Again though, what the Tories did in the past doesn't mean they'll act in the same way now... a long time has past since they were last in power. I don't know, maybe i'm just being blindly hopeful... A lot of people (and i don't mean you, Jim!) seem to just hate the Tories because it's cool to do so
At it's heart, just as Labour is still essentially at the whim of Unions even if it's got better at directing them, the Tories are run by a bunch of rabid loons from the old families and ageing daily mail lead paranoids out to look after themselves. They've just realised they need someone a little more pallatable upfront.
The mechanisms mean that the party faithfull eventualy push more and more for their policies to be carried out. Just look at Portillo, an absolute pompous twat when in a position within the cabinet facing up the party. As soon as he released himself from HQ and was allowed to express his own opinions he seemed, and still does, eminently intellingent and sensible.
I'd be far happier if MP's from all sides were just alowed to represent their constituents using their own principles in line with some over arching party themese and policies. That way, PR and hung parliaments can and do work.
The Liberals strength in local politics, which has also been their weakness in National elections, has been that they pretty much react to local issues and allow party members to be as mad or as sensible as they like to be. It means nobody wants to vote them in to run the country though.
Hopefully they will stay this way and make the Tories keep the rank and file in their cages for a few months. I think once some form of PR or voting reform is put forward it will lead to an election pretty much straight after.