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 McVey, Martin Durkin, and Liam Fox, and the discussion that followed was lively and thought provoking. I’d like to thank everyone who attended and participated.
We discussed a wide range of issues. These included the relevance of conservative values to ‘blue collar’ voters, jobs, immigration, the cost of living, wealth creation, the fairness of welfare reform, how reducing the deficit relates to households getting a grip on their own debts, the need for activists to get involved in urban communities more, the EU referendum, why Thatcher was able to attract so much working class support, and why socialism fails the working classes.
During that event I had a rare experience. Here was I sitting in Portcullis House and we were actually, for once, talking about issues that everyone else in the country are talking about. One member of the audience stated that if only the public could hear what we were discussing, they’d vote Conservative.
And then as I woke up this morning, my heart sank.
This morning’s headlines are dominated by Tory disagreements on Europe. Just contrast the debate we had last night to what has preoccupied the rest of the party over the past few days. Don’t get me wrong, the EU referendum is very relevant and important. You only have to read my blog to see how sceptical I am of the EU. I support the amendment and any legislation brought forward in this parliament. And we even mentioned it last night – but in the context of how it relates to ordinary voters.
But the Conservative Party must not give its opponents any opportunity to paint them as a party that it is obsessed over one issue or a party that is divided. Let us not forget that if the Tories don’t fix the economy and start connecting with working class voters, there will be no referendum in 2017. Trusting the people on a referendum is one part of a message that could win back working class votes, but it’s not the whole message. So it’s important that the both the Tory high command and the party show some leadership, resolve this issue and any differences quickly, and get on with the business of really connecting with working class voters.
Last night Blue Collar Conservatism showed the right that the path the party should go down. Blue Collar Conservatism is filling a gap in the market that other political movements don’t serve. I leave the last word to Christopher Hope of the Telegraph, whose tweet ultimately proves this.
‘What I have learned tonight: @blucollartory is the most relevant Conservative thinktank out there. David Cameron should listen up’.
*The views in this piece represent my personal opinions and not those of Blue Collar Conservatism. You can view twitter coverage of the event at @BluCollarTory and #OnYourSide
