Crispin Blunt MP: The Case for Malcolm Rifkind

This is the first in a series of 'guest endorsements'. Next John Maples MP will advocate David Davis. Future endorsements will then include Michael Gove for David Cameron, Stephen O'Brien for Liam Fox and David Lidington for David Willetts. Today Crispin Blunt MP makes the case for Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

"In four years time a new Prime Minister will take his case to the country. Gordon Brown will be presenting his argument for a fourth term of Labour government. It is likely that he will have been Prime Minister for less than a year. Beyond the problems that dogged the Conservatives in 2001 and 2005, the mathematics of constituencies, our brand image and a lingering distrust, we will not be able to pin our hopes on an unpopular Prime Minister and a recent war. For the Conservatives to beat Labour and preventing further damaging intrusion into the lives of ordinary people they will need a leader who looks like a Prime Minister in waiting leading a government in waiting. This man is Malcolm Rifkind.

Malcolm Rifkind is the most articulate advocate of One Nation Conservatism, which combined with unequalled political judgement and personal qualities of charm, decency and humour can provide us with a leader of a cabinet of ‘all the talents.’ No one’s personal or intellectual dignity will be affronted by serving under Malcolm Rifkind, neither will they worry about the quality of his judgement. Not only can he be trusted as a future Prime Minister but he can compete with and defeat Gordon Brown at the despatch box.

The One Nation Group was formed when he was born in 1946. The term might have been coined with Malcolm Rifkind in mind. He is a genuine One Nation Conservative. He knows that the party must appeal across ethnic, social and other minority divides, which it has failed to do for the last eight years. One Nation means the whole of Britain geographically as well as metaphorically – Malcolm can revive the party beyond the limits of the South East and the countryside.

Rifkind’s One Nation liberalism would provide a stark contrast to Gordon Brown’s micromanaged nanny state. His pragmatic belief that people and communities should be trusted to order their affairs will be the convincing alternative to New Labour statism. The Conservatives under Malcolm Rifkind will not be obsessed with ideological fervour, nor will they be inward-looking. Malcolm’s optimism for our country and his deeply held One Nation principles will enable the party to have credibility as a party that is for people, not against them, for the whole nation not a just a part of it.

His experience speaks for itself. Elected in his twenties, in the cabinet in his thirties, and Foreign Secretary in his forties, becoming party leader in his fifties is not a step into the unknown for him or the party. As a minister and Secretary of State the command of his brief was universally respected and appreciated by his departments and his colleagues in the House of Commons. His courtesy disguises his steely determination to advance his cause. The beneficiaries have included the freedom movement in Poland in the 1980s, the defence budget in the 1990s and the ending of the party’s civil war over Europe before the 1997 General Election. This quality, combined with a profound patriotism, will make him an excellent defender of Britain’s interests in Europe and around the world.

To secure party advantage the party must appear and indeed act in what is in the country’s best interest if we engage in a game of celebrity political Big Brother to choose our next leader we will seem self-interested. If, however, in the uncertain world of the early 21st century the Conservative party presents a statesman as its candidate for Prime Minister we will have demonstrated our credibility as the next government. We will also be able to create the electoral coalition that can defeat the nanny state and expel New Labour and Gordon Brown from office in four years’ time."

Comments

[The Political Thinker]

I must just correct something I said above. Public sector inflation is actually three times that of private sector inflation, not the 1.75 I said above.

[carol]

James
Didn't you notice all the Scots comments were posted by Scots like me? You are right, in 1996 we saw the way the wind was blowing and when my husband was offered a job in England we jumped at it. It has turned out exactly as I expected Strathclyde Regional Council writ large, populated by the usual suspects second rate one time councillors and failed politicians. What do Scottish MPs do these days? also if anyone thinks Gordon Brown is charasmatic there must be something wrong with me. I loathe Tone Blair but can't help admiring his political skills much as many Labour supporters must have felt about Thatcher I imagine. I would rather have him than Gordon any day, such a pity he wasn't a Tory, he might have achieved so much more without Gordon and the 'old Labour' socialist tendencies round his neck. Still he needs a new Party and we need a new leader......

[Derek Buxton]

Congratulations to "The Political Thinker", the only one to pick up on what is going on in this Country. We are being made bankrupt to feed politicians, local and national, and a corrupt
public sector. And this was only supposed to happen in Italy and France, ok, I missed the EU.

[Sam Coates]

Well this is a very polite forum!
I'm a fan of Rifkind, although starting to think that Foreign Secretary would be best for him.

[Harry Matthews]

Sir Malcolm Rifkind is our man! Can't you see? In today's politics we need someone who is serious, determined, highly humoured and, well, good natured...Really, all this Cameron hype out there (his talk of Jihadists, 'Britishness', misplaced-should I say displaced-'neo-con' raffish historical examples comparing Islamic extremeis to Nazism & Communism; Israel should not concede an inch, &c.)...who's help is he asking for now in securing victory? Where are we going with people like that, I ask you? The problem with politians today is that they can't see the consequences of their words and deeds (and often don't even want to!)...People say the party should start caring about the environment in one breath, and then can't see beyond their one-sideded prejudice about the current international situation, the next. Tell me, what are the acceptable losses in the West (I'm sure Blair know's the answer), since authority acting on our behalf has three years started Forcing positively unhelpful foreign importations of 'democracy' onto an Arab nation. Why then do people keep voting for the bastards in government? Our electoral system can be as unforgiving as the Conservative Party Leadership election. And as for Davis, the man supports the state murder. Come on you soggy inward looking naff Tories, can't you see you'll keep on getting licked unless you give over, by acclamiation, to the calibre of Rifkind. I fear that after Hague the commonsense revolutionary, IDS the Balistic Missile neo-con, & Howard the coward on Iraq - you lot'll plug yourselves with another dud, just because 'you' say we need someone with the 'right image'. (please refer to the previous loose cannon balls for accurate historical examples when seeking to make a decision about who should lead the party). Sir Malcolm has the intellectual vigour and experience [both as former Foreign Secretary & for his time out of Parliament 1997-2005 (with the valuable perspective that lends)] to lead us back. Roll on Sir Malcolm Rifkind!

[philip twydell]

Rifkind should be forced to stand down as a leadership candidate due to his obvious unfitness for the position.

[Editor]

Are you meaning a general or a specific unfitness Philip?

[philip twydell]

As a Cabinet Minister some 15 years ago Rifkind authorised the export to Indonesia of planes & other items of warfare which he knew would be used to massacre soldiers and innocent civilians fighting for independence in East Timor. As such he was an accessory to mass murder and hence unfit to hold any public office.

[James Hellyer]

While the extent of Sir Malcolm's knowledge on this matter is open to dispute (much was made of the "training" status of the Hawk), this is very much the sort of issue where we now need to take to a stand. It is wrong to arm foreign despots. End of story.

[philip twydell]

I agree - but Rifkind did so in full awareness of the uses to which they would be put. No doubt/dispute about it. He should be languishing in jail, not challenging for the Tory leadership. Admittedly he stands no chance of success but that is hardly the point.

[Editor]

Thanks Philip. You might be interested in the last few posts of Tuesday's thread under "Cameron supporters rule out alliance with Ken Clarke, the Tories' new Eurosceptic". It was about the arms trade.