John Redwood

ConservativeHome readers recently posed a variety of questions for John Redwood MP.  John answers them below.

Manhattan: "Is there any gain in the fight against crime to be had from repealing the HRA if Britain does not also withdraw from the ECHR?"

We need to take the measures that are right for the UK to combat crime. To do this we need to legislate in the UK through our democratic Parliament as we see fit. As the policy review process proceeds it will become clearer what needs to be done to ensure the UK is free to do all that it needs to do to offer safety to our citizens, and what we might need to propose to deal with the European issues. It is too early to answer your question, as we first need to decide what extra measures we need to take domestically.

NigelC: "Should local Conservative councillors participate in Regional Assemblies as it is now our policy to abolish them?"

We believe in local determination, so it is a matter for local Councillors to decide. I would suggest all Conservative Councillors on these bodies should propose a resolution for their abolition. If it carries the problem is solved. If it is not carried, and if Councillors wish to stay on these bodies, they should make sure they always express views based around our principled position that these bodies are a waste of money and an anti-democratic system of government.

Michael McGough: "Do you believe that we would be better off out of the EU?"

I believe we need a trading arrangement with our EU partners, but do not benefit from all the bureaucracy and over regulation the system heaps upon us. There is clearly a cost to us of belonging to the EU in terms of payments into the Union and in terms of extra bureaucratic overhead – we need to cut the EU budgets, especially the waste and the Agricultural expenditure.

Jeramy: "What does Mr Redwood make of the pressure for Public Schools to lose their charitable status? Should it be retained?" 

Yes I do believe Public Schools should keep their charitable status. The way to give more children a better education comes from improving the poorer schools, not from undermining the better schools.

Malcolm: "John, within your quest for economic competitiveness are you taking into account the work of the other policy review groups? The environmental and social justice groups work in particular does seem to me to need to be coordinated with your own."

Yes, of course. I am as keen as the Social Justice group that we promote a more successful economy in a way which will help those with least in our society, and as keen as the Environmental Group to promote a greener and cleaner Britain.

Chris Palmer: "Do you believe it is possible to reduce the tax burden substantially while still maintaining our current level of public services?"

Yes. Over the life of a Parliament we can benefit from growth, and from better management of the public services.

Harriet B: "You once said that the Conservative Party is a party of tax cuts or it is nothing.  Do you still believe that and is it likely that your policy group will recommend reductions to the biggest tax burden in British history?"

Yes.

Winston: "I teach economics to secondary school kids and, within the bounds of the curriculum, I try to teach them that tax policy can be a dynamic, supply-side weapon.  The soundbites of the Cameron era - 'economic stability must come before tax cuts' and 'sharing the proceeds of growth' - only reinforce the Labour template that one man's tax cut is another man's spending cut.  What language should Tories use to promote understanding of the role that lower taxes play in boosting growth?"

I have recently pointed out how Ireland has grown 4 times as fast as Scotland during Gordon Brown’s stewardship of the Scottish economy, developing George Osborne’s analysis of Ireland’s success.  We need to explain to a new generation of economists how low tax rates produce richer societies – and often also yield more revenue for better public services.

The Man on the Clapham Omnibus: "Do you think Tories should now embrace some form of congestion charge for London and other traffic-jammed cities?"

The Policy Group has recently set out a package of urgent and relatively low cost measures to get traffic moving in the cities, and to make them safer and cleaner. We are currently looking at the whole road pricing debate. One central proposition we are likely to stick with is the burden of tax on road transport should not be increased overall, so we are unlikely to favour additional Congestion Charges on a one off basis in different cities on the lines of London.

DM: "Would he advise local associations selecting Parliamentary Candidates for either marginals or currently held seats to restrict their choice to the A-List, or should they invite applications from all members of the Party and make their selection of the Conservative candidate on the basis of ability and someone matching the profile of local voters?"

I hope local Associations will find talented and good candidates from the A List. Of course they can also consider local candidates. I believe in local choice, as the candidate needs the good will and active support of the Association to win the seat.

Greek Geek: "Do you read political blogs and what role might blogs play within British politics over coming years?"

No I do not – I get enough emails and letters without seeking out more of the same. Blogs will be one means  of undertaking active democratic discussion in the years ahead.

Oberon Houston: "Going into the next General Election, rank the following in order of importance for the Conservative Party:

1. Principles
2. Ideology
3. Loyalty
4. Europe
5. Defeating Labour"

It is difficult to rank your list of abstract nouns. Principles and ideology are the same thing put differently. Defeating Labour is our aim. Having principles, and showing loyalty to them and the Leader is the way to achieve the aim. Europe is an issue which matters a great deal to part of the electorate, but is not the only issue or the most important to the electorate as a whole.

Comments

[James Maskell]

Nice cop out last answer. Principles and ideology in my opinion arent the same thing. Ideology has more beef to it than principles and is less flexible. Sorry Redwood, but I disagree with you.

