Our input to the Conservative Policy Forum paper on National Security following the CPF group meeting of 21 January, 2010 has now been posted under Pages/Conservative Policy Forum/National Security.
CPF input 21/01/10
mars 8th, 2010Progressive Conservatism
janvier 26th, 2010Antonia Kaplan has found an interesting article by Ross Clark in The Spectator of 16 January, 2010. This suggests that David Cameron prefers to help the rich and his »romantic » poor but do little for those of the middle class who have already bettered themselves. The new thinking in the draft Conservative manifesto on health is described by Andrew Lansley, the shadow health minister, as »progressive conservatism » and proposes weighting of public health funding »so that extra resources go to the poorest areas with the worst health outcomes through a health premium ». This follows an earlier announcement to fund new independent state schools partly by means of a »pupil premium » i.e. by extra funding for schools taking on more poor children.
Ross Clark sees a future Cameron government for the rich and for the poor but with not much for those in between, if the rich are also offered tax cuts e.g. on inheritance tax and stamp duty on share transactions. David Cameron he considers as having little affinity for the self-made, middle class who were the backbone of the Party during the Thatcher years and harbouring a romantic notion of the poor, not uncommon to those from a comfortable background but alien to self-made individuals from council estates.
He writes that low educational attainment cannot be put right by higher spending on poor pupils; it is a result of low aspiration and a lack of value in education. It is better to reward self-help and not intensify the benefits trap. Meanwhile the wealthy will continue to pay for highly selective private schools but bright pupils in the middle will be left deprived of the leg-up once provided by grammar schools.
Is the Conservative party really turning its back on the middle class, its core vote for the past 30 years, as suggested by Ross Clark? It »s perhaps no surprise that Gordon Brown is now chasing the middle class vote.
Marriage Tax Breaks
janvier 9th, 2010David Cameron was attacked last week as lacking conviction and equivocating on whether the Conservatives if elected would still be committed to tax breaks for married couples, perhaps given the poor state of the public finances. Certainly the UK seems to be quite unique in Europe in not recognising the civil status of marriage within the tax code. It is recognised within the French tax system and in Germany the Constitution also protects the rights of the family.
The arguments in the UK against a tax favouring married couples include:
– It would discriminate against the poorest 10% of society, where the marriage rate is disproportionately much lower (i.e. Ian Duncan Smith »s »Broken Society ») and favour the better-off (e.g. a net benefit saving of £30 for the former versus £300 for the latter).
– It is not the government »s role in a modern, multi-cultural society to try and coerce the population into marriage via the tax system; it should be a matter for individual choice.
The right to individual choice is of course a basic Conservative tenet as well as a respect for tradition including the institution of marriage in support of the stable family unit for nurturing future generations.
The Labour Party views David Cameron as the modern Conservative Party »s major asset certainly when compared with Gordon Brown and, therefore, will try to paint him as shallow, lacking both depth and conviction at every opportunity in front of the electorate. However, to take a stand on this issue is good for the rank and file but not likely to be a real vote winner for attracting new Conservative voters from the centre ground in the key marginal constituencies.
Election Issues for 2010
décembre 15th, 2009The next election could be called as early as March 2010 and ahead of the local Council ones if e.g. the economy has improved and the prime minister considers the timing particularly propitious.
Already the Conservative Party has unveiled MyConservatives.com on which David Cameron is effectively shown launching his campaign and talking about how the internet which is changing society and our lives, can also change politics. MyConservatives.com (also click on Useful Links on our website) provides a campaigning platform for candidates and on particular issues, as well as a means of attracting small on-line donations rather in the »Obama way ».
A number of key issues are emerging:
– To the fore is the Economy and the critical need to fill the holes in the government budget, whilst having a credible plan to reduce overall debt to manageable proportions and satisfy the financial markets.
– Closely related is protection of public services and the need to care for e.g. schools, hospitals and the unemployed, whilst still balancing the books for an electorate more used to gain today and pain for tomorrow.
Since the prime minister has already introduced the issue of « class » into the above mix, it is important to have a positive values-based message e.g. of reform, to avoid being labelled the hard-hearted party of « cuts in public services » by Labour. Viewed from our position in France, the British NHS could benefit from reform by the perhaps more affordable introduction of a wider and complementary network of private, not-for-profit insurers such as the French Mutuels, a similar model also being explored by the Democrats for their new Health Bill in the United States.
