Policy Award

This is a pretty lean awards category.  David Cameron, in particular, largely eschewed detailed policy ideas - preferring grand themes.  When it came to policy he chose the reverse gear - on tuition fees and the patients passport, for example.  David Davis had a few ideas but they hardly captured the public imagination.

Leaving the EPP was clearly the most controversial policy idea and I'll give it third place.  I'm not entirely sure if it qualifies as a policy, however.  You can see how hard this category is.

Joint second place will go to George Osborne and his belief in flatter taxation.   He has set up a  committee that will report in due course... Mr Osborne can share second place with David Davis' growth rule - an approach that would have cut taxes by £38bn over the course of a parliament.

First place must go to David Cameron's phonics policy - already accepted by the besieged Ruth Kelly.  Fast work, Mr Cameron.  This really is government by proxy and will help tens of thousands of children to read.

I'll post a few more awards tomorrow... in the meantime please complete the latest ConservativeHome survey...

Comments

[Simon C]

Tim,

Are you feeling satirical? You cannot call a decision to set up a commission to look at flat taxes a "policy". It may be all sorts of things, but a policy...no, not unless you are feeling particularly Sir Humphrey-esque.

Whenever this givernment gets into a little local difficulty it sets up a commission to consult and review. I would hate to see you encouraging the new leadership down the same path.

A foreign policy based on the recognition that the promotion of human rights, rule of law and democracy operates in the national interest, together with the establishment of a Human Rights Group to audit the Human Rights record of various regimes...now that's a policy.

[Cllr Graham Smith]

Simon, a necessary part of the change2win agenda involves blue sky thinking. In that context, surely the outsourcing of policy development to commissions appointed on a "task and finish" basis has to be worth a try?

[CJ]

However, I did hear David Cameron at a meeting the other week express a view that flat taxes are possibly not appropriate for a 'mature economy'. In which case, is the commission going to be of any practical use or is it just something to look good?

[malcolm]

The outsourcing of policy developments to commissions is certainly worth a try Graham but it's not a policy until its finding have been adopted.I agree with Simon.

[So there!]

On a point of information, the phonics policy was actually Party Policy at the last general election, and therefore owes its status to whomever was Shadow Education Secretary then.

Unless Cameron is trying to claim credit for a manifesto pledge when he's spent so long distancing himself from others...

[Simon C]

Graham,

You have made my point for me - the "outsourcing of policy development to commissions" is policy development, not a policy!

It's certainly worth a try on some issues - the worry is if it becomes a default reflex whenever a difficult or controversial issue is encountered. In my voluntary sector organisation at the moment we are spending significant amounts of time responding to various government consultations, without huge confidence that we will be listened to.

[wasp]

Still shows that Cameron is a more effective politician than Collins

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