If it embraces pro-working class economic policies the Right can devastate the Left

By Tim Montgomerie
Follow Tim on Twitter

I've now been at The Times for just over four months and of all the articles I've published since taking over the Comment desk one of the most important was a piece by YouGov's Peter Kellner that documented declining voter faith in left-wing parties across Europe. After conducting polling in Britain, France, Germany and Sweden Mr Kellner - himself a man of the Left - worried that "millions in all four countries no longer think left-of-centre parties care about them; and most reject the idea that governments are good at solving social problems." The polling is summarised in the table below:

I don't believe that the austerity we are seeing is a short-term problem for the Left. It's not just that countries like Britain are only a quarter to a third of the way towards getting rid of the deficit. The ageing population means that it's going to be hard for governments to afford any new forms of expenditure that aren't related to pensions, healthcare and social care. There's also the fact of global tax competition. If left-wing governments think they can keep raising taxes to pay for new benefits or entitlement programmes they will find that footloose individuals and businesses will teach them some basic lessons in economics.

Liz Truss MP and more affordable childcare for parents who want to work #LittleGuyConservatism 6/6

By Tim Montgomerie
Follow Tim on Twitter

A quick blog to conclude this ConHome series on 'the little guy'. There has been some debate in threads and on Twitter as to whether we've got the name right for describing a Conservatism that demonstrates solidarity with those in society who may lack money, power, opportunity, fair treatment - or a combination of all of these things. I readily concede we might not have the ideal expression but, fortunately, few have missed what we're trying to advocate - a conservatism for the underdogs - those taxpayers who see their money wasted, parents who can't get their kids into good schools, consumers who lack empowerment and small businesses who can't afford the regulations that established producer interests conspire with big government to produce. Some of these underdogs struggle to make ends meet. Others are simply disempowered.

There have been five instalments of this series so far:

• Laura Sandys MP's consumer empowerment agenda - involving greater penalties for mis-selling, transparency of information, education, and mobility between producers;
• Nick Boles MP's ambition to ensure more young families can afford to get a foot on the property ladder;
• Rob Halfon MP's 10p tax campaign;
• Lord Baker's vision for more than 200 University Technical Colleges;
• Harriett Baldwin MP's campaign to deliver 'Justice for England'.

We will return to the series in future months but let's end this week's launch with Liz Truss' childcare agenda. This subject has already been covered extensively on ConHome and I don't, therefore, intend to duplicate. I point you to Paul Goodman's blog from Wednesday and Liz Truss' own blog from nearly one month ago.

Harriett Baldwin MP and Justice for England #LittleGuyConservatism 5/6

By Paul Goodman
Follow Paul on Twitter

A fortnight ago, Harriett Baldwin MP asked the following question to Tom Brake, the Deputy Leader of the Commons, during Business Questions:

"I am delighted to hear that we will get the report in this session of Pariament. Does the Deputy Leader of the House share my aspiration that by the end of this Parliament we will ensure that English-only legislation is voted on with a majority of English MPs?"

Brake replied:

"I am aware that my hon. Friend is pursuing this matter vigorously—indeed, she made her own submission—but it is right that we wait until we have carefully considered the arguments and options in the report before taking a view. I am sure the House will want to do the same."

Lord Baker of Dorking and a revolution in technical education #LittleGuyConservatism 4/6

By Tim Montgomerie
Follow Tim on Twitter

One of the great challenges of our time - in all more mature economies - is to improve the wage-earning potential of the working population. Britain has some of the best schools and universities in the world but if we are to succeed in ensuring every child and future worker has skills with which they can earn a good living we need to ensure more balance in our educational system. We need to address the huge mistake that was made in 1945 when - partly through academic snobbery - Britain rejected the path that Germany took and we failed to invest in high quality technical schooling.

This Coalition is already serious about vocational education. Only today, our Deep End Editor blogged about the success of the Government's investment in apprenticeships. Finally, our education system is refocusing on providing young Britons with skills that will actually be useful for them.

Few people are more in tune with this need to rebalance our education system than former Tory Education Secretary Lord Baker of Dorking. Ken Baker could have left politics and gone on to do something more financially lucrative but he's stuck at the great mission that he launched when he was a member of Margaret Thatcher's government - the drive to deliver technical education to children who, without it, may struggle in the jobs market.

Robert Halfon MP and a champion of tax cuts for the poor #LittleGuyConservatism 3/6

By Harry Phibbs
^{Follow Harry on Twitter}

As Tim wrote in The Times (£) on Monday, the Conservative MP for Harlow, Robert Halfon, has the championing of the little guy at the heart of his beliefs.

His philosophy can be applied to policy in a number of ways. But one aspect that Mr Halfon keeps at the forefront of his mind is that the little guy pays a heavy burden of tax.

One example is filling up the tank of a family car, with 70 litres of petrol costing, say, £93. That means paying £40.56p of fuel duty. Then there is VAT on the whole lot, a tax on a tax, coming to £18.60p. So the tax bill for filling up the family car with petrol is £59.16 - the same for a poor man as a rich man.

Nick Boles MP and affordable housing #LittleGuyConservatism 2/6

By Peter Hoskin
_{Follow Peter on Twitter}

“The government is on track to preside over the lowest level of house-building since the 1920s.” Those are the words of Policy Exchange’s Alex Morton — and they go some way to capturing the great housing problem in this country. But there are other indicators, too. Did you know that the average age of a first-time buyer is now 35 years-old, up from 23 years-old in the Sixties? Did you know that there are 1.8 million households on the waiting lists for social housing? Did you know… oh, you get the point.

This alone would have given Nick Boles an excuse to enter his new job as planning minister with trepidation: the challenge is so great in itself. But there’s more. As Paul has pointed out on numerous occasions, there are also immense political pressures bearing down on anyone tasked with creating more housing. On one side, the Treasury, who, for the purposes of growth, probably wouldn’t mind a further, faster, stronger approach to house-building – so long as it doesn’t cost too much. On the other, assorted Tory councillors and defenders of the shires, who are worried about where it might lead.

Laura Sandys MP and a pro-consumer conservatism #LittleGuyConservatism 1/6

By Tim Montgomerie
Follow Tim on Twitter

In today's Times (£) I write about my friend Robert Halfon and what I call the little guy conservatism that he has championed as Harlow's Conservative MP:

"At the heart of his belief is a bias towards the little guy. Eighteen months ago when the Tories were considering cutting the top 50p rate of income tax, he argued on the pages of ConservativeHome that this should not be George Osborne’s priority. Yes, he insisted, the Conservatives should remain the party of lower taxes but the low-paid should be at the front of the queue whenever there was room in the nation’s finances. Working closely with The Sun, Rob’s priority was to freeze fuel tax. In the Autumn Statement his campaign achieved success. Every motorist in the land has cause to be grateful to him when they fill up their tank. Fresh from his petrol duty triumph, Rob is now campaigning for the restoration of the 10p income tax band. He thinks that resurrecting the tax band Gordon Brown abolished would send a million-volt message that the Tories are focused on the lowest paid."

I go on to list some of Rob's other campaigns, including for a Conservative Party that is more friendly to trade union members, that promotes apprenticeships and increases the choices of poorer parents.

Rob is not the only Tory MP promoting this David vs Goliath conservatism (what Dom Raab MP has called conservatism for the underdog). A conservatism for the little guy was best expressed by Michael Howard when he was Tory leader. "No one should be over-powerful," he said, "not ministers, not trade unions, not corporations, not the European Union. Wherever we see bullying by the over-mighty, we must stand up to it. Wherever we see one group flicking two fingers to the law, we must fight back."