The next British PM looks like the old T. B. a bit more each day.

joaquim, Paris, France

I cannot wait to vote for this man at the next election.

Paul, London, UK

What utter nonsense. Is Cameron determined to go down in History as Diet-Blair?

David John Marusza, Islington, London

Did anyone else shiver with memories of teachers trying to be hip in school assemblies on reading this?

Gatz, Chelmsford, UK

I like the guy. You get the feeling he's at least taking a punt at changing how we think about politics. I'm ready to listen at any rate.

Laura, London,

Funny, I've been waiting and waiting for the tories to get back into power and take over the asylum from the loony patients. Then I hear that our future leader has "Radiohead" as his favourite band,, There is a rich and beautiful form of music out there - American, naturally - sophisticated, rhythymic, deep, you name it, it's got it. Is he just trying to drag in youthful empathy? If so, good luck. If not, then I must admit that England has two chances left. Slim and none. Why such a pretentious statement? Because a whole lot can be understood about a person from the music he or she likes.

John Haydn Perks, westcliff on sea. Essex., Essex. England

"Give him a break! Cameron is on to something. If musicians can have political opinions then politicians are allowed opinions on music. "

Who says musicians should be allowed political opinions or actors for that matter. This is when luvvies for Labour or stop the BNP starts to become insulting. At the end of the day democracy is for each of us to vote in accordance with with our individual consciences and experiences of life, drawn to what we perceive to be in our own interests . I would find it very patronising if my favourite musician tried to exploit my admiration for his musical genius to persuade me to vote for his own choice of party or grubby ideology- just because that was his/her own emotional calling.

D whitts, Sheffield,

I think he's right about people being reluctant to declare themselves a "Member" of a party - fewer and fewer people are prepared to put their names to each and every policy a party churns out. It's good that the party in general is moving towards a broader appeal to the lower-middle class. I don't think this is the solution, though - far from it.

Like people have already said, what is in it for the donor? It seems like the answer is nothing. It doesn't even make sense: imagine I like the Conservative policy on education, but not on healthcare or tax. The £5 or whatever that I donate to them is not going to go only towards my favoured cause, is it? To be honest, i think he has a bit of a cheek expecting people to be grateful for the chance to take part in this supposedly innovative new phenomenon... which amounts to handing over your spare cash for nothing in return! We're taxed enough already - this isn't philanthropic America, Mr. Cameron.

Amy Allen, LDN,

Give him a break! Cameron is on to something. If musicians can have political opinions then politicians are allowed opinions on music.
I also happen to 'get' Radiohead - and am 38. Its quite an acquired taste, but once you are there it is an awesome place to be. Thom Yorke has a voice that communes straight to the soul and live makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck - without fail. Radiohead fans just know. They get it.
I also 'get' Cameron. He is also an acquired taste, and needs to be listened to a few times before it all starts to make sense, but the people that 'get' Cameron just know.
But he shouldn't flatter Radiohead too much. Radiohead are hugely successful but hardly mainstream. Cameron needs to be both.

Mark Riley, London,

ps please don't let this man anywhere near MY country.

Kris, Stroud,

Im sure he knows Radiohead has very loyal fans! Good PR.

sunil, edinburgh, uk

I would venture to say that you get much better value from your payment to RadioHead than you would to 'Dave' Cameron and his cronies. Barack Obama you are not.

Harry, London,

@Frank, Aberdeen: it's that 'one of my favourite' bit that irritates. I expect a highly intelligent and educated man in his 40s to have stopped listening to pop and moved onto something more fitting for his age and station in life. I bet he doesn't comment on literature, classical music, works of philosophy etc. It's this tedious attempt by politicians to pretend that they are at the sharp edge of popular culture when they would be better to be honest about their interests. Either that or he is a juvenile philistine, in which there is no hope for him. Can you imagine a French or German politician saying something like this?

Will Duffay, London,

so does this mean he doesn't want Ashcroft of Belize's money now?

rb, London,

I wonder who wrote this piece for Call Me Dave?

