There was a story in the Sunday Telegraph, yesterday, suggesting that David Cameron may come to face a leadership challenge.
I have no inside knowledge to be able to test the validity of this story. However, it would seem to me a strange one if it is true. There are, no doubt, those who are critical of the mode the Conservative Party has developed over the last eighteen months under Cameron’s leadership.
However, Cameron’s course remains broadly correct. That is not to say that there have not been mistakes, and there are always likely to be more in future. Many moderate party members are upset at some policy announcements at least as much as some of the more extreme members. Such is the stuff of political life and none of us can have everything we want. The best result for all Conservatives, though, is to remember that what unites us is still much greater than that which divides us and all of us are better off with a Conservative Prime Minister. David Cameron is the best chance we have of reaching that goal.
What is sickening, is it is many of the same individuals that criticised John Major during his time as party leader who are involved in causing trouble now. They have not learnt the damage that this does in the minds of the electorate. They have not learnt that such brick throwing causes only resentment and makes no positive contribution to the political debate within the party or beyond. In eighteen months, Cameron has turned around the fortunes of the party and returned them to the status of genuine challengers. He has earned the right to whatever time he needs to complete his strategy and lead the party into a General Election.
David Cameron was supportive of the TRG in the remarks he made to our members at our Summer Party earlier this month. We remain supportive of him.
Tim – I agree with your remarks fully. It is an act of pure lunacy to attack the most successful Conservative Leader in recent times. In 18 months David Cameron has made a