The 2013 Local Elections – Initial Thoughts
‘It’s just mid-term blues’. ‘It’s just a protest vote – they’ll come back’. These are statements I don’t want Conservative spokespeople to dwell on today in response to its local election performance....
View ArticleThe Conservatives’ Perception Challenge
Perceptions matter. If too many people switch off as soon as you mention your party’s name, then that party will never win a majority. In order to win in 2015, the Tories will have to tackle...
View ArticleThe Relevance of Blue Collar Conservatism
Last night, Blue Collar Conservatism held its first event. I think it’s safe to say it was a roaring success. The turnout was impressive. We had four very good speeches from John Stevenson, Esther...
View ArticleWhy the Tories Need More Working Class Perspectives
I urge you to read the following article in the Daily Mail today. I was especially taken by the revealing comments of Planning Minister Nick Boles. He makes an admission that most liberal-minded MPs...
View ArticleAlexander the Ignorant
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has attracted a lot of justified criticism and derision for his rather stupid remarks on defence yesterday. He said that further cuts to the MoD were...
View ArticleBurgergate and Tory Strategy
I don’t normally blog on matters as trivial as George Osborne’s dinner. But burgergate has presented an opportunity for me to make a point about Tory strategy more generally. In particular, I want to...
View ArticleLib Dem Trident Report Proves That They’re Wrong
Today the Lib Dems have been asserting that there are realistic alternatives to a Continuous at Sea ballistic missile nuclear deterrent. Yet I wonder if the Liberal Democrats have actually read the...
View ArticleMy Position on UK Intervention in Syria
Yesterday, I posted the following on my Facebook page: There is a case in principle for intervention in Syria. But the government today has given me no assurances that it has thought through what...
View ArticleThe Morning After the Night Before….
So we’re not going to strike Syria after all. This is not the first miscalculation and cock-up from the Tory leadership, but it’s sure as hell the biggest. Here are some observations and reasons on why...
View ArticleWhy Clegg Can’t Be Trusted on Defence
Nick Clegg has been especially vocal about Russia’s actions in the Ukraine as of late. In his spring conference speech he talked about ‘Vladimir Putin’s Cold War aggression in the Ukraine’. He also...
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