Let's go broader, bolder and beefier

It's one of the busiest days of the Tory year and this is only my second post of the day - my apologies.  I'm already in Bournemouth and my excuse is that I've been doing lots of media including Radio 4's PM Programme, Five Live, BBC News 24 and BBC1's evening news bulletin.  My message to all of the programmes has been essentially the same:

David Cameron is the right leader for the Tories.  He's charismatic and his emphases on the environment and social justice are to be warmly welcomed.  What we need to see, however, in the months to come is something Broader, Bolder and Beefier if we are going to convert a modest lead in the opinion polls into a winning lead...

BROADER: I was delighted to hear Francis Maude's endorsement of the 'Politics Of And' in an interview for ePolitix.com yesterday.  The Tory Chairman said "Tim Montgomerie talks about the 'and' theory of politics.  When we talk about the need, and it is a real need, for us to broaden our appeal from one-third of the vote, which has been the case for about 15 years, to much nearer a half then you have got to reach to people we haven't reached before."  Last night - for Radio Five - I interviewed a range of floating voters in Bournemouth.  They were all welcoming of David Cameron's emphasis on the environment and social justice but that wasn't enough for most of them.  They also wanted to hear about his policies for schools and hospitals.  The issue of immigration came up again and again.  Europe came up twice in ten interviews.

BOLDER: John Howard and John McCain (who arrives in Bournemouth tomorrow after warmly endorsing David Cameron in this week's Spectator) have both been willing to lead public opinion when a great issue of state or principle is at stake.  They have substantiated their leadership with a willingness to embrace tough policy positions.   In the post-Blair era my guess is that politicians will seek authenticity from politicians.  David Cameron needs to demonstrate that he has some non-negotiable core beliefs.  If he really believes that climate change is the greatest threat to the planet (this site is more worried about nuclear proliferation) he should show the courage of his convictions.

BEEFIER: There have been increasing suggestions that David Cameron is all talk and no substance.  That's unfair.  He's launched a comprehensive policy review and it will report in the next twelve months.  If we unveiled policies too early they'd only be nicked by the New Labour magpies.  When the policy groups have reported we can decide if Mr Cameron is all style or not.  Mr Cameron's reactions to the Redwood group on competitiveness and IDS' social justice group will be particularly important tests of his policy seriousness.  Until then we should be patient with the policy vacuum but in a year's time there must be real beef.

Comments

[TomTom]

Why should this woman vote at all ? Which party has any real intention of dealing with this absurd situation ?

http://tinyurl.com/jqqog

Mother is spared prison for slapping teenagers
Judge's sympathy for terrorised family
Lucy Harvey
A MOTHER who was driven into slapping three teenagers after her family was repeatedly terrorised by yobs walked free from court yesterday after a judge heard she was made to feel like "a prisoner in her own home".
Samantha Nicholson finally snapped after her garden was destroyed, objects were hurled at her house and she was regularly threatened by youths who warned her: "We decide who lives here".
Finally, after a confrontation with two 14-year-old girls and a 16-year-old boy, she lost her temper, slapping each across the face after they had defiantly told her: "You can't touch us. What can you do about it?"
She admitted assaulting the youths and was given an 18-month community order at Barnsley Magistrates Court yesterday, but told she would not have to pay them compensation.

[Paul Kennedy]

You are right TomTom, it would be interesting to know something of the upbringing of the three youths in question, during the period that their reign of terror occurred, were the police involved and if so were their parents visited by them regarding their children's conduct.

I thought the youths' comments about not being able to touch them was interesting and underlines the fact that we reap what the politicians and the like sow.

[malcolm]

As so often, totally agree with your editorial stance Tim. I wish I was in Bournmemouth instead of sitting here at home ill.
I look forward to hearing from you and your army of reporters about the mood of the conference and whether it is your opinion that DC is carrying the majority of party activists with him.

[John Hustings]

Hope you get well soon, Malcolm.

[malcolm]

Thanks old chap!

[dcj]

I think Mr Cameron must seek to achieve two main objectives in putting forward policies. We do need to recover the percentage of votes we had in MT's time. She built a winning coalition from the Right by articulating people's concerns at that time - overwhelmingly, the power of the Overmighty Subjects (the Trade Union barons) and Soviet aggression and producing policies to show they could be tackled.

People's concerns are different now, though with the Trade Union monster beginning to stir again à la Sauron that might change. Rightly or wrongly (and I think wrongly) young people have been brainwashed (or educated, as you wish) that Global Warming / Climate Change is EVIL and it is the Bloated Capitalist West that is causing it.

Therefore we have to have policies to address these concerns, however much these might irritate (nay, infuriate) dinosaurs like me.

Mr Cameron needs to show how we can deal with them (green issues, not dinosaurs) without sacrificing Conservative principles.

But also I feel that he must try and anchor the core vote. I have said elsewhere that I think it would be a major error to assume the core vote has nowhere to go. I think the Right of the party has been demonised and demoralised enough by Mr Cameron and his supporters e.g. Ms May. A nod or two would not go amiss.

