ConservativeHome's Dictionary

Zero-sum game

A social or economic situation where someone's gain is at the expense of another person.

Demand for government

Reductions in the supply of government services will only be temporary if the demand for those services has never been tackled.

Frontline public servants

The nurses, doctors, teachers and police officers who deliver Britain's public services.

Tyranny of the status quo

Milton Friedman documented the many forces that stop ineffective government programmes from being closed down.

Tragedy of the commons

Natural resources that are not owned by anyone are open to be misused by everyone.

Tax churning

The wasteful process by which money is taken from taxpayers only to be returned to them later.

Supplicant state

The extent to which the income of voters is derived directly from government.

Strivers (or Battlers)

Strivers are people who have to battle through layers of red tape, tax and congestion to improve their own and their families' lives.

Stakeholder-directed funding

Taxpayers’ money delivered via vouchers, matched funding and asset transfer can build a voluntary sector that is less politicised and more rooted in the needs of stakeholder communities.

Small government conservatism

Sustainable reductions in the size of government depend upon stronger social values and institutions.