“Primary Elections Would Hold Deadbeats To Account, Restore Power To Members”
How did the Conservative Party become so mediocre, spineless and un-Conservative? What can be done to restore control to proper conservatives?
The answers are David Cameron, and primary elections. If you think the Tories have a death wish, bringing back Cameron proves it.
The Conservative Party’s failure is not only its soft left policies, but its pathetically weak attitude to power. Where Blair and Brown would relentlessly appoint lefties to the burgeoning array of quangos across the country, the Tories like Cameron, May, Johnson, and Sunak couldn’t be bothered. This was also reflected in their attitude to the Civil Service, which now feels able to face down the government and refuse to carry out policies it doesn’t like.
Blame David Cameron for leading the party down the weak policy blind alley. Since assuming control as leader in 2005, (I voted David Davies in the leadership contest, and resigned from the party a year after Cameron’s accession) his personal stamp has been all over the party. His political beliefs are quite simple. Whatever is good for David Cameron is right for the Conservative Party. This became clear in 2010 when he won the election, but without enough seats to govern without support.
Lib-Dem coalition great for Cameron, useless for the country
A principled, serious Conservative would have rejected a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. A tie-up with LibDem handwringers would guarantee two things. Cameron could hang on to power, but any hopes of sensible policies to right the many stupidities of the Blair years would be impossible. It would guarantee business as usual, incompetent and lefty.
The right course of action would have meant a second general election. This obviously would have raised the possibility of defeat and the end of Cameron’s career. But it would also have brought into play the possibility of a working majority and a mandate for root and branch reform to restore the Thatcher vision of a small government with low tax and less regulation.
The Thatcher blue-print wasn’t possible – slash and burn for the first couple of years to accomplish the needed reform in the shortest possible time – after which lower taxes and economic growth could move into high gear with benefits right across the nation. But Cameron wouldn’t take this risk with his career. Above all, Cameron covets the limo and the lifestyle that goes with it. He never had a driving philosophy like Thatcher. She wanted to wipe out the old order which constrained regular working people while enriching the establishment of which Cameron is a walking talking example.
Wets hold on candidate selection must be ended
Cameron made sure that the party Central Office nominated as many One Nation Wets as possible and this has continued. For instance the splendid Leaver David now Lord Frost wanted to contest a constituency this time around but was denied by the twerps in Central Office. If the Conservative Party which emerges from the likely debacle on July 4 is to be restored to a Thatcherite-winning party, this centralised control of candidates must be ended. A system of primary elections, as in the U.S., would restore power to the regular members and end the control of anonymous wets.
I‘ve just been relocated to the West Worthing constituency from Arundel and Peter Bottomley is now my Conservative choice. He’s achieved nothing since winning in 1997. (after sitting for two other constituencies) He has never once been held accountable for his 25 years of failure, the most important of which is the lack of a motorway linking Shoreham to Chichester. (To be fair, Tories from Shoreham, Worthing, Littlehampton, Arundel, and Chichester share in this guilt).
Bottomley still hangs on in Worthing (maybe)
Regular primary elections might have made him (them) a bit more determined to repair this gaping and outrageous hole in the infrastructure of West Sussex. In my opinion, not one more new house should be built in the area until we have a road system suitable for the 21st century. You would think that a serious politician concerned with the interests of his constituents might have foreseen the difficulties with a road and fought tooth and nail for the best possible express train service linking Brighton and Southampton Airport in an hour.
Let’s face it Bottomley would have been long gone if there had been regular primary elections. The same goes for many of the hopeless, spineless pseudo-Tories the party is still lumbered with (Caroline Noakes etc). I’m hoping the expected July 4 debacle will at least allow the party to return to its Thatcherite principles. If the wets retain control in Central Office oblivion really does beckon. Primary elections will destroy their power, at a stroke.
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