What should they do next...The Conservatives

Here's the thing. What David Cameron has been doing works. The modernisers were right. Their critics were wrong.

The critics claimed that if Cameron was doing the right thing the Tories would be miles ahead. Now the Tories are miles ahead I hope the critics draw the appropriate conculsion.

And I hope David Cameron does too.

The Tories should not interpret the result as indicating that the modernising phase is over, but as suggesting that a moderate, liberal, compassionate Conservative Party can win office. He should be repeating the messages of change every day.

He should also assemble policies designed to do two things - enable the Tories to govern effectively and reassure swing voters that Cameron will not abandon them.

On policy there will be a temptation to produce large volumes in order to satisfy the media that there is a programme for Government. This would be a mistake. The aim should be quality and not quantity. Having too many policies risks tying the party to small but silly ideas that look incoherent.

David Cameron does need to settle on his big themes - but he won't do this through micro policy ideas. And certainly not by a big shift to the right.

ALSO: What should they do next...Labour

Comments

[Peter Briffa]

If the modernisers had had their way Boris Johnson wouldn't even have stood. Greg Dyke was the chosen one.

[Andrew]

It really depends what you understand to be 'moderate, liberal and compassionate', I guess. I am sure even Thatcher didn't see herself as an immoderate, illiberal and uncompassionate Conservative, despite what others may have thought. The problem will be if words like 'moderate', 'liberal', 'compassionate' or 'modernising' are used to censor debate and place certain topics out of bounds.

My own personal opinion, for what it is worth, is that the Conservatives strategy has definitely worked, while at the same time they have benefited mightily from worsening economic and social conditions which have made voters more receptive to a right wing party.

[Parasite]

I see you got attacked by the banal 'libertarian' [sic] Donal Blaney for this. He can't see why the Tory right gets attacked.

Let me recount my own experience after the result last night. I was on the South Bank: I was called a fascist by some bad losers who'd probably have said the same if they'd won. Then when I went back home I was abused in a shop when I smilingly recounted the result to someone.

This is clearly not a country where a smug gloating Thatcherism is going to win support; it will win more abuse than I, a fully paid-up Cameroon, got last night. If we want a real centre-right Government then the hard right has to be faced down.

[Peter Hughes]

Cameron must come clean. Did he or did he not advocate we should all "Hug a Hoodie" ? YES or NO. If the latter, who spoke on his behalf?Has "Dave Boy" remanded the person concerned and is he prepared to condemn the statement ?

[kenneth mottram]

I find it curious and most depressing that in all the rubbish I have read so far, there is NO mention that probably the most serious of all the issues that Brown did not listen to the citizens about is the faux EU Treaty. Clearly he resolutly decided to be stone deaf on that issue.So now just why is that not being raised as and issue now needing his 'listening' and give us a proper and binding referendum. I fail to understand why in all the ho ha this is not being pushed to the limit by the Tories who claim to represent 'the rights of our people' Can Cameron be persuaded to address this issue.

[clive lowe]

Sorry I dont agree with you. The reason why the tories got so many votes was, because people are so fed up with labour. Not because they are enthralled with cameron. It was purely a punishment vote, for a goverment that doesnt listen to peoples fears. And has cheated the public on so many issues.

[Niall Rowantree]

Admittedly the big story in these elections has been the haemorrhaging of Labour's support and the comensurate gain in the Tory vote. Wouldn't you say though Danny that given the fact they finished ahead of Labour in the popular vote and had a, relatively, successful day, the Liberal Democrats deserve a "What should they do next...The Liberal Democrats"?

[Neil]

Just keep reminding the ordinary people how Gordon Brown clobbered his core voters for additional taxation in order to help out the better off with a tax break, and his only form of compensation - for a few of those he clobbered was a complicated form of State Benefit. In short just go to each doorstep and say, "The Labour Party - TAX, TAX, TAX, until the pips squeak."

[Chris]

Cameron must come clean. Did he or did he not advocate we should all "Hug a Hoodie" ? YES or NO. If the latter, who spoke on his behalf?Has "Dave Boy" remanded the person concerned and is he prepared to condemn the statement ?

Posted by: Peter Hughes | 4 May 2008 11:57:41

I can answer you pretty comprehensively Peter, he didn't say 'hug a hoody' at all, it was a News of the World headline reacting to a speech in which Cameron stated that one of the reasons we have a youth crime problem is that teenagers feel alienated and marginalised, and that we should try to engage them as a method to help stop teen crime. Fairly sensible speech, but the headline stuck.

[Northern Conservative]

Mr Cameron should not forget the enormous debt he owes Gordon Brown for all his help in putting the Tory leader so far ahead.

[Aunty Maude]

We're all fed up to the back teeth with populist middle of the road politics, that's about the worst message to project possible.

What we need is a large dose of common sense and a slimming down of government generally. Put Westminster, Whitehall and Townhall on a diet!

[Graeme Blundell]

OK, boys its time for the backslapping to stop. The local council elections were a message - we the people are dissatisfied. The people expressed the very same dissatisfaction with the Tories in 1997.

However, it is not the 10p tax rate issue nor pricing motorists off the road that Mr Brown needs to reflect upon. It is the way in which Tony Blair was publicly undermined and ousted from his post that reflects my view of the Labour Party. This event is more significant than perhaps the collective ego of the Labour Party care to realise. It is this event that bought the public mistrust in the them.

