Forward View! - Greg Smith
It’s a really exciting time to be a Conservative --
and that’s not just a standard into line to
an editorial, right now it’s actually true...
It’s said far too often, but at the moment it really is an exciting time to be a Conservative in Britain. For the first time in almost two decades, the Conservative Party has sustained a significant lead in the opinion polls and popular support for the Labour Party has dropped through the floor.
At times, it seems like the question asked at the past couple of General?Elections - ‘how many seats can we reduce Labour’s majority by?’ - has changed overnight to ‘how big will our majority be?’
Of course, we should never rely on polls, especially given the enormity of the task before us to overturn a 66-strong Labour majority. In order to be sure of victory, British letterboxes must be constantly clattering, canvassers’ shoe leather needs to be wearing down faster than Lewis Hamilton’s brake pads and Royal Mail collapsing under the strain of our direct mail.
Nevertheless, as we gather in Birmingham with great optimism that a new Conservative Government is just around the corner, it is important to reflect on what that new Government will do, what it will stand for and what will be the sort of radical thinking that will ensure its place in the history books.
Conservative Way Forward prides itself in taking part in the battle of ideas - and this edition of Forward! certainly contributes to that. The articles in the following pages have been written to provoke readers to think a little bit more around some of the key issues in British politics today.
Few conservatives could argue against the principle of protecting our fundamental freedoms, but where Greg Hands article interjects in this debate, is to ask just how far should we go? Chris Chope goes on to make the case for lower taxes, coupled with an account of Conservative tax cutting in action from Stephen Greenhalgh. Later on in the magazine, Mark Allatt challenges us to think about ‘bulking up’ our Armed Forces and Syed Kamall makes the case for free trade as a key to saving the planet.
Whatever your take on the issues raised in this magazine - it’s designed to provoke debate and ensure the battle of ideas lives on.
“Obama-Cons”!?!
You can not be serious...
Elsewhere in the world, politics is capturing people’s attention in a manner not seen since our President, Lady Thatcher, and Ronald Reagan dominated the world stage. Nowhere is this clearer than in the United States, where the McCain vs Obama race is captivating the world. Contrary to the BBC’s apparent view that Obama will get somewhere just over 99% of the vote, real opinion polls are putting the two candidates neck and neck.
What has been most disappointing is the number of UK?Conservatives declaring themselves as “Obama-Cons”. Frankly, this is absurd. On a pure point of loyalty, the Republicans are our sister Party. For UK Conservatives to openly back the Democrat candidate is an insult to our friends and a gross undermining of the relationships we share with many other right-of-centre parties across the globe.
Sure, McCain isn’t the most conservative Republican nominee there could have been and he has some downright offensive views on the direction of the European Union - but that’s no reason to back a leftist instead. Obama has one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate - and believes in old style ‘tax n spend’ government. To prove it, he has even been given a hearty endorsement by Teddy Kennedy!
So, to all those self-styled ‘Obama-Cons’ out there, stop listening to the BBC, look at the voting record and policies of the man you proclaim to want to be the next President of the USA - and think again!
And finally...
Following the publication of CWF’s “Stop the War Against Drivers” pamphlet last year, Swindon Council have been the first to take the very sensible move of banishing all speed cameras from their borough. Whoever thought you’d read the words, “Swindon, we salute you!”.
Greg Smith is a member of the CWF Executive
Committee and Editor of this edition of Forward!