Survey comments: David Cameron

Here are ten comments about David Cameron that were made by participants in the ConservativeHome Members' Panel.

1. To date I have to say that I am very pleased with the way David Cameron has settled into the role of Party Leader and the way he has started the difficult task of modernising the Party. There is still a long way to go and there can be no doubts that not all members will be pleased with the direction the Party takes, but all credit to the man - his energy, enthusiasm and vigour show no signs of abating.

2. David Cameron has started with a huge fund of goodwill. He seems to be deliberately testing the party to see how much unwelcome medicine it can endure, and is perhaps trying to get the worst of it (e.g. grammar schools) out of the way early. So far he retains my support on balance.

3. Thanks for the survey. I think it's early days yet for David Cameron - but he is keen and is being seen as someone with ideas. He has made bold statements and even our Labour and Lib Dem Councillors here are worried by his growth in popularity and his new modernising agenda. I know some members are worried, but I think DC is making the right moves and noises.

4. David has started an in-depth review in the Party of real root causes of issues in this country. We should give him our unstinting support even if we don't instinctively agree with his position on every issue. One of the perceived problems with the Conservative Party in recent years is superficiality. We talk about not wanting to be ruled by Brussels, loving our country (as if everyone else doesnt), being overrun with immigrants and going back to Matrons and Bobbies on the beat. These are soundbites which don't address the fact that we are where we are and we have to move forward in the context of a more complex social and global environment in the 21st Century.

5. Cameron is right to believe that the Conservative brand is tarnished. But he is wrong about the reasons. The policies in which we fought the last two elections are popular. So there is nothing to be gained by junking them. Our recent history - the recession of the early 90s, sleaze, lack of charismatic leadership infighting, and the Blair phenomenon - explains our failure. Cameron has the personality to be the change. But he will get nowhere unless he fights for Conservative beliefs.

6. There is still a LONG way to go, but at last there is SOMEONE leading the Conservative Party who makes me inclined to get involved in politics again. I haven't felt like doing ANYTHING to help the Conservatives since leaving university in 1997 but want to do all I can to make sure David Cameron is living at No 10 Downing Steet and NOT Gordon Brown after the next election.

7. David Cameron has the right instincts, but he needs to realise being more focused on issues like public sector reform, helping those on low incomes, and the environment require a distinctive Conservative approach rather than always adopting New Labour's reasoning. That said, it is better to be politically too close to the centre and win with some useless mushy policies in the manifesto, (such as being flaky on school choice), than be politically too far out to the right and lose on the basis of right wing policies which aren too extreme and are poorly thought out in any case ( i.e. the patient's passport).

8. I think that David Cameron is moving the party forward on social justice and the rich business elite image of the party, which is what made them so unpopular for a while. He also adds a good youthful and competent image to the party. I would caution however that the Conservatives have always been strong on family issues and personal morality and do not need to change on this front. If they seek to provide a genuine alternative in this area as well, then the embracing of traditional Christian morality should not be shied away from.

9. David Cameron is a breath of fresh air to a Party that has drifted further and further away from the British people. The lack of direction and appeal has enabled Blair to press ahead and sneak in his nanny state policies. At last we have a chance for good sensible government of this country once again. Let's help it work!

10. David Cameron has freed his own mind from the paradigms that have driven Conservative policy making in recent decades. He is approaching policy making in an open minded and fair minded way. He has brought a breath of fresh air into the Conservative Party.

Comments

[Mark Fulford]

"I would caution however that the Conservatives have always been strong on family issues and personal morality and do not need to change on this front. If they seek to provide a genuine alternative in this area as well, then the embracing of traditional Christian morality should not be shied away from."

Newsnight was talking last night about the new film "Kidulthood". Shaun Bailey, who was on the couch as a Youth Community and Drug Worker, had this interesting view from the coal face:

“…we’re very liberal with everything and we’ve set our children free with all manner of stuff, so they get access to adult material all the time and they don’t have the emotional ability to deal with… it and then we call them young people which makes them estranged from us, they’re not young people, they’re children and they’re dealt with as such so how can we act surprised when they come out and form their own morality?”

[Derek]

I think we have got to be clear as to why Cameron was voted in as our new leader. In my opinion it was because he was judged to be a good communicator, and the right face of the Party. I do not believe we voted for a complete change of direction, but rather for a change of presentation. The core membership will be willing to go along with a broadening out of our policies, and even a change of emphasis, but they still want to see our Party addressing the core issues of crime, the EU, and immigration. I still believe that he will address these issues in time. When he does so I hope he will have robust policies that will have credibility with the voters.