MP Expense Claims
décembre 11th, 2009The parliamentary, self-monitoring expense claim system seems to have encouraged MPs over the years to submit all manner of claims on a system with questionable financial controls. There is also the moral question of claiming for something »within the rules » as a result of e.g. second-home »flipping » together with the associated capital gains tax avoidance, or for what members of the public might view as normally paid for through one »s own income. MPs have been elected to a public position of trust by voters themselves now suffering the effects of the crisis in the government finances and feeling let down by their elected representatives and the perceived excesses of the financial industry.
Chairman »s Blog – 12/09
décembre 2nd, 2009Dear members and friends of BCiP, I do hope you will all come to our Christmas Party at St. George?s Church Hall, 7, rue Auguste-Vacquerie, 75116 Paris from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm on Wednesday 16 December 2009.
We will be serving wine, nibbles, turkey with chestnuts and sprouts, and of course traditional English Christmas Pudding, and there will be plenty of opportunities to catch up with friends and meet new people. The price is 30 ? for members and non-members alike and the nearest metros are George V, Kléber or Etoile.
Also, please note in your diaries our dinner with Dominic Grieve QC MP, Shadow Minister for Justice, on 2 March 2010.
We shall meet again before then, of course, but the arrangements for January/February have still to be finalized.
Parliamentary Reform
novembre 30th, 2009Dear All,
In September 2009 we had a debate on the various reforms being discussed to enable MPs to hold the Executive to account more effectively. A cross-party set up to consider the problem has now published its report and I am glad to see how closely they have followed the recommendations of our group.
These are:
– to assure back-benchers a greater say in the scheduling of debates.
– establishing methods whereby MPs have more opportunity to improve pending legislation.
– giving greater independence to select committees to scrutinise Whitehall departments.
– to strengthen Committees by ceasing to let the Whips choose Chairmanships as a reward for loyal service to the Party and making more openings for members not necessarily toeing the Party line.
– increasing the resources of the Committees and ensuring more Executive attention to their reports.
– ensuring that Committees offer an alternative career structure to ministerial appointments so that they are made up of hard-working MPs with specialist knowledge.
– finding ways such as e-petitions so that matters of popular concern are given attention without their having to first be taken up by the Executive.
Michael
Hello,
I agree with Michael that these are welcome reforms but it remains a piecemeal reform. Until somebody has the courage to consider looking hard at Britain »s decaying constitution as a whole we will continue to have serious problems with what remains of our parliamentary democracy. During this election campaign, so far, the subject has hardly been touched upon.
The reforms suggested for local government are based on a philosophy of »direct government » which — we have noted ourselves -will seriously undermine parliamentary sovereignty. Moreover, we must not forget that the convenient MPs » expense »scandal » (proving that most MPs are actually honest) has led to a purge of almost half the Parliamentary Conservative Party, much of it illegal and certainly not parliamentary (eg dismissals based on retrospective rule-setting). It is going to be very difficult to establish party discipline under these circumstances. Indeed, the situation as it is currently evolving, suggests that the two-party system as it has existed over the last hundred years may be seriously challenged within the next parliament. What will these reforms mean then?
I am coming round more and more to the idea of a written constitution for Britain — not to reform, but to conserve what remains. This of course should be debated before the general elections. But of course it won »t. What a blinkered, provincial, weak and elusive electoral campaign 2009-10 is proving!
Gregor
Expatriate Voting Rights
novembre 30th, 2009Welcome to Study Groups
novembre 19th, 2009Hello,
There are a lot of subjects that have already been discussed within our internal Study Groups starting with that on the British Constitution and moving on through Britain and its position in the EU, the current Financial Crisis, future sources of Energy and the political situation in Russia. There is also the question of British expatriate voting rights and some of these issues are raised in the Pages listed on the right. Those of you who were not able to participate now have an opportunity to contribute your comments below on these and other issues as you see them, here on-line along with your fellow BCiP members.
If you are new to this forum, click on the About this Forum page on the right to find out more and how to proceed.