Tory Mike's carpeting for Cameron

Firstly, apologies to anyone who was not an avid TV watcher in the Yorkshire area in the 1980s and 90s. You may not be familiar with a businessman who regularly appeared in his own commercials for his carpet stores.

His name is Mike Smith of Mike's Carpets fame. Mike would regularly pop-up in between episodes of Crossroads and Emmerdale Farm urging us to get down to his emporium to take advantage of his latest batch of bargain Axminsters and Wiltons.

Mike is still in business and is still an avid supporter of the Conservative Party, describing himself as a lifelong Tory. I asked Mike to appear in an item for the Politics Show in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to offer his views on the challenges facing the party as it holds its first conference in government for 14 years.

He is not a huge fan of the coalition and although he says he quite likes David Cameron, Mike believes the trouble with the modern Conservative Party is "it's full of toffs and public schoolboys who do not understand the working class."

Mike hails from the West Riding mill town of Batley and was brought up by a single mother at a time when money was tight. Growing up he was particularly aggrieved at not being able to afford one of the newly-built council houses in the area, which he says were being snapped up by people who "couldn't be ar**d to work."

So it's no surprise that Mike lists welfare reform as the biggest challenge facing the Conservative-led coalition. He suggests a sign should be put up in maternity hospitals warning mothers-to-be..."If you can can't feed them don't breed them!"

What are the odds on hearing that line in David Cameron's speech to the party faithful in Birmingham?

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