Points of View
It has often been said in the past in relation to our foreign policy that the British seldom read the writing on the wall until our backs are against it. The ongoing Conservative leadership contest presents the Party with an opportunity to reflect on what is required to win the next General Election.
We need to start by being clear as to what we are about. All too often, we are perceived as little more than hard-headed individuals interested only in market efficiency. Some have even described us as ‘the nasty party’. This needs to be corrected.
One of the main reasons why I am a Conservative is that I believe helping the less fortunate should be one of the main priorities of politics. But this can be better achieved if we foster personal freedoms within the rule of law, encourage enterprise and allow businesses to breathe and thrive. Such an approach will create a more prosperous economy and more wealth from which the Government can take its honest share in order to help the disadvantaged in society. As a Party we have not always been good at making this clear.
But we must also make clear that the consistent theme running through our policies is that we have far greater faith in the individual than the state – for we believe that politicians sitting in Whitehall can sometimes be the problem and not the answer.
This is the case whether the issue is freeing entrepreneurs from stifling regulation and costs; allowing greater local democracy so that local communities have the final say on such issues as greenbelt development, waste recycling initiatives, mobile phone masts and planning issues generally; giving our police forces more resources and latitude in how they police their local communities; allowing local doctors and nurses, governors and teachers more say in the running of our hospitals and schools; or guarding our country’s sovereignty against unelected bureaucrats in Brussels.
We need also to cut out the spin and opportunism which has bedevilled politics in recent years and present clear and fully costed policies.
For example, both parties talk enthusiastically about the importance of small businesses, but very little is actually done. Instead, entrepreneurs want action and a commitment from us to reduce small business corporation tax, and provide greater relief on business rates, would clearly demonstrate our commitment to small business. This is one reason I support a tax cutting agenda.
Such commitments could easily be paid for by scrapping wasteful and unnecessary initiatives such as regional assemblies and the burdensome local government inspection regimes.
The writing is indeed on the wall. In short, we must make clear our policies are honest, consistent and relevant; and ensure spin gives way to substance.
