Editorial: Two cheers for Francis Maude

This blog hasn't given Francis Maude an easy ride since he became Tory Chairman.  He has tried to push the rollback of party democracy that sits so uneasily with our party's great democratic traditions.  For this exercise in disenfranchisement the Chairman of the ultra-modernising C-Change organisation deserved his Moderniser Against Democracy label (given to him by Tim Hames).

An interview in today's Independent suggests that he may be repenting of recent sins.  He talks warmly of primary-style elections.  Primaries, enthusiastically championed by Theresa May, would fix 'the problem' of unrepresentative Tory grassroots by widening the franchise (rather than narrowing it further to the much less representative parliamentary party). 

But if FM gets one cheer for raising the possibility of primary elections he gets another cheer for thinking the unthinkable about forming a coalition with the LibDems:

"Asked whether there could be a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, he replied: "There's no reason why that should be out of the question If you end up with a hung parliament, there is either a minority government, which is unwieldy, or a coalition. You deal with what the electorate gives you... You look round the country and you see a number of councils where Conservatives are in alliance with Lib Dems, Birmingham, for example. There's no great drama about that.""

One of the failings of this leadership campaign has been the ducking of big issues.  One of the biggest issues is our relationship with the LibDems.  With their 60-odd MPs it is going to be very difficult for the Tories to win a parliamentary majority at the next election unless we find a way of winning seats like Winchester, Eastleigh, Twickenham, Northavon and Cheadle back from Charles Kennedy's party.  Short of finding a way of winning those seats back we need to think about reaching out to the Cable-Clegg-Davey-Huhne-Laws-Oaten-Webb group of Orange Book LibDems.   We could be exploring possible areas of common action?  We could be working on a defections strategy?  We don't need anything like a formal pact and we should still be working hard to beat LibDems (mainly by reassuring voters who have deserted blue for yellow that Conservatives are decent, compassionate human beings).  We do, however, need to start contemplating the possibilities of needing to work with the LibDems.  What do you think?

Comments

[Blimpish]

Richard: the point is that some in the Lib Dems have pretentions of becoming a more free-market, less pro-European party. Now, it seems that they're very much in the minority - but by courting them, we can help to turn the two sides of the Lib Dem coalition against each other, making them come apart at the seams. Let's not let (quite proper and properly motivated) tribal anti-Lib Demery blind us to the strategic potential of smashing them up, good and proper.

[Richard Hyslop]

There are those in the Liberal Democrat Party who are at odds with the current direction of the Lib Dems, particularly after Charles Kennedy's speech today. They favour greater use of the market, lower taxation etc. These people really shouldn't be in the Lib Dems and they may in time come and join us. We should be courting them as individuals but not courting the party they currently belong to.

There are many seats in England where the Tories are second behind the Lib Dems and in some cases by only a few votes. If the party works hard enough we can win these seats back, but we need to work. Instead of thinking up ideas and campaigns to get "into bed" with the Lib Dems at some point we should be attacking them night and day, working hard to unmask their true agenda and letting people know what the Lib Dems are really like.

[Selsdon Man]

Exactly my points above, Blimpish and Richard! Defections are better, and possibly more likely, than coalitions that are a last resort.

[James Maskell]

Just found an article about the Mid Norfolk Conservative Association. Very interesting. Basically the Chairman is accused of pre-empting the membership about the vote on rules change as well as criticising the chairman for the current debt.

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/News/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED21%20Sep%202005%2021%3A21%3A53%3A860

[Selsdon Man]

The BBC reports that Mr Cameron says the Tories share common ground with some Lib Dem MPs - whom he hopes will decide to switch parties. He obviously reads this blog!