[Ed R]

Although there are things Cameron has said or done I disagree with, I'm fairly happy. He's reinvigorating the way the party looks, talks and acts and although I could go for a more radical right-wing agenda, I think he's speaking for the centre. Also, I think there are certain issues -- such as tax cuts and immigration -- where people just don't believe parties. In this case, action in government is preferable to words in opposition.

[Neil Reddin]

The real value with David Cameron is that he is someone who will "break the ice" with the electorate. Commenter Derek is right when he impies that it is presentation that is the key, particularly our image among the media - after all, to take an example, "putting economic stability before tax cuts" is hardly rocking the foundations of Conservative thinking, but if it helps to dispell the myth that we Tories will slash taxes regardless of the negative consequences (always untrue) then that's fine by me. To get people talking seriously and sensibly about tax reduction, without the media being distracted by hysterical "Evil Tories Would Demolish Schools'n'ospitals" rants from LabDems, can only be good for the promotion of broader conservative principles and ideas.

As has been noted elsewhere, the real fun(!) will start when concrete policies are formed - but by that time I would expect such ideas to be less "off the wall" than some might fear now.

[Spagbob]

i am very happy with cameron's leadership (despite the fact he ditched the grammar schools policy) and i think his direction will mean we'll win the next election.

that "built to last" document he released was excellant. however, i agree with the comment 8 from above about being "strong on family issues and personal morality." this could form the basis of a ninth aim for the party in the built to last document. because that is the only way we're gonna solve many of the social problems we face today, the social enterprises can only do so much. policies like tightening up grounds for divorce, promoting parents rights, reintroducing section 28, taking abortion off the NHS and promoting sexual abstinence rather than experimentation in schools e.t.c. maybe even a commitment to restore religous worship to schools.

in the end, not everything cameron does we will agree with, but he's our best chance to win the election. we must get behind him and give him our full support, which means stop criticising and start being loyal and united.

[Annabel Herriott]

Dc is doing just fine.Get used to the notion of a very close, not to say hung parliament next time around. Gordon will blow it, and 2011/13 ish is ours. You heard it here first! He is holding steady, despite lots of flak from the unreconstructed right. AND its not an age/ generation thing. Its about living inthe future, not dwelling on the past, and he is so doing. Get behind him. The tory collective behind the individual, not opposing him.

[R UK]

Cameron is a waste of space. The Conservatives are silenced inside the EPP. Europe charges ahead into a bureaucratic economic black hole. We should be speaking out and trying to shape the EU if we can. Cameron said he would get us out of the EPP. He's fallen at the first fence. We've got Blair already. Why do we need another paler imitation of the brand?
Next...

[malcolm]

How do you square this post with those you made in January/February RUK? I do not think it's Cameron who is the waste of space.

[michael]

They used to say of Neil Kinnock, it was hard to imagine him on the steps of Number Ten.

With Cameron, it's hard NOT to imagine him on the steps of number 10.

I keep forgetting that we've got to suffer a couple of years of Brown...the political tide just isn't with him.

[Jon White]

R UK - well, it's nice to see such positive uplifting comments here. Cameron certainly isn't perfect, there is much with his policy statements that I do not agree with (specifically the rejection of flat rate taxation, and the rejection of grammar schools), but he has done something that Major, Hague, IDS, and Howard did not - he has given us at least a chance of winning. (Or if not winning, making a huge dent in the majority).

What you fail to realise is that a comparison to Blair is not relevant. Blair will not be the PM at the next election. The choice that the elctorate will face will be Cameron or Brown. That, Sir, is an absolute no-brainer.

[Dick Wishart]

How anyone can call the "Built to last" excellent I find quite incredible, it says nothing is completely ambiguous and smacks of a press release from the No 10 spin doctors. Most people will agree with it because it gives the impression of saying a lot but in fact says nothing. How we are supposed to have a serious debate on this and then vote on this I do not know.
The eight headline statements are so bland (Who,s saying that we should,nt make poverty history or that a successful britain SHOULD NOT be able to compete with the world) that the phrase come to mind "stating the bleedin obvious", can you just imagine what the respose will be when you say this to someone on the doorstep.
Whilst I did not vote for David Cameron, he does have my full support, however we really do need to put some meat on the bones and have a lot less waffle.