept at it.