What should David Cameron do next?

The Observer ran a piece on this topic yesterday, to which I contributed.  Here it is.

Comments

[Michael Portillo (BBC - Broadcaster, Bitter, C***)]

Cameron should resign. To score a pathetic 44% is a travesty for the Tories and his failure to take Barnsley Towerblock ward proves he will never govern Britain.

Cameron first slipped up by not being me and has compounded that initial mistake ever since. Only a party led by me, with Diane Abbott as deputy, can be assured of electoral success. Until such a time the best Cameron and the Tories can hope for is a pathetic 121 majority in the House of Commons - this is indeed small consolation for having failed to get a weekly graveyard slot on BBC1 with guest performances from political heavyweights like the bloke who nearly came third in Survivor, the one who was once in Coronation Street, Jade Goody and Diane Abbott.

[Tony Makara]

David Cameron should now pledge support for British entrepreneurs who wish to supply our home market, thus taking us away from the import dependency that is leading us on the road to stagflation. Our need to cut interest-rates is in contradiction with our need to support our currency to keep down the soaring cost of imports. British business that specifically aims to supply the British market should receive special tax status, making it profitable and encouraging the home market investment that will create jobs. We must become a nation that produces once more.

[Tory Owl 4-1]

I await Simon Heffer's comments with interest.

[niconoclast]

Become a Conservative, take a course on principles,values,ideology,Thatcherism.Stop pedalling mealy mouthed socialistic claptrap like 'sharing the proeeds of growth',return to tory roots of small government,low taxes.Stop Blairithing about, trying to be Tony's representative here on earth...

[Philip Walker]

It was recently commented that the Lib Dems doing well in Eastleigh could indicate it might be more difficult to dislodge Lib Dem MPs. If this is so, we need a strategy against the Lib Dems as well as against Labour. An obvious message could be: "If you want a change from this Labour Government, then vote Conservative, as only we can form an alternative Government. Voting LibDem risks letting Labour in again"

We need to take key Lib Dem seats such as Eastleigh, Sutton & Cheam and Oxford West & Abingdon - we have excellent candidates in all three to get in.

[Buckinghamshire Tory]

Who needs Simon Heffer when we've got niconoclast?

[Dontmakemelaugh]

Who needs Simon Heffer when we've got niconoclast?

Posted by: Buckinghamshire Tory | May 05, 2008 at 22:55

Who needs Cameron? Just what is his point? Vote blue and get green apparently.
Practically anyone would be better that Brown's Revenge for Thatcher/Culloden and Affiliated Polygamy Party, but whether they would still be any good for England is the question we must ask. At this moment in time Cameron is nothing but a shadow; eventually he will have to come out from behind the clouds. Until then I will stick with Heffer.

[john garland]

All he needs to restore confidence is to ensure this new renaissance that is sweeping the country would re-deploy the tens of thousands of our troops that are currently in no less than 16 of foreign countries worldwide 'costing billions' to police our own country.
Manning our ports and borders to stem the flood of illegal immigrants that are coming here 24/7.
They would also provide the the much needed backup to our overstretched and undermanned police force.

GO FOR IT!! RELATE TO THE PEOPLE !!

[christina Speight]

Cameron is at present not selling anything. He's sitting there waiting for the next disaster to befall Labour. He has no vision and nobody has the slightest idea what he believes in except that he'll manage Labour's policies better than they can. He is not "selling the brand of Conservatism". He's not selling anything at all - he's an empty vessel. He can't even get his European policy together when he has an open goal

I remain to be convinced that the gains made on Thursday (London is a totally separate issue) that the Tories got any more people to vote for them than the last time those seats were fought. If anyone disagrees FIGURES please (not percentages). It was almost entirely abstentions by Labour supporters whoi will return to the fold unless they are INSPIRED to do otherwise.

Today's Telegraph has an article by Anthony Browne from Policy Exchange and towards the end he says [my emphases] ---" Cameron and his team need to 'seal the deal' with the voters not just relying on discontent with the government but setting out positive reasons to vote FOR them. That means concentrating on core THEMES - mending Britain's, delivering REAL public service reform, less government interference in peoples' livesand more social responsibility. - - - - [they] need to show they share the voters' concerns and their VALUES'

It's not detailed policies that are lacking right now - it is the absence of any dream to aspire to, and any appeal to the emotions at all.

