My Kind of Conservatism

Margaret Thatcher inspired me to get involved in active politics back in the late 1970s. It’s difficult for some to remember now what our country was like then. Strikes seemed to grind the whole economy to a halt virtually every day. I remember thinking that there had to be a better way of doing things, and then I heard Margaret Thatcher give a speech. She’s made the right diagnosis and, I believe, implemented the right cure.

Thatcherism was right for its time, but twenty years later, we live in a very different world. As the world struggles to cope with the aftermath of the credit crunch everything has changed. After fifteen years of benevolent growth – which, we should remember, started under the last Conservative government – we have entered an economic crisis, the like we haven’t seen before.

The economy

I believe in a small state, which values every pound the taxpayer gives it to spend on public services. Labour has let public debt and borrowing get out of control and it is our children who will end up paying the price. Gone are the days when the Conservatives could promise to match Labour spending pledges. If we don’t get control of our public finances business will vote with its feet and leave for pastures anew. Banks will be even more reluctant to lend and small businesses will fold. So the next Conservative government’s top priority must be to analyse every pound of public spending and decide if it needs to be spent. It’s not cuts for the sake of cuts, it’s about good housekeeping, which will in turn boost confidence among people who want to invest in this country.

Freedom

I am a passionate believer in the freedom of the individual. The government has no business interfering in our lives beyond the absolute necessary. ID cards are anathema to me. The recently announced initiative to put 11 million people on an anti-paedophile register is the latest manifestation of the intrusive state. The first duty of any government is to protect its citizens, but it should do that without infringing on the very liberties it says it is protecting.

Trust

Trust in politics and politicians has been shattered in recent years. It’s not just MPs’ expenses, it goes far deeper than that. The era of spin and personal denigration has led to a coarsening of public discourse to a point where we are encouraged to ‘trust no one’. That’s fine as a slogan on X Files, but as a society it leads us down a very dangerous path. People will only trust politicians when politicians learn to trust the people. James Surowiecki wrote about the “wisdom of crowds”. And he was right. I may have strong views on a lot of issues, but I don’t kid myself I am always right. That’s why local consultations are important – not sham consultations but ones which give people a real say. Too often, government holds consultations where people believe a decision has already been taken. That must stop.

Localism

Power really must be returned to the people. Central government does too much. Many of its powers should be returned to local government. The next Conservative government must see the reinvigoration of local government. We must trust our councillors to do what they were elected to do – govern locally. Too often, the iron fist of central government dictates what they must do. We must ensure we attract the best people to be councillors but we will only do that if Whitehall stops interfering in every aspect of what a local authority does. Housing priorities should be set locally, not nationally. It is not for the likes of Mr Prescott to dictate that our green and pleasant land must be concerted over. Local people though their local representatives must have a proper say. Consultations should do what they are intended to do. A Conservative government must rid out political system of sham consultations which the public just do not trust.

We live in a representative democracy, where we elect people to represent us on a council or in parliament. And that’s how it should be. But that doesn’t mean that people don’t want a say in the years between elections. I’m very much in favour of local and national referendums.

The world

The military covenant has been broken in recent years. Our armed forces are being asked to do a job without the equipment necessary to complete the mission. I am deeply troubled by our presence in Afghanistan. Our mission is ill defined and no one in government seems able to articulate by what criteria are we defining success. Our service personnel are losing their lives, and for what? To deter a terrorist threat to this country? That’s what the government says, but it is unable to provide any evidence.

If Britain is to have a world policing role we have to be able to devote the resources to funding the various missions we undertake. This government has shamefully failed to do that. The Conservatives have promised a strategic defence review, which must look into our future world role, the need to update Trident and the state of the military covenant.

On Europe, I wish we had had the promised referendum on the Lisbon Treaty and I would have voted no in that referendum. I would also give a pledge never, ever to vote yes to any suggestion that Britain should adopt the euro. If you give up your currency you effectively give up your right to self government. Government is all about saying what you’re going to do and how you’re going to pay for it. Giving up your currency cedes the second part of that sentence to a Central Bank which by definition does not act in the interests of any one country.

We joined a European Common Market in 1973, not a federal state, but that is what the EU is becoming. It is in Britain’s interests to have free trade with other EU states and closer cooperation is needed in areas like the environment. But why should the EU set British health & safety law, or employment law? No.