David Frum

Posted below are David Frum's answers to your questions.  David's excellent blog can be read here.

Donal Blaney: "What is the main lesson for British Conservatives to learn from the electoral successes of the Republicans at Presidential, Congressional and Gubernatorial level in the last decade?"

Frankly, I think you have more to learn from Republican failures. Under George Bush, Republicans tried to reinvent their domestic policies to meet perceived political and demographic needs- regardless not only of principle, but also of internal coherence. The result has been policy failure (the kindest term I can think of for attempting to merge a huge tax cut with a huge new prescription drug entitlement benefit), but also political disappointment, as the president has ended up alienating much of his voting base without obtaining the secure new majority he sought. I am not saying that Republicans and Conservatives must adhere forever to their old-time religion. That obviously stopped working in the 1990s - but only that attempts to broaden their appeal must make philosophical sense, rather than be assembled like tinker-toy out of focus-grouped-approved concepts.