We have really come a long way since the days of Thatcher

What an utter tenth-rate nonentity Cameron is.

Perfect for the emasculated toy parliament we now have

Richard Clarke, Chicago , USA

To state that you like a middle aged, middle class band from Oxford is hardly getting down wiv da kids. It seems quite strange that some people expect politicians to stop enjoying new music from new artists at a pre-specified age just because they don't like anything new.

Frank, Aberdeen, UK

Another shallow and, i feel, fruitless initiative. With apologies to radiohead for the paraphrasing, if Cameron is such a big fan he should recognise these lyrics:

(He) looks like the real thing, (He) tastes like the real thing.
My fake plastic love. But I can't help the feeling, I could blow through the ceiling if I just turn and run.
And it wears me out, it wears me out.
It wears me out, it wears me out.
And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted
All the time, all the time.
Oh, oh.

Says it all for me! Cameron wants so desperately to be who we want, that we have no idea who he is. far from being a breath of fresh air, he represents all of the reason why, as a well read and very politically aware young person, I have real difficulty with most modern policians.

James, London,

"Radiohead are one of my favourite bands."
Oh purlease! Why do politicians have to get like down wiv da kids? Grow up!

Will Duffay, London,

Dave from Manchester, granted, I'm from the States, but from what my friends in the UK, and British expat friends here say, Labour isn't one to talk.

Quite honestly, for the first time in their collective memories, the Tories are looking better than Labour, some will be voting Lib Dem of course, but the corruption, the hypocrisies the outright fraud and abuse of the Labour government. Lying about the referendum on the EU treaty.. the British people I know, and those I've read online all seem to feel a sense of being betrayed by Labour and they wish you all out of power.

Next time you feel the need to bash the Tories stop, take a few deep breaths and conduct a personal inventory.. you do not hold the higher ground.

Jenny, Grand Rapids, MI, US

Judging by these comments, damned if you do and damned if you don't eh Mr Cameron?

The British people want change, just as long as everything stays the way it is.

J.Wilkes, Gloucester,

I hope Thom Yorke's reading this and takes the appropriate action...

Chris, COVENTRY, UK

Firstly, I shall air the unspeakable truth - I am a Labour party supporter. Moreover, sigh, I am a officer for my home CLP. This would usually indicate that anything that passes Mr Cameron's lips I deem irrelevant, but not on this occasion.

I applaud Mr Cameron for actually having the balls to engage with such an idea in an age where the public at large, and particularly 'da yoof' (which I am indeed myself), couldn't care less about politics. I think that he may well get short change, pun intended, for his idea of a 'friend' donating any significant amount of money - but hasn't that Obama chap done well out of thousands upon thousands of small donations eh? - but I like the idea of them getting a weekly newsletter and ways of getting involved in the local community. Lord knows it is difficult to get members out campaigning, but if a 'friends' network can be built up - it can be built upon, eventually towards grassroot activities.

Sound idea, wait for Labour to copy it!

Dave, Manchester, UK

Dave expects us to pay to be his friend? And he thinks Gordon brown is weird? Mind you, that's one thing he has got right.

Neil McF, Southampton, England

Is joining BluLabour the same as joining NuLabour?

Steve Jacks, London,

Pathetic. He claims to represent a new "approach", but then at the end throws in a completely gratuitous attack on Gordon Brown on a subject otherwise unrelated to his article. So much for the new politics then! And the "TV debate" is such a hoary old chesnut, that has been aired at every election I can remember, and always rejected by the sitting PM whatever thier party (Thatcher, Major and Blair all refused), with the position of the Liberal Democrats never resolved either.

If you really beleive in getting rid of large donors then propose a maximum donation of £10,000 per person; in other words a clear unambigous policy, not this PR driven drivel. But then clear unambigious policies aren't really part of Dave's "new politics".

Nick, France,

Well done Josh

Michael Pudney, Torquay, Devon

Cringe!!!

