Assessing Conservative values
Friday, May 18, 2007 
On Wednesday I attended a rather swish reception hosted by Fleishman Hillard, a leading public affairs and PR consultancy. Other guests included MPs, lobbyists, political chiefs of staff and researchers. This week the company published a document called The Cameron Environment: Assessing Conservative Values. The report is predictably vague in many areas, but here are some of the policies they think a Tory government might adopt:
- Adjust balance between the state and the public
- More aggressive green agenda
- Lighter touch taxation
- Abolish ID card project
- Introduction of a Bill of Rights
If you're hoping that Cameron might, just might, relax the smoking ban - don't hold your breath. Fleishman Hillard report that new policies will focus on "trusting the professionals". (The British Medical Association will be pleased!) Specifically, under health, they suggest that the Tories are "likely" to establish a Chief Medical Officer's Department within the Department of Health. (The CMO was a leading figure behind the smoking ban.) There may also be a "stronger role" for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. (Remember them? They recently called for smokers to be given time off work to attend smoking cessation courses.)
Then again, on fox-hunting, Fleishman Hillard believe the Tories "will call for another free vote on a revised version of the Act, which we would expect to be far more palatable for rural communities". If they can do that for hunting with hounds, why not smoking in (some) enclosed public places? You can download the entire document HERE.
Simon Clark
10.00am - I had literally just published the above post when an email fell into into my lap(top) from our public affairs monitors. The following Early Day Motion has just been tabled in the House of Commons: "That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying [my italics] that the Smoke-free (Signs) Regulations 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 923), dated 19th March 2007, a copy of which was laid before this House on 23rd March, be annulled." The signatories are Mr David Cameron, Mr Andrew Lansley, Mr Alan Duncan, Dr Andrew Murrison, Mr Stephen O'Brien, Mr Patrick McLoughlin. Praying? How appropriate (see HERE)!
Reader Comments (51)
Jenny: I confess to being a former Conservative voter for many years. I wouldn't go near them now and that applies to all other political parties as well.
I firmly believe that the reason many people get confused by the difference between what politicians say and what they do is because of a basic belief that politicians are honorable people who have principles and who want nothing more than to create a better world for everyone. Politicians are of course aware of this and have been for a very long time. Have you ever wondered why they address each other as "honorable" and even "right honorable"?
Now I am not saying that the following is true of all politicians all of the time... it is just the closest thing to an absolute truth that I know of. If you just pretend that the reason people seek political power is so they can hurt their enemies and reward those friends who helped them into power and to make a few quid and gain "respect" then you might find things make a bit more sense. If you go the whole way and just decide that the only difference between gangsters and politicians is that the politicians hide the guns (they are certainly still there) and talk a better game of spin then I think all the "unintended consequences" of policy will start to make sense too.
In a nutshell party politics goes like this; You can vote for the one with the blue rosette who will take your money by threat of violence and spend it in ways you wouldn't choose to spend it yourself or, you can vote for the one with the red rosette who will take your money by threat of violence and spend it in ways you wouldn't choose to spend it yourself or, you can vote for the one with (insert colour of rosette) etc. ad nauseum.