The Tory position on airport expansion appears to have hardened following David Cameron's speech last week. Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers subsequently suggested of a third runway at Heathrow: "The government needs to go back to the drawing board and do its sums again."
We may discount the idea that Cameron's remarks were tailored for the audience of environmental leaders he was addressing - somewhat unlikely in any case. The Conservatives see being anti-Heathrow expansion as a vote winner - which is bad news for BAA, British Airways and most other carriers at Heathrow. It won't please the CBI either, which generally has few problems with the idea of a Tory government. What on earth is going on?
The Tories have taken a leaf out of New Labour's book, which pinched the idea from Bill Clinton's Democrats. Political strategists call it triangulation. Basically, take your core support for granted and appeal to those on your opponent's side.
Cameron has decided Labour is vulnerable on the environment, which heaven knows it should be, and that is to be the ground on which he swipes sufficient of those who might more naturally side with Labour and sweeps into Downing Street. Tony Blair pulled off a similar trick by embracing Margaret Thatcher and her policies - although he probably always did.
The Financial Times suggested the Tory position threatens "a serious rift between David Cameron and business". I doubt it. Business wants stability more than anything. That is part of the reason why the City and the CBI has fallen out of love with Labour - they have been taken aback by the recent gyrations in policy of which the U-turns on tax are a symptom.
The travel industry's fury at the doubling of APD, announced in December 2006 and introduced in February last year, might now be a seen as a portent of the end of the affair between business and New Labour - at least as far as Gordon Brown is concerned.