Who do they think they are kidding. I was getting to quite like them, thought they were quite sincere, until I saw the new video and read this. Chance blown in my opinion, they clearly do not believe a word they are saying.

Johnny, London, UK

Dave, do you vote labour? How cool is that!? So do I!

Cromly, Sheffield, UK

erm, Thom Yorke claimed revenues from In Rainbows exceeded all other Radiohead albums in terms of DIGITAL sales. Not all their albums put together.

This was slightly disingenuous on Yorke's part, since Radiohead don't have a contract with iTunes.

So what he was actually saying was that In Rainbows sales were greater than 0.

If this is truly Dave's big idea, he may want to go back to the drawing board (or Lord Ashcroft).

Alan Wells, London, UK

It's probably a good idea. But Cameron talking about Radiohead = painful.

I'm sure he's really into those old bands who play big stadium tours and don't let normal folks get tickets, even at £150, and rich people have to get them through ebay, for even more.

Ian Duncan, Oxford,

Erm... David, the Liberal Democrats already provide this option for their members. Even from times before Radiohead's 'In Rainbows'!

There is a recommended amount, but you can pay what you wish for membership.

Moz, Newcastle, UK

Jesus Christ, how desperate is Cameron to appear down with the youth? Within one poorly written piece he seems to be trying to reference free downloads and social networking (labelling as "friendship" a relationship which is nothing of the sort).

"My generation instinctively understands the need to change the way we do things."

No, your party understands the need to project the image of change because you're not in power right now.

I'd say more but I assume these comments have some sort of moderation which prevents the kind of language I would otherwise tend toward using.

Analogue, Leeds,

Like it or not, and I do I think that David Cameron seems to be only politican who is putting out new and different ideas. I'm going to become a friend today.

Josh , Devon, UK

The trouble with this is it is typical of Cameron's approach. He gives the impression that he wants to fund his party from lots of small payers but he is still dependent on millionaires like Lord Ashcroft who seems to have more day-to-day control of the party and more office space in Party HQ than the leader. It seems to be redolent of the Bush approach in America where an amiable frontman was used to get elected but was always controlled by anonymous party backers. It worked for Bush but look at the mess America is now in.

bill, Basingstoke, england

"What exactly are you getting up front for these donations?" - nothing, I suppose. But a proper government later (in 2010) with William Hague, David Davis and Nick Herbert in it for example instead of incompetent clowns.

andrew hammerschmiedt, coventry,

Pay what you think is right to support a cause you believe in? How radical! Someone should tell US political parties about these Radiohead chaps that the kids are into! Or the guys at Comic Relief! This could revolutionise Charity fundraising.

Oh, and presumably in this new, more equitable era, you'll be scrapping the other tiers of your supporter programme: "member" and "donor"?

http://brockleycentral.blogspot.com

Brockley Nick, London,

John Scott, I think you are being rather unkind. Political funding is a serious issue. Large donors (be they individuals, businesses, trade unions, charities or shadowy think-tanks who don't do a lot of thinking) have done a lot to undermine transparency in politics and their excessive donations also carry with them the putrid smell of the suspicion of corruption.

If political parties can not fund themselves via small donations then we may be faced with a need to fund them via the general tax pool - the worst of all worlds as taxpayers will subsidising all parties, including those they oppose.

Mr Cameron's initiative to solve this problem should be applauded; it is an experiment worth backing.

Edwin, Bucharest,

Hmm ... there is the small difference that with the Radiohead download you were getting something (some fairly turgid MP3 files) up front, is there not? This in itself creates a sense of reciprocal obligation (Danny Finkelstein has written about this before).

What exactly are you getting up front for these donations?

David Mallory, London,

And there was me hoping this would be a worthwhile idea, such as paying a sensible amount for government services, rather than the ridiculous sums extorted in tax at present.

John Scott, London,

A friend of the Tory party, priceless but I can`t afford a priceless price ! What a brilliant idea !

Jo Sullivan, Liverpool, Merseyside