The Conservative party has voted for a new man to lead them into the next UK general election.

39-year-old David Cameron, an Eton-educated son of a stockbroker, is not all he seems. He might enjoy some of the trappings that are normally enjoyed by the Tory countryside elite – such as riding and shooting, but there is certainly more to him than meets the eye.

The fresh-faced Cameron looks strikingly similar to current Premier Tony Blair when he first took the helm of the Labour Party. He cycles to work, he is outspoken, and his wife has a tattoo on her ankle – he portrays himself as a member of the general public who is there to serve the general public. He listens to modern bands such as The Smiths and Radiohead and even voted on the popular show Pop Idol… that will certainly appeal to the younger voters.

He might very well succeed in doing precisely what Tony Blair did after 18 years in opposition.

But before all that, we need to see the Tories’ state of affairs. The Conservative Party dominated 20th century British politics with the likes of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and later John Major before the party became an antiquated old dinosaur that was out of touch with reality and the people. The party could have had a chance in bringing Thatcher dissenter Michael Heseltine to the helm, but the chance was passed up and it sunk to its lowest ever rating.

The party remained blue-blood through and through and could not reach the ordinary general public. Mr Cameron is the fifth Tory leader in eight years, succeeding the likes of unsuccessful leaders such as William Hague and Ian Duncan Smith. The Tories had mixed results with the last leader, Michael Howard – a formidable debater in the house – but with the drawback of having shortsighted and non-appealing policies.

So, where does this leave Mr Cameron? He needs to shake the party up big-time, dust out the closets, blow out the cobwebs and start afresh. He did win the Tory helm with a 68 per cent majority, so he will feel that he has every authority to turn the party on its head without fear of stiletto attacks in the back – a trait that has beleaguered the Conservative Party every time momentum was gained to change the party from within.

The truth is that Cameron has every chance of making a success of himself and the party. Others have tried to keep to the old Tory traditions and have failed miserably – the old conservative mindset just does not work anymore and is no longer relevant in modern politics.

In a way, he needs to do what Mr Blair did in 1997 when he won the election – only the opposite (sic). Blair managed to gain the support of the young generation and the upper and middle classes with his New Labour. Cameron needs to do the same – he needs to win back the support of the middle class and attract new younger voters – his personality, charm and “Joe Public” attitude might help in this regard. The dangers he faces are traditional Tory voters turning their back on change and the dark dangers within the party. Blair will not contest the next election and Gordon Brown’s popularity is waning – he is after all “The Tax Man.”

If Cameron can truly stimulate the old Tory war horse, glory might be there for the taking. We could see a return to power for the Tories. But the biggest gamble is that Cameron’s public persona is very similar to that of Blair. The British want a change – Blair is no longer that

popular. Might Cameron be seen as more of the same?