DAILY MAIL COMMENT: David Cameron is starting to look like a real leader

From the very beginning, this paper has supported David Cameron. We are the first to concede, however, that we've had more than the occasional doubt about his substance and conviction.

That is why we feel an obligation to record what a remarkably good few weeks he has had.

With a steady 20-point lead in the opinion polls, the Tory leader might have been tempted to sit back and allow a beleaguered Government to carry on with the business of destroying itself.

To his great credit, however, he is doing no such thing. Instead, he is emerging as a politician who is unafraid to address some of the most controversial and sensitive issues confronting modern Britain.

Take his warning yesterday that too many black fathers have abandoned their responsibility to their children. How many other MPs, in today's stifling atmosphere of political correctness, would have had the courage to speak out so bluntly?

True, the fact that he was endorsing a speech by Barack Obama, the black U.S. presidential candidate, made it much easier for him. (And what a masterstroke of PR it was for Mr Cameron to make his remarks to The oh-so-PC Guardian.)

But it needed saying. Broken homes are an acute social problem - particularly among Afro-Caribbeans - and nobody is helped (least of all black youngsters) when our leaders pussyfoot around the subject for fear of giving offence.

Full marks to Mr Cameron, too, for insisting last week that our social problems can only be solved when people - including drug addicts and the obese - take personal responsibility for their lives.

In the past couple of days, he has also shown himself ahead of the Government in recognising the scale of our economic crisis and suggesting remedies to ease the pain so many are now experiencing.

Meanwhile, on MPs' expenses, he has distanced himself from Labour, demanding greater openness from his MPs and giving voice to public anger over the perks far too many (including Tories) have abused for too long.

Indeed, at every turn Mr Cameron is making ministers look leaden-footed.

Few can deny Gordon Brown has been exceptionally unlucky during his first 13 months at No 10. As is rapidly becoming clear, cruel fate has also saddled him with an increasingly formidable opponent.

Dying with dignity

Many have doubts about Labour's £286million plan to offer more care to those who choose to die at home.

Some say the scheme offers too little. Others, that it may mean treatment being withdrawn too early from those who are judged to be terminally ill.

What is certain, however, is that tens of thousands who die in soulless hospitals would rather be at home, surrounded by the love of their families.

Any help they can get to make that choice is surely very welcome.

Failing the test

Wildly inconsistent marks from teenage examiners, computer crashes, helpline overloads - and still more than 120,000 pupils are waiting for their results.

ould anything better encapsulate the incompetence of our public authorities than the fiasco over SATs testing?

Yet again, a huge contract has been dished out without proper safeguards - in this case, £165million to the American-owned Educational Testing Service Europe. And yet again, taxpayers have been outrageously cheated.

Will anybody take the rap? Better still, will we get our money back from ETS?