David Cameron has lost control of the Conservative Party

If you want to know how much influence David Cameron still has over the Conservative Party, read this opening paragraph from tomorrow's Observer:

David Cameron has ordered his ministers to abstain in a pivotal Commons vote on a future EU referendum next week, in a blow to his Eurosceptic colleagues.

That's right: his ministers are going to abstain on an attempt to amend the Queen's speech and this is seen as a blow, not to Cameron, but to his critics because those ministers are not going even further.

I don't think anyone could give direction to the rabble the Conservative Party has become. David Cameron certainly can't.