The Conservative Party can go into the pre-election period knowing it has an experienced cool head as its new fund-raising supremo. Tim Cowell cut his teeth explaining away the inexplicable, patiently shielding the Federation of Conservative Students as it degenerated from mildly-loony Thatcherite to raving libertarian. However he was spirited away to the shires before the "Hang Nelson Mandela" T-shirts and support for Unita and the Nicaraguan Contras proved the last straw for Central Office.