[David Walker]

For a man who I always assumed had impeccable political principles JR's acquiesence over the Cameron project has tarred his standing in my eyes. He stands back and sees a man commit our party to this high tax economy and many other foolish betrayals. We are left with Philip Davies and other lightweights to fight the principled corner. shame on you Mr Redwood.

[Denis Cooper]

An unsatisfactory (non) reply on whether we would be better off out of the EU, which apart from anything else completely ignores the reality that the EU is not just a trading arrangement, but is predicated upon a commitment to "ever closer union" until it is transformed from an international organisation established by treaty between its sovereign member states into a new country in its own right.

[David Sergeant]

"For a man who I always assumed had impeccable political principles JR's acquiesence over the Cameron project has tarred his standing in my eyes. He stands back and sees a man commit our party to this high tax economy and many other foolish betrayals"

I have long been intrigued by bloggers who write this sort of thing. Mostly not true but an excuse for anti-Cameron hysteria. I have now concluded that David Walker et al must be Labour supporters having a stir: only a Labour supporter would think Conservatives would be as daft as this.

[David Walker]

I don't know who you are (David Sergeant) to question my loyalty. For the record I am not a Labour supporter - but you can't be a party that attacks the 70 tax rises under Labour and then refuses to propose cutting them. It doesn't make sense, and if a Labour party member wasted time stirring on this site then I suggest they reassess their priorities and got out onto the pavement.

[Oberon Houston]

James, I agree with you. I was interested in the reply John would give, but was taken aback by the one he gave.

I would (in UK political terms) would say that many 'old' Labour people are 'Ideological' in their outlook, i.e. equality, regardless of the particulars of the issue. For example they will commonly say "equality and opportunity", but what they really mean is just 'equality', because opportunity is something that automatically creates inequality, thus breaking the ideological principle of equality.

Now, with regards to Conservatism, we are historically known as the 'pragmatic party', the 'what works', and we most certainly believe in opportunity, and therefore accept the resulting inequalities, at a certain level. The key is opportunity generates hope and a means to better ones self - i.e. it need not be a bad thing.

Now, before I ramble on too much, here is the key, there are certainly those in the Conservative party, commonly, but not always the right of the party, that have moved so far from this position on certain policy initatives as to be bordering on 'Ideological'. This is very close to breaking the Conservative principle of 'pragmatism' and 'what works'. This, I believe, is the real reason Conservatism has fared so badly in recent years - many have abandoned our principles to satisfy an ideological position.

Phew, if you've got this far you deserve a cup of tea.

[David Sergeant]

"but you can't be a party that attacks the 70 tax rises under Labour and then refuses to propose cutting them"

Oh yes you can. It's like complaining about being in the EU. It's there, we're in, you start from there. Cameron has not said he will not cut taxes, indeed he has made several references to priorities to tax cuts. And the general election is yonks away. So to say he has committed the party to a high tax economy is not true, then to go on about other "foolish things" and you wonder why anyone wonders if you are a Labour supporter.

Do you seriously want the party to campaign on cutting the 70 taxes and the public services paid from them? Now that would guarantee a Labpour government!

[Richard Cooke]

I would like to express my appreciation to John Redwood for taking the time to answer these questions. I found his answer to Oberon Houston's question about Conservative Party priorities to be very succinct, to the point and, if I may say, logical. We can all go on for hours playing with words if we have the time, but I am sure John is a very busy man. I would have liked a bit more beef to the answer to Harriet B's question about tax cuts, but I realise it is a bit of a controversial subject in the party at the moment. Which comes first, the economic stability or the tax cuts. I think they go together. Keep up the good work John and thanks for sticking in there.

[Bob]

Sir,
Many of my friends & I want Labour out. We don't want Liberals either . The Conservatives are the only options . However we are unsure as to the Conservative stance on our nations destruction, One World Socialist Government , The E.U. Socialist Dictatorship & the looming U.N. unelected Government of the world.
Time is running out. Either we shall be free or we shall be slaves. Unelected Presidents of the E.U. are by definition Dictators. Thus Tyranny is just around the corner. An unelected U.N. Government with taxation in the Trillions via the Law of the Sea represents a terrible turn of events for true freedom & freely elected Government. How can our Labour Government & even the Americans hand over control of 73% of the Earths Surface to an unelected and mostly socialist Oligarchy ? We the people are being ignored on the E.U. & U.N.. Labour promised a referendum on the E.U. but lied to us all and flooded our nation by design
with unlimited immigration.
A key policy of international socialism is the destruction of all nation states.And as Trotskyites these one world Government technocrats use terror against the free world in order to bring about a Big Brother State. Gordon Brown & Tony Blair Committed High Treason. Yet the media says nothing . Blair abolished the Treason Laws in 1998. That in itself is Treason. Will the Conservative party shake off the shackles of the Globalists and save this nation from Socialist Dictatorship ? Can the Conservatives be trusted to be real British politicians and stand up for the British people ? Will Mr Cameron keep his promises? Will the Conservatives be true to our Nation and abolish the laws & policies brought in by Labour ?