He has spent the years since chewing over his vendetta against McCain, long after the senator passed away, putting him well beyond any effort to return to the fold.

Fun merch is a staple of all parties' annual gatherings as activists meet to chew over the year's highs and lows.

There is only a short time before the tour of New Zealand and plenty to chew over before the first Test in Christchurch on 28 November.

The subjects we chewed over were almost exclusively technical topics, or history, or the sprawling, self-serving institution that Dwight Eisenhower christened the military-industrial complex.

But there are plenty of points of difference for Tory members - who begin voting soon - to chew over.