Thursday, August 09, 2007

So what do we stand for?

Platform 10 ( and Iain Dale) have a link to a long article by Peter Luff, the Tory Mid-Worcs MP. It's a long article on the present political position in the UK, and the Tory's position within it.
It's final section reads as follows:
A further criticism that has been levelled in recent weeks is that it is not clear what David (Cameron) or the Conservative Party stands for. Well, I am absolutely clear, and if people aren’t then it is a case of them not listening, or us not successfully getting the message across. Either way, I agree it is something we urgently need to readdress.David, like all Conservatives and the vast majority of the British people, shares a belief in four crucial values.
First he believes in the virtue of people taking control of their lives, in families, in communities and in voluntary organisations. Unlike Gordon Brown, he does not believe the state knows best. This means, for example, that taxes will be lower, power exercised more locally and marriage properly protected only under a Conservative government.
Second, he believes in the old words that we should be in Europe but not run by Europe. He is holding the government to its promise of a referendum on the new European treaty – or constitution to give it its more accurate name. Gordon Brown is seeking to sell Britain down the river and break his manifesto promise.
Third, he believes in protecting the liberties of the British people, so brutally trampled under foot by this government. On a range of issues, from giving parliament an opportunity to repeal the hunting ban to opposition to identity cards, he has demonstrated his opposition to Labour’s authoritarian state.
Fourth, he respects the institutions s of this nation. His instinct is to stand up for the organisations and structures that have served us well, and not, like Gordon Brown, to cast them heedlessly to one side. We will protect parliament, the legal system and all those other manifestations of our liberties and traditions that support and nurture the country of which we are so proud, but which Labour does not begin to understand.These are the reasons why my support for David Cameron is total and unqualified. Put simply, he is leading the kind of Conservative party that is in tune with the hopes and aspirations of the British people. That’s the only way we will win. More importantly, it’s the kind of government this country wants and needs.
Phew! I don't know about you, but that gives me a little frisson and tingle down my spine.

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