Charles Moore: Cameron's strategy is working

Saturday's newspapers are always a treat.  You have Matthew Parris in The Times and Charles Moore in The Telegraph.  In this morning's Telegraph, Charles Moore pens a bird's eye view of Project Cameron and he is optimistic about its chances of success.

He begins by attempting to rebut the contention of "best friends and fellow-Thatcherites" that Mr Cameron has abandoned key Conservative values on tax, crime and Europe:

• "The Cameron formula about cutting taxes only by "sharing the proceeds of growth" is a statement about what, in practice, happens. No government, except in the direst crisis, actually cuts the total of public spending in real terms. It follows that the room for tax cuts is made by growth, and that it is dishonest to promise otherwise - a dishonesty which Gordon Brown is now committing."  I certainly agree that taxes will be lower under a Conservative government than under a Labour government but I regret the "stability before tax cuts" mantra and the intellectual damage that it has done to the essential idea that a low tax economy is the most stable and successful type of economy.  In the Cameron/Osborne tax formulation there is no acknowledgment that the growth which the Conservatives intend to share is partly based on cutting taxes and other supply-side measures.  [Read today's Platform where Damon Lambert calls for implementation of the Forsyth recommendations].
  
• "The notorious "hug a hoodie" speech did not say that crime should not be punished. It was an attempt to imagine why boys want to be hoodies. Its purpose was to raise points about education, male role models, social responsibility and, above all, family.  That doesn't seem Lefty-silly to me: it seems thoughtful and, in an unpushy way, Christian."  I 100% agree.  With David Cameron we really do have a party leader who wants to be tough on crime (more prisons plus police reform) and tough on the causes of crime (support for the family and more drug rehab).
  
• "Or on Europe, did you notice the other day that Mr Cameron proposed a mechanism within the European treaties which would reverse the ratchet of integration and return power to member states?"  I did notice but I worry about Cameron's steel on Europe because of the delay to EPP exit, the retreat on fishing and my fear of a retreat from democracy in the selection of Tory MEP candidates (a fear Mr Moore shares).  Like Neil O'Brien I'm also worried about trusting the EU on the environment.
  

Charles Moore ends his article by noting some of the Project's weaknesses.  He mentions green taxes and state funding of political parties.  He also contends that David Cameron "has done too little to co-opt most of his MPs into his project, so too many are bewildered or cross."  That certainly is a weakness.  Certain members of the shadow cabinet periodically complain to ConservativeHome that they are inadequately consulted.  David Cameron has none of Michael Portillo's desire for blood on the carpet but more could be done to involve the party in the next steps of a stategy that is beginning to bear political fruit.

Comments

[Hug a Druggie]

Dave is doing a wonderful job. But will he know what to do if he becomes Prime Minister and has to make hard decisions?

[David Bullingdon]

How dare Hug a Druggie make an implied criticism of David Cameron, who has the right breeding, upbringing and education to ensure he will become one of our greatest prime Ministers?
David Cameron is, I am sure a True Blue Tory, and his masterly 'liberal Conservative' tactic to attract Liberal Democrat votes will be abandoned once we have achieved power.

[Curly]

Much of these hypothesis are based on the assumption that Cameron will face Brown at the next election. Would policies or presentation need to shift further if we were to fight an election against Miliband?

[Ted]

Curly, if Milliband (who has no chance really) did win the leadership the bloodletting and rancour from Brown and his allies would see any opposition have a free pass to the next Government.

On thread - why do commentators have to use words like "Boobies" to try to diminish critics. I'm fully behind Cameron but recognise there are a minority in the party with strong beliefs who would prefer a different direction. Posters on this site like Sean Fear, James Maskell, James Hellyer and others are not "boobies" , they understand the strategy but distrust or disagree with it. Yes we get those who seem to exist on anger and spite but they are easily recognised and ignored.

[dog biter]

It comes as a great relief to know that, having achieved 40 in the polls, we can almost certainly be assured of a Conservative Government at the next General Election, even it's with a smallish majority. What doesn't thrill me is that the next Conservative prime minister cannot be guaranteed to be much of a Conservative. In common with many other folk who contribute to CH, I don't really like all this New Tory taxes are good for you stuff. And how dare Cameron and his crew criticise big City bonuses. I'd rather see more of "you've worked darned hard so there's no reason why you shouldn't keep it." But for all that, hey, we'll likely to see an end to Labour for a spell and that can't be bad.

[Yet Another Anon]

Would policies or presentation need to shift further if we were to fight an election against Miliband?
It is against Miliband as well as Gordon Brown, and Ed Balls, Dawn Primarolo, Alastair Darling, Hilary Benn, Caroline Flint etc.... as these are all people who will figure highly on the frontbench when Gordon Brown succeeds Tony Blair. It is clear that David Miliband sees himself as being a policy supremo, along with Ed Balls - if anything the rivalry is more between the 2 of them and some others over who has the highest profile in the cabinet, who has the most influence on Gordon Brown and positioning for the eventual replacement of Gordon Brown as Labour leader in 10 years time or so perhaps with one of them having equalled Gordon Brown's time as Chancellor of the Exchequer but going into a leadership race with possibly more time as leader.