But please - let's not go knifing each other in the back any more. I have very strong doubts about Mr CAmeron, but I am absolutely sure that I'd prefer Mr Cameron to any one of Messrs Brown, Harman, Reid et al. (That's Al Johnson, isn't it?)

Have a great week in Bmth, all.

[Cllr Keith Standring]

DC must demonstrate that he stands for something or he'll fall for anything. I agree he must show something Broader, Beefier & Bolder than hitherto. So far he has revealed his professional background in a dubious PR firm , noted especially for its economy with the truth; and seems to be applying the same criterion as Leader of the Conservative Party.

I would like to think he will raise our Party into Government, on the basis of immediate withdrawal from the EU and complete restoration of Parliamentary Sovereignty, together with many other core Conservative values. Regrettably, I deeply suspect his snought and many of those who are close to him in the Opposition front bench, are already too deep into the EU trough to make this possible.

The annihilation of British historical traditions did not succeed by way of two World Wars, yet may well succeed by bribery, corruption and subversion by the unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats in Brussels, aided by our MP's, including DC. The British people deserve better. Come on Dave - pull your finger out!

[Tapestry]

On the day it is reported that the Pakistan ISI bombed Mumbai, I think Tim is right to be concerned about nuclear proliferation. How can India remain in talks with the government of Pakistan when their government is implicated in acts of terrorism against India?

[dcj]

Re: Tapestry's comment - when both sides have the ability to create a lot of Glorious People's Radioactive Atomic Peopledust, jaw-jaw is +definitely+ better than war-war.

Rather puts "climate change" into perspective, doesn't it?

[James Hellyer]

IThere have been increasing suggestions that David Cameron is all talk and no substance. That's unfair. He's launched a comprehensive policy review and it will report in the next twelve months.

A gaggle of disagreeing policy groups do not indicate that David Cameron has "substance". They indicate that other Conservatives have starkly differing approaches to the challenges facing our nation.

If David Cameron is to demonstrate that he has "substance", then he has to show where he stands on these areas of conflict, and why.

Cameron's reactions to the Redwood group on competitiveness and IDS' social justice group will be particularly important tests of his policy seriousness.

And would this be because these groups mirror your concerns(and mine,
I should add)?

[Julian Williams]

Well you could have fooled me.
The Conservatives have to honest; do they believe Brown has been prudent and that the economy is on a sound footing for the future? Do they believe that the EU is boring and irrelevant? Do they believe that the ever expanding demands of the welfare state can be afforded?
Maybe the Conservatives have unfashionable beliefs; this does not mean you should change your beliefs to ape Blairism.
If the Tories cannot be honest to themselves about who they are and what they believe why should anyone respect them?
I have little hope for this vapid twit, his latest idiocy, a website where his is seen washing-up in cufflinks and being interrupted by his children is much worse than Hague’s baseball cap. He make lots of gaffs that are at present being tolerated by an adoring media, when that changes they will lynch him and we will badly damaged by the experience of being led but such a shallow and disingenuous nonentity.

[archie henderson]

If David Cameron said he would withdrawn from the EU and scrap the Human Rights Act, He would win the next election hands down. I don't hold much hope of him doing that, so i fear we will not win next time.I am not a member of the party, but i would like to see David in number 10, but he must give me a reason to vote for him.

[Monday Clubber]

The Editor's endorsement of Cameron could be described as "The Politics of 'but'"

Actually, over the coming months I think we're going to see a lot of leading Tories go much further and say "I am 100% behind David but..."

There will be various qualifications, of course, but the familiar one about "ill-chosen advisers" will be prominent.

Speaking of which, what exactly was Maude wearing on his head last night? It looked like a cross between Marie Antoinette's bouffant hairdo and Donald Trump's spectacular toupee familiar from "The Apprentice".

Is it still alive?

[TomTom]

How can India remain in talks with the government of Pakistan when their government is implicated in acts of terrorism against India?

The same way India can have a joint-airbase in Tajikistan with Russia; or Pakistan can co-produce a jet fighter with China............they are all moves on the chessboard

[Monday Clubber]

"As so often, totally agree with your editorial stance Tim. I wish I was in Bournmemouth instead of sitting here at home ill."

Oh dear Malcolm. Never mind. If you're still up to it you'll be able to hold the fort on CH while the ranks of the Cameroons are severely depleted by attendance upon The Great Leader.

Does that mean a hotel room is going begging? I could do with a couple of days at the seaside away from the wife.

[malcolm]

It would be easy to come back with a crack at your expense Monday Clubber but today I'll resist the temptation difficult though it is. I would strongly suggest you go to Bournemouth meet some real Tories who are actually interested in winning an election.Makes a lovely change from carping from the sidelines wouldn't it?

[Monday Clubber]

Well Malcolm, as I've repeatedly said, I'm interested in winning with the right leader rather than losing with the wrong one.

And at the next election, with the greatest respect to Christina, I have every intention of voting for my excellent Conservative MP, whoever leads the party.

Actually I've spent years encountering TRG-ites at party conferences, so I'm afraid mixing it with the Cameroons wouldn't be any novelty at all.

[John Doe]

Cameron's response to flooding whilst he was in Rwanda 'Crisis, what crisis?'.