At his majesty’s pleasure

CONSERVATIVE principles “work every time you put them into practice”, Governor Mike Pence of Indiana told the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in his first big speech as Donald Trump’s vice-presidential running-mate. Mr Pence cited as proof his home state’s balanced budget, lowered taxes and sharply trimmed public workforce. A strait-laced, silver-haired former altar boy, he waved hello to his mother and to his wife of 31 years, and promised that Mr Trump would bring “no-nonsense leadership” to Washington. The crowd was so relieved that spontaneous chants of “We like Mike” broke out.

Mr Pence was introduced by his former colleague from Congress, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan. Back in 2012 Mr Ryan reassured anxious conservatives as Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential sidekick. Mr Ryan called Mr Pence a “Reagan conservative through and through”, who could be trusted as a pro-growth, anti-abortion defence hawk from “the heart of the conservative movement and the heart of America”.