'Tories should relaunch as Labour think tank'

That is the jokey advice of Matthew Parris in this morning's Times:

"Now that John Reid is taking his speech notes on immigration from old 2005 Tory election posters, here’s another soundbite idea for the Home Secretary, in case he missed the poster first time round: “How would you feel if a bloke on early release attacked your daughter?” He could put it on a Labour billboard.

Next we could have a speech from Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, in which she declares: “I mean, how hard is it to keep a hospital clean?”

This would be followed by a press conference given by Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, against a printed backdrop message: “What’s wrong with a little discipline in schools?”"

Mr Parris' conclusion: "Perhaps the Conservative Party should quit the unequal struggle to win power in its own name and relaunch itself as a top-flight research organisation for new Labour."

Labour's tendency to steal Tory ideas is one of the great challenges facing Oliver Letwin, party policy chief.  Within the Conservative grassroots there is some impatience for 'policy beef' but early policy ideas risk being stolen by Labour.  ConservativeHome's search for 100 policy ideas begins on Monday.

Related link: Governing by proxy

Comments

[James Maskell]

The lack of policy may be due to Labour stealing it, but that problem only happens if the policies are so close to Labour they can get away with it. Make the policies clearly distinctive from Labour and they cant steal it. Camerons strategy of being soft on most issues gives Labour more ways of stealing policies when they eventually come out.

[Wat Tyler]

They steal the slogans, but that's really all. There can't be many people left who believe they'll be capable of implementing any of it.

Of course, there is that more fundamental question of whether ANY government can actually implement stuff like making hospitals clean. iirc we discovered the impossibility of central bedpan management some time ago. Let's hope our policy groups have grasped that.

[Ted]

James

You seem to want clear blue water - so if Labour position themselves in the centre ground and "steal" our policies we need to become more and more right wing?

In fact what they take is the tag-line, which matters because thats what sticks in the public mind. Reid's version of controlled immigration is likely to be radically different in outcome to the Conservatives, Hewitt's view of a customer centric NHS with patients choice is likely to be different from ours. Blair quickly gave one of the Milliband's the "green" agenda to try to nullify DC's so expect the same there.

The greatest weakness in this Government is that rather than work at deliver the top leadership seem after 9 years to still be in counter-Tory election mode.

[Phil Jackson]

here’s another soundbite idea for the Home Secretary, in case he missed the poster first time round: “How would you feel if a bloke on early release attacked your daughter?” He could put it on a Labour billboard.

The elitist snigger that lies behind the patricians' faux compassion is well in evidence here. Citizens are allowed to air only such opinions that align exactly with the liberal consensus; as soon as they step out of line Matthew will invite us to have a good sneer at the oiks below.

[Ted]

James

You seem to want clear blue water - so if Labour position themselves in the centre ground and "steal" our policies we need to become more and more right wing?

In fact what they take is the tag-line, which matters because thats what sticks in the public mind. Reid's version of controlled immigration is likely to be radically different in outcome to the Conservatives, Hewitt's view of a customer centric NHS with patients choice is likely to be different from ours. Blair quickly gave one of the Milliband's the "green" agenda to try to nullify DC's so expect the same there.

The greatest weakness in this Government is that rather than work at deliver the top leadership seem after 9 years to still be in counter-Tory election mode.

[TomTom]

Couldn't Cameron come out in support of the Bishop of London and say how good it is that flying is now much more difficult and Heathrow closed ?

[JohnM]

Basically, this gives us an approach for the next election.

Every time we're asked to comment on a policy which resembles one of ours or something that would naturally be Conservative, just say how glad we are that Labour are having to steal our policies to remain in touch with the public but that, given their history of incompetence whilst in government - and, let's be honest, it isn't hard to find examples of that - wouldn't the public much rather that they not only had the policy but also a government that could enact them and carry out the day to day management of the policy.

We need to push our competence as managers first. The public are finally realising that Bliar and his untalented crowd have serious problems in this area. We just need to show how much better we are at actually achieving things.

[Sean Fear]

Every time Labour come up with a policy that sounds vaguely Conservative, our leaders are more likely to keep quiet about it (after all, we mustn't seem "nasty").

Fraser Nelson is very good on this in today's Spectator.

[David Belchamber]

"We need to push our competence as managers first. The public are finally realising that Bliar and his untalented crowd have serious problems in this area. We just need to show how much better we are at actually achieving things".

How right, JohnM @ 12.31. But how does a party in opposition demonstrate competence in management? That is the trick and, as I have pointed out several times, competence is something that Nulab is quite incapable of copying from us (though John Reid is having a stab at it).

[Simon Chapman]

"how does a party in opposition demonstrate competence in management?"

By not being incompetent, to start with. We all make mistakes, but predictable and avoidable mistakes are a luxury no opposition can afford. They need to be eradicated.

Then by being competent and professional about the few things in our control. Making sure we deliver on what we say we will do, ensuring policy announcements are fully thought through and costed, and consistent with our overall direction. Ensuring, when we oppose things, that we do so in a principled & consistent way, so that we don't have to backtrack. If we embark on a new strategy, ensuring we implement it properly. By being thorough & well-prepared. By looking and being professional. Professionals can be passionate - they are rarely strident. They should always be effective.

[TomTom]

The public are finally realising that Bliar and his untalented crowd have serious problems in this area

The public discovered this at least 3 years ago but never found an alternative to vote for..........

[EML]

We've been in a bit of a pickle over policies for years. If they are deemed to be too Right-wing, they are derided and shot down by the liberal Establishment (which actually reflects the majority of middle-class feeling, most of the time). On the other hand, if they are good enough to attract widespread support, in other words they are centre-centre-Right (sometimes centre-Right, if you get my drift), the policies are half-inched by Labour.

I'm content to wait for policies. It's the best strategy we have.

[Yet Another Anon]

Sometimes I wonder whether Michael Portillo and Matthew Parris really have some kind of new party in their minds - a sort of liberal\Libertarian UK version of Kadima or something.

[Simon Chapman]

"....the liberal Establishment (which actually reflects the majority of middle-class feeling, most of the time..." EML 1422

Now, now, EML, that's well beyond the limits of reasonable provocation.

[David Belchamber]

I am grateful to Simon @ 15.37 for giving such a full answer to my question:
"how does a party in opposition demonstrate competence in management?"
I won't then ask how he feels DC and his team have performed when set against his benchmarking but I hope that they will take it to heart from now on.

[Chris Hughes]

Why do we have a situation where Labour can steal Tory ideas? Because the Conservatives are (rightly or wrongly) in the centre ground. To continue on this course one would have to believe we can become more popular on the centre ground than a party that has already been there for 10 years...

[John G]

Under Thatcher we won three elections and were in government for years.

Now we seem to have no firm policies. The relative success in the local election were due to Labour problems.

Only by stepping into Maggie's big shoes can David Cameron give us the victory we demand.

[TomTom]

I think John Reid would be preerable to Gordon Brown - he has experience of many more Offices of State and is not such a curmudgeon. If it has to be a Scotsman then Reid.

It is shaping up to be fascinating - Reid vs. the Invisible Man (one on Corfu, one in Barbados)