Tim Montgomerie's article in The Independent the other day prompted me to drop a few lines which rehearsed why we shouldn't only talk about the change the country needs - but also level with the public about the scale of the task any Government will face in the next few years. It strikes me that there are three other reasons why talking more frankly about the size of the challenge in advance of the General Election will help build stronger foundations for the challenges which will face the Government afterwards.
The first is that a large section of the population is still too insulated about how bad the current position is. Anyone under 40 was too young to remember the winter of discontent - but it was crucial in giving the incoming government in 1979 a mandate for change. In consultancy we sometimes call it the 'burning platform' - clients often need to see the compelling reason for change. Quite often the guys at a top of an organisation can see the need for it - but those lower in the organisation can be hostile - or just act as 'roadblocks to reform' - so we'll sometimes need to help the senior team to create and communicate the compelling reason for change. This is so relevant right now because in contrast to 1979 the rubbish isn't piling up in the streets and the dead are being buried. If you have a safe job you might actually feel quite affluent right now - mortgage interest rates are cheaper than ever and all is right with the world. If you have a public sector final salary pension scheme so much the better. In short, a large number of our population don't see the need to fix the economy because they can't see its broken.
The first is that a large section of the population is still too insulated about how bad the current position is. Anyone under 40 was too young to remember the winter of discontent - but it was crucial in giving the incoming government in 1979 a mandate for change. In consultancy we sometimes call it the 'burning platform' - clients often need to see the compelling reason for change. Quite often the guys at a top of an organisation can see the need for it - but those lower in the organisation can be hostile - or just act as 'roadblocks to reform' - so we'll sometimes need to help the senior team to create and communicate the compelling reason for change. This is so relevant right now because in contrast to 1979 the rubbish isn't piling up in the streets and the dead are being buried. If you have a safe job you might actually feel quite affluent right now - mortgage interest rates are cheaper than ever and all is right with the world. If you have a public sector final salary pension scheme so much the better. In short, a large number of our population don't see the need to fix the economy because they can't see its broken.
The second compelling reason to talk about the need for radical reform and lower spending is that it strengthens our position in the event we go forward with a small or minority government. The electoral system is stacked against the Conservatives - and despite the opinion poll evidence that the country wants a change and wants it now, we must recognise that we could end up without a majority. Under these circumstances, a Party who has been clear about the need to reform and honest about the size of change required stands some chance of grabbing the electoral agenda. One which has not risks being part of a period of extended inertia where difficult decisions are, as now, simply postponed.
The final reason is honesty. I supported our action with the EPP-ED group - not because I thought it was especially necessary, or even smart politics: but because David Cameron had made a clear promise; and going back on it would have made us just like the shabby lot who are currently in Government. Its going to be vital that we show that an incoming government is not just persuing the policies the country needs, but is governing in a way that levels with the public and treats them like adults. Forget the post-bureaucratic age - this is the post-duck house age. The public will simply not accept it if we come in offering change but they see more of the same with a Party saying one thing and doing another. We would lose our credibility, waste the opportunity and fail in our responsibility to give this country the change it so badly needs.