[Yet Another Anon]

Would policies or presentation need to shift further if we were to fight an election against Miliband?
It is against Miliband as well as Gordon Brown, and Ed Balls, Dawn Primarolo, Alastair Darling, Hilary Benn, Caroline Flint etc.... as these are all people who will figure highly on the frontbench when Gordon Brown succeeds Tony Blair. It is clear that David Miliband sees himself as being a policy supremo, along with Ed Balls - if anything the rivalry is more between the 2 of them and some others over who has the highest profile in the cabinet, who has the most influence on Gordon Brown and positioning for the eventual replacement of Gordon Brown as Labour leader in 10 years time or so perhaps with one of them having equalled Gordon Brown's time as Chancellor of the Exchequer but going into a leadership race looking forward possibly to more time as leader.

[Derek Buxton]

Mr. Moore also stated that Cameron had not condemned Grammar Schools. That is a lie, I sent several e-mails regarding education all mentioning that lack of selection was hampering both bright and other pupils and he categorically rubished the idea, "there will be no Grammar Schools" was his line. His whole attitude brings to mind thoughts of dogs and mangers.

[Alistair]

Hardly surprising comments from Charles 'Lord Snooty' Moore who sucks up to anybody with an Old Etonian tie.

The former editor of the Trashograph has been supporting Cameron from the beginning and the fact that this beneficiary of the largesse of 'Lord' Black is a Cameron fan is no recommendation for Cameron.

I'd like to think that the appalling snob Moore might end up in the same place where his erstwhile boss is going.

Another Thatcherite I believe

[malcolm]

A thoughtful piece from Moore.It's good that the Telegraph has someone on board who can counter the gloom laden articles of Heffer.

[matt wright]

Moore has been reasonable, he has shown the many good points and confirmed the broad strategy is correct (which of course it is), but also suggested 1 or 2 things that don't chime with the public. That's fair in my book. No people or organisations can survive long if they isolate themselves from friendly constructuve hints,

Matt

[TomTom]

He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge where he studied history and was a friend of Oliver Letwin.

That's Charles Moore btw

[Don Hoyle]

"Moore has...also suggested 1 or 2 things that don't chime with the public." (Matt Wright - 31st March 21:29).

It would also be nice if Mr Cameron could say or do 1 or 2 things that chimed with his supporters!

[Don Hoyle]

On the European front, I should add!

[Peter Lakeland]

Crikey ! How many years ago did you take that snap of Charles Moore ? That is, assuming it is THE Charles Moore ? Or have you been at it with the old Photoshop...

[Bedd Gelert]

Agree with Alistair - Charles Moore is the prize prat who wrote an article in the Telegraph stating that the last x generations of the family had been to / met their spouses at Cambridge, and how dare they let in any underlings /working class / plebeians who might be more intelligent than his sprogs to prevent them indulging in yet more gene pool in-breeding. On the bright side he does go shooting, so he may yet have a 'cheney-style' accident. We can but hope..

[Annabel Herriott]

Dog Biter, you will find that DC has an iron fist in a velvet glove. He uses it as and when.
Regarding Ed Balls, they havnt found him a replacement safe seat yet, have they? Assuming the boundary changes come in before the next GE, he will find himself sitting in the floor, and will have to operate behind the scenes.

[Londoner]

Charles Moore has not become one of our foremost journalists by taking stances to please his friends (of which Oliver Letwin is one), either in 2005 or now.

Wouldn't it be more pertinent to note that both Charles and Oliver were amongst the earliest supporters of Cameron's leadership bid because they both had the prescience and imagination to see what an attractive leader he could be to the public, and that he representated a real chance to get the public listening to the Party again and thereby to get off the 32% flatline support of the previous 15 years? Hasn't their judgement on this matter been shown to be rather better than those who obsess about Cameron's background?

And Alistair at 16:48 on 31 March, why on earth would Charles Moore feel the need to "suck up" to Old Etonians when he is one himself? Did he suck up to Old Etonian Douglas Hurd when Hurd was battling as Foreign Secretary against the Eurosceptics in the mid-90s? Quite the reverse, Hurd and co. were very annoyed that the editor of the Torygraph was being so "unhelpful".

Engage with his arguments - do not attack his motives or sincerity.

[philippa stone]

To Charles Moore
Thank you for defending decent values today on Radio 4. If the BBC wants to pander to the slappy happy brigade, then ordinary people will just have to wean ourselves off the service. Taxpayers money should not be spent in making the country a less safe place. Further point: does insulting HM The Queen amount to treason?