[rbcoomer]

I'd like to see a radical reform of taxation with more tax on 'optional' spending and less on 'necessary' spending! How can it be right that a tank of fuel to get to work costs more than a TV? Or even 1 months council tax cost more than a months food shop for 3? Massive VED increases for 5 year old cars don't tax the rich, they hit the average family (not me I have to admit as our current vehicles are 11 & 14 years old!). It's also very wrong to agree a pay deal like the Police and Prison Officers and then welch on it (& no, I'm not either one of the above, I'm 100% anti-union and self-employed!)

My list for David Cameron:-

1)Honesty and accountability.
2)A fairer society by better distribution of tax and by better sentencing of crimes.

The tax issue:-
a)Fuel duty should be replaced with a new VAT rate and cut by 20-25p/litre. Public transport costs would immediately fall (most operators are VAT registered), so would the price of goods such as food that see inflated transport costs. Some direct benefit must be directed at the motorist - hence a lower overall rate, but business would benefit most and this would mitigate the impact of my next item and boost the economy... Aviation fuel should be included!
b)Increase standard rate of VAT on goods: although unpopular, it is the 'green' thing to do and would encourage a less 'throw-away' society. Perhaps 20%, but possibly as much as 25% depending on the cost of cutting fuel duty and other pledges (I'm not an economist!) Most sales are now electronic to some extent so banding of VAT shouldn't be difficult if necessary to protect some 'essential' items. Greener products like condensing boilers, fluorescent lamps etc could be at the lower 5%.
c)Cut council tax by better funding of local government. Services that have little or no direct bearing on the local taxpayer (like social services, education, free bus travel etc) should be centrally funded on a 'per beneficiary' basis - i.e. LEA funded per child etc.
d)Higher rate of income tax (50%) for earners over £250,000. The 40p threshold should also be increased significantly to say £50,000 and the tax free earnings also increased closer to 8K/10K.
e)Improve benefits for those that are working but perhaps in low paid jobs at the expense of those who will not work (NOT those that can't or where there is no work)

On the courts and sentencing, I don't know where to start! The whole system needs a drastic overhaul. Here are just a couple of pointers:-
a) How can a fixed penalty in a council car-park for a 10 minute overstay (£70) be more than a fine for someone charged with GBH etc? (open your local paper, I'm sure you won't need to read far to fine such an instance of gross under-sentencing...)
b) If someone is convicted of a crime - e.g. stealing a car, robbery etc, serve their sentence (well perhaps half if we're lucky) and then offend again (same crime), they should immediately serve double the original/previous sentence without parole.

On a different portfolio aspect, I'd also support education vouchers where say 70% of the cost of state education for a child could be 'topped up' by a parent who opts for the independent sector. There would be a proviso on this however: the independent school must 'qualify' by being open to anyone and not be generally 'selective' in any way (religion etc). This would benefit the education system as a whole and raise standards. Most children in private education are not 'silver spoon', they simply have parents who care enough to go without! My Mother was a single parent who grafted herself into an early grave to pay for myself and my sister to have a good education away from the local comprehensive where (even now) the children smoke openly in the corridors and leave with a couple of 'dumbed-down' GCSE's and a child of their own... I'm doing likewise for my son, the only difference being that I'm doing the early years whereas my Mother opted to do the secondary ones. My son is 4 and can put a sentence together that would shame some teenagers!

Similarly, anyone opting for private healthcare for non-urgent conditions (like replacement joints, plastic surgery, fertility etc) should be able to 'top-up' a 70% NHS 'voucher'. Both these schemes, I believe would raise the standards and improve choice resulting in a win/win for the individual and the state.

Labour are bitterly unpopular and I think the Conservatives can afford to be bold and hit Labour hard in their own 'territory'. Most citizens accept that some costs have to rise in order to fund public improvements, what they don't like is to be lied to, deceived and cheated. We've had 10 years of increased costs without the benefit of improved services. Labour have taxed everyone harder but by stealth and slight of hand in the hope that we won't notice. In their endeavors to pull the wool over our eyes, they have hurt the poorest most as it is those that can least afford the 100% extra council tax, 100% extra fuel/energy costs, first home etc, etc. If we had a superb NHS, Education and Transport system then people would still have some sympathy. It was that 'benefit of doubt' alone that gave Labour a third term. Unfortunately for Labour (fortunately for the rest of us), the cracks are more than showing and even the most sympathetic voter can now see that Labour merely squandered the golden economic legacy from John Major without anything to show for it. What's worse is that they've not only squandered the 'pot', but massively increased the tax burden on Mr & Mrs Average and robbed their pensions! How many years of toil will it take the nation to recover from New Labour failings?

Never before has it been so apparent to me that "Opposition parties don't win elections, governments lose them"... Well it took some time for many voters to see the light, but I think it's safe to say now...