In the think-tanks of Westminster, especially on the centre-right, the big question driving much of our work is this: what are the practical policy recommendations which will enable a future government to reduce public spending and public debt, and get the nation's finances back on track? In other words, planning for austerity government.
But as Anthony King points out in today's Telegraph, for austerity government to be successful its ministers must have the confidence of the nation. This is why the latest twist of the MPs' expenses story is so depressing. We are facing, in King's words, "British political leaders' loss of moral authority during a time of dislocation and recession when – more than for many years past – moral authority is badly needed. Whichever party wins the next general election, millions of Britons are going to have to make personal sacrifices during the coming decade.
It would be hard enough for a Winston Churchill
or a Clement Attlee to persuade them to accept those sacrifices with
good grace. It will be far harder, perhaps impossible, for the present
generation of leaders to achieve the same effect."
If David Cameron is to gain the moral authority he will need to govern austerity Britain, he needs to act boldly now to restore trust in his colleagues. Let us hope there are enough capable Tories with modest expenses records to enable Cameron to make a few strategic appointments.
