ConservativeHome is not a policy-free zone

ConservativeHome's 100policies.com is a big experiment.  Can the readers of this blog propose, scrutinise and refine one hundred policies that will amount to a worthy submission to the Conservative Party's policy review process?  Can the 'wisdom of the crowds' match the careful work of the six policy groups, the various taskforces and the Westminster think tanks?  We'll know in a few months...

Beginning on Monday 14th August ConservativeHome will be publishing policy ideas suggested by grassroots Conservatives.  Every policy idea will be presented in the same format.  Each submission will have...

• A headline summary of the policy;
• An explanation of the policy;
• An assessment of the policy's political risks and opportunities;
• Questions for ConservativeHome readers on how the policy idea can be improved;
• A brief statement on the policy's cost (if known).

100policies.com - inspired by similar initiatives in America - will follow a three-stage process:

The following five policy ideas will launch the process:

• Monday 14th August: Andrew Boff advocates direct democracy for London and a California-style recall of London's Mayor.
• Tuesday 15th August: Louise Bagshawe advocates making forced marriage illegal.
• Wednesday 16th August: James Frayne advocates the abolition of inheritance tax.
• Thursday 17th August: Peter Franklin advocates the public 'blacklisting' of ugly buildings for demolition.
• Friday 18th August: Sam Burke advocates "A Human Rights Minister to champion natural liberties abroad and further advance our Party’s commitment to the dignity of man."

Do you have a burning policy idea?  What are you waiting for?  Please email Tim.

Comments

[javelin]

Great idea.

I think the debate also needs to encompass the practicalities and costs of each policy. Otherwise you'll end up with the same superficial, headline grabbing failures that is New Labour.

[malcolm]

Good idea Tim.I very much look forward to reading them.No doubt these people you have selected will come up with more sensible policies than those suggested in a recent 'Diary'.

[Editor]

They couldn't be worse, Malcolm and thank you - I'm excited about this project.

[Richard Bailey]

Advise Sam Burke not to waste his time with that one.
I've made a note in my diary for that day to log on and vote against.

[Harry]

The next Conservative Manifesto should include TWO significant policies to return Democracy to our elected representatives at Westminster.

POLICY 1. To amend the EEC Act 1972 that allows EU Institutions to pass laws that take effect without discussion in Westminster.

For the period 1992-2003, 27,019 Regulations & Decisions were enacted & 962 Directives. (Hansard 22 March 2005 Col.795). Regulations and Decisions once issued by EU Inst., pass directly into effect.

Directives are enacted Nationally BEFORE obtaining legal force. Failure to enact leads to remedy in the ECJ. By amending the Act, Westminster would not allow any EU Law to be enacted if it was shown not to be in the interest of the UK. (Bill Cash MP has such an amended policy).

POLICY 2. A policy offering a Referendum to the people of the continued UK membership of the EU. No one below the age of 50 has ever been asked their view.

By adopting both these policies, the Conservatives could be seen to support true democracy and find a good majority of those 8 million voters lost to the party since 1992.

Harry

[Sedge]

How about 100 present laws to abolish? One of the government's problems is over-legislating, so I think this would be a good balance to 100 new policies.

[Yet Another Anon]

How about 100 present laws to abolish? One of the government's problems is over-legislating, so I think this would be a good balance to 100 new policies.
Policies can be anything government does which can include abolishing laws or a general approach that may not involve legislation, indeed might involve use of existing law, not everything that government does requires any law at all to do, some of the public sector assets can be disposed of without legislation being required, the country can go to war without any legislation and many other things.

[Londoner]

Rather than just say after each day whether or not each policy is approved, how about giving the voting figures each time (or at least the % in favour and a relative turn-out compared with the average - I realise you might not want to reveal the absolute participation level)? There is clearly a big difference between 90% and 51%. It would be interesting to see (a) whether voting is closer on policies with quite a few opinions posted against (like IHT yesterday) or whether there is just a noisy minority on some sorts of issues and (b) what the relative "turn-out" shows about which issues excite by getting higher votes both ways and which are treated as more of a yawn. I would welcome the editor's response to this suggestion.

[Angelo Basu]

Not sure this is the thread to discuss Harry's policy but it looks more like something for UKIP than us? The first of the two suggestions also fails to take into account the fact that where a directive has not been implemented in time it gives rise to the ability for individuals to enforce the rights that the Directive would have given them as well as action against HMG by the Commission. So it would be an absolute waste of time and lead to legal uncertainty.

I see that we have had no new policies in the list to look at for the past couple of days, have we run out?!

[Paul]

How can we find out the status of any policy ideas we may have sent in.

I sent one to Tim by email at the weekend, but do not know if he got it, or the status.

It was on IR35 whicb is back in the News after the vote in the HoC over the MSC provisions.

[Joseph Brayson]

Whatever happened to 100policies as it hasn't being mentioned for ages?