IT was as if tributes were being paid to a dead man. Suddenly, all kinds of things were being said because it is so much easier to appreciate someone once they have gone.

The pats on the back were fast and furious. Iain Duncan Smith had achieved great things in his time as Tory leader: he had united the party on Europe; and supplied the party's most radical policies for a generation.

And yet he is dead in the water. The Tory party which elected him just two years ago, pulled him under, before praising him to the hilt.

But wait - last night there were signs that a rare streak of loyalty was starting to emerge in a party which has contrived to have four leaders in eight years.

David Davis declared he would not be standing in a leadership battle, throwing his weight instead behind Michael Howard. Suddenly, we had the beginnings of a united front, although it is impossible to be confident about anything with the modern-day Tories.

The irony is that party members nationwide, who had elected Mr Duncan Smith only for him to be unceremoniously ousted, may now be denied the chance to have their say on his successor.

If the dominoes fall into place, and Mr Howard is allowed a free run, it will at least send out a signal that the Tories have finally learned the lesson that the disharmony has to stop.

And they really have to stick with their man because the Tory party is gaining the reputation for changing its leaders faster than Darlington Football Club changes its managers.

Although he is regarded as a heavyweight, we have our doubts that Mr Howard will prove to be a big enough thorn in the Government's side, but we hope he is for the sake of democracy.

We need a strong Tory leader with a radical agenda, but will we get one?

For all the retrospective praise heaped on the dearly departed Mr Duncan Smith, it will be very interesting indeed to see if his successor is brave enough to go into the next election with a manifesto which still includes the scrapping of tuition fees.