The Conservatives

I don’t know what to make of all this - David Cameron, Oliver Letwin and George Osborne - the new, ‘liberal conservatives’. Not compassionate conservatives or neo-conservatives, but liberal conservatives. People have cried ‘all style and no substance’ but the next election is still two years away, what good would policies be now? Cameron is right to keep his cards close to his chest.

I want to like Cameron because I don’t like Brown. I think the chancellor will betray the New Labour program and I don’t like Reid much either because I think he will taint the project with his authoritarian streak. What is needed is a rejuvenated Conservative party, one that does change, that does adapt, that does hold true to core British values. William Hague, still the strongest speaker the party has, used his speech to set out in vivid detail how past conservative leaders have been willing to face internal opposition and change to make their parties relevant. I think his right and I think Britain and the world needs a strong Conservative party. The centre ground is where elections are won, Cameron can see that, and so can his regime – but his party still seems nervous and uncomfortable with leaving the comfort zone of Daily Mail politics.

They need to be bold and aggressive and brave. Cameron needs to be bold and aggressive and brave. They don’t need to scrap New Labour, they need to streamline it, and take it to its inevitable conclusion - A progressive and flexible welfare economy.

All these things have to be done; yet I am not sure Cameron has the strength of conviction - or the strength of delivery - to do these things. He would, perhaps unfortunately, make an excellent ‘Minister without Portfolio’ where his marketing talents could work behind the scenes to smooth the election campaign. But his not a public relations advisor, he is the party leader. He is walking in the footsteps of the heavyweights of history. He is entering the same league as Churchill and Thatcher. Yet he seems to be far too smooth for his own good, almost smooth to the point of indifference. If people are to take him seriously he has to change this, he has to dig deep and find his reserves of leadership and passion.

Through some cringe worthy marketing gimmicks he now has the publics attention, he must go on to show them what he is made of. In Blair, Labour had a leader who could drag his party, and the public, kicking and screaming into the future. Now Cameron must do the same for the Conservatives.