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What is is about Wales that makes political leaders so camera-shy?

Labour allowed us to film Ed Miliband arriving at the party's Welsh Night reception in Manchester, but not to record his speech.

The Conservatives went one step further and banned journalists from their Welsh reception until David Cameron had left the room. He even entered and exited via a side door. I didn't count him all in and I didn't count him all out.

Except......there was one door around the back used by the waitresses serving the assembled Welsh Tories - and the Prime Minister's speech did carry rather well through that open door.

So what did he say? There was praise for the party's improved performance in last May's general election: "We can say the Welsh dragon of Conservatism has awoken in Wales again."

But there was a cautionary note to what he said about elections to the Welsh assembly next May: "There will be a tough background to them because of decisions taken in the national interest."

Mr Cameron praised the party's performance in the general election in May, when it won a total of eight seats in Wales: "We can say the Welsh dragon of Conservatism has awoken in Wales again."

He found some warm words for the Liberal Democrats and highlighted several coalition policies, including free schools in England and NHS reform, also in England. He suggested the new policy on benefits would lead to "the biggest reform of the welfare state in 70 years."

The chairman (as she likes to be known) of the Welsh party, Catrin Edwards, told her members that after next year's elections the Tories could find themselves in a coalition government led by Nick Bourne.

Once they let us into the room, I suggested that a rainbow coalition led by the Conservatives doesn't look too likely in the current climate. "It's possible," said Mrs Edwards. They're all optimists now.

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