My view, from the sidelines, of politics in this country is that there has been naught but a bun fight going on for the past two years. How much confidence has been engendered by the antics in Parliament since Tony Blair was forced out?

Is it not time then to let some grownups run the country? I think that both parties need to learn the lessons of the past and get back to real politics. My fear is that the superficial shall continue to hold sway whilst the country wallows in bureaucracy.

[Gary]

"Parasite" (why give yourself such an awful aka?) is mistaken in one important respect. His experiences on the South Bank and in his local shop clearly demonstrate that it is not just the Hard Right that needs to be faced down (albeit it does). A more serious threat to British democracy is presented by Left-wing bigots. They denounce anyone who expresses any view other than their crypto-Marxist dogma as a "fascist" and "racist". We must not forget that Livingstone attacked Trevor Phillips, of all people, in such terms. I look forward to seeing the end to more of King Newt's fellow travellers.

[Alan Robinson]

I thought that policies should reflect the party's core beliefs. How pathetic it is that our two main parties conceal their few core beliefs, and instead, cloak themselves in what they think will be popular.

No wonder they all fail, again and again.

[BERNARD KEEFFE]

The task for any party is to make sense of the economic position. While Brown could point to his achievement in cutting unemployment and maintaining financial stability, it was actually achieved through huge spending by the public on services and cheap imports financed by borrowing. Brown matched this with public spending that's created the largest budget deficit in the world apart from Egypt and Pakistan. He was helped by international finance that passed money through the City and located their offices in the UK.
But the inept handling of finance in the last six months must have shaken international investors, and major companies are moving their HQs, frightened away by high taxation.

The boom in services must fade as people cut back to pay their credit card bills and meet the inflated costs of power and petrol. Add to that the explosion of public employment to deal with new laws and regulations - many from the EU. It's often said that the EU is run with fewer staff than a small local authority - true but work out the number of staff needed in LAs and agencies to implement EU regulations and all the other laws imposed by the nanny state in the last ten years.

The first task of any government is to deal with the massive rise in unproductive employment in the public sector. We are being turned into a corporate state - and that leads to bankrupcy.

[mike gee]

All the party leaders should ask why the number of people voting is so low. This is a core indicator that a majority of voters feel the process is pointless. None of the partys are listening to what the electorate are saying on key issues such as benefit reform, immigration, pensions and at least half a dozen matters which are a constant topic of conversation by a wide range of people I speak with.
It is also a sad reflection on our system that national issues should so effect our local politics often to the detriment of local issues.

[Jay_in_Connecticut]

>> . . . as suggesting that a moderate, liberal, compassionate Conservative Party can win office

Bill Clinton ran as a New Democrat, which I guess was the model for New Labour policies of Tony Blair.

Bush ran as a compassionate conservative in 2000. Glad to see that his approach to governing is going to be popular in UK.

[Trish Niblock]

Labour should have been the government for the poor but ended up being the government for those of the poor who were on Benefits i.e Labour Voters.

Pensioners who are NOT in receipt of Benefits and who are earning tiny pensions boosted by income from savings should be allowed a TAX FREE income which equates with the TAX FREE income that you are allowed on BENEFITS!!!approx £12000

Please will anybody reading this who is a Conservative - and chums with David Cameron and George Osborne - neither of whom actually know what being poor
is like....please tell them!!

The Conservative voting pensioner is the NEW POOR!!!!!

[claudio]

I write you from Spain. Yes! the country of 'mañana'.
I have seen that given the electoral system, took almost 48 hours to know the results. And, since it was week-end plus Bank holiday, I will read the comments on Tuesday.
Now I feel I live in a dynamic, speed crazy country.
Bye, I will read you 'mañana'!

[John McSharry]

Everything in the Conservative Party revolves around David Cameron. Let it be said, there is no strength or depth within the party ranks. I am very confident Labour will coast to yet another election victory, whenever it takes place. The so called opposition will be exposed for having no clear strategy for taking the country forward. All the Conservatives can look forward to after the next general election is the fact they took seats from the Liberal Democrats, which is not difficult, bearing in mind, Nick Clegg, is the worst political leader in living memory. He make Cameron look good and that is saying something.

[Jamal]

Cameron needs to cut loose from the traditional but now artificial constructs of poverty and diversity, investments in which perpetuate their existence and only create new conflicts; and focus on education, discipline and crime, enabling police and teachers to chastise and enforce discipline, using organic birches if necessary.

[David Downes]

LIARS, CHEATS, THEIVES AND MURDERERS!

It's a fantastic new book I've recently read, absolutely top draw.

As for the Labour Party and Gordon Brown, what thoroughly decent, honourable, honest and fair minded people they are.

Yeah, they have my vote at the next election any day. Wouldn't see it as a waste of good paper to do so....mind you, could think of something better to do with it...in an emergency and between my buttocks :o)

[Steve Buckel]

Parties don't win elections, Governments lose them. So the saying goes. It is more often right than wrong - in the UK at least. So is it particularly clever to win an election? No. Is it clever to win an election with a political philosophy in place so that everyone knows what you stand for? Yes. The last peacetime Prime Minister to do this, illustrated the not-so-subtle difference between David Cameron and herself.