Tuesday 18 July 2017

You Want An Open, Liberal, Tolerant Party?

Theresa May has ordered ministers to stop briefing against each other.  This follows comments aimed at undermining Philip Hammond and colleagues who want to protect the British economy despite Brexit, as discussed here.  I say "despite" because yet another report, this time from PWC, suggests Brexit "could mean deeper slowdown than predicted".

Are we being led by schoolchildren?    Isn't it vital for robust debate that Ministers should be able to speak freely in Cabinet, free of the fear that comments will be twisted in the next day's papers?

David Cameron spoke yesterday after a meeting of patrons of the National Citizen Service (NCS), which provides outward-bound courses.  Asked whether former cabinet colleagues could benefit he quipped "If it involved crossing a very, very dangerous river on a raft, I can think of a few I'd like to strap together."

But it was something else David said that I want to highlight "I want us [Tories] to go on being the open, liberal. tolerant party that we became post-2005"

Minor problem with that.  Right-wing Tories are not by definition liberal and tolerant.  He's talking about the centre-right Conservatives who dominated the party in that period.  Similar to people on the centre-left, who differ principally only by the route they happened to take into politics.

So if you want an open. liberal. tolerant party with the muscle to govern the coutnry, you want The Just Party. Here's the Vision.

Theresa suggested MPs should take a good break over the summer, after Parliament rises on Thursday till September .  Moderates on both sides of the House should take a good look at The Just Party's Aims and Values and decide whether a new centrist party is a better way forward.

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