DAVID Cameron has emerged from the General Election campaign enhanced and with more political clout.
No pollster predicted that the Conservatives would win an outright majority; the general view was that politicians were preparing for days if not weeks of horse-trading as parties jostled for power in a hung parliament.
But the unexpected majority has given the Prime Minister, as he began to frame his new government yesterday, added power and authority to achieve his goals; even his internal detractors on the Right had to admit that he performed better than expected in the campaign.
While his external critics pointed to how a Tory government with a majority would always be in hock to its right-wingers - for example in the John Major era - the Prime Minister seemed to revel in the opportunity to lead a government of Conservatives; something denied him back in 2010.
A majority means that the Tory leader can pursue those policies in the party's manifesto without fear he will have to compromise in some way with a junior partner.
In such circumstances, we are likely to see more steep public spending cuts to reduce the deficit. So there will be benefit freezes, a reduction in the welfare cap, further departmental cuts and a crackdown on tax avoidance to find £30bn of savings.
Details of where £12bn worth of specific welfare cuts are likely to come in the next year or so as the pace of fiscal consolidation continues before the books are balanced in the middle of the parliament and the Conservative Government seeks to build a budget surplus.
Without, what the Tories considered, the drag of the Lib Dems on certain policies, Mr Cameron will have more scope to pursue his party's plans at his own pace.
One key policy area, which could have significant political ramifications is the renewal of Trident. The Conservatives are the most gung-ho towards a full four submarine continuous at-sea replacement.
But the main gateway decision has to be taken in early 2016; which just happens to fall in the run-up to the next Holyrood elections. A large outcry from the Scottish Nationalists in the run-up to the Scottish poll is widely expected.
Trident renewal , theoretically, could provide the trigger for Nicola Sturgeon to include in the SNP's Holyrood manifesto a commitment to hold a second independence referendum.
Yet the subject above all else that, in the first half of the parliament, has the potential to destabilise an even strengthened PM is the referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.
The Tory eurosceptic faction will be watching their leader eagerly in the run-up to the 2017 poll but are unlikely to rock the boat too much for fear of giving easy hits to their political opponents on the Labour and SNP benches. But once the referendum begins, then deep divisions will emerge and, depending on the outcome, there could be a considerable fall-out.
While Mr Cameron has insisted he will serve a full five-year second term, there is a growing belief at Westminster that once the EU referendum is concluded, he will call it a day.
This would be particularly wise as, having won one Scottish independence referendum, and then won an EU referendum, why should the Tory leader put himself through a potential second independence referendum in 2018 or 2019 when he runs the risk of defeat and being forever known as the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Meantime, as the dust began to settle on the Tories' election victory, Mr Cameron wasted no time in framing his new government, starting with the top positions; all of which were unchanged. More appointments, including those of a new Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Energy Secretary, Business Secretary and Scottish Secretary are due to be made over the weekend.
The immovables were:
*George Osborne, who remains as Chancellor, but is also given the title of First Secretary of State, signalling that if Mr Cameron should fall under the proverbial No 9 bus, Mr Osborne would take charge.
*Theresa May continues as Home Secretary. The right-wing flame-holder would like to succeed Mr Cameron as PM but will only strike once the party leader names his day of departure.
*Philip Hammond, the Treasury-minded safe pair of hands, who moved from defence to the glamour job at the FCO, stays put too and will be central in the PM's bid to reform Europe ahead of the 2017 referendum.
*Michael Fallon, the no-nonsense Scot, keeps his role as Defence Secretary and will lead the defence and security review ahead of that key decision in early 2016 to approve the renewal of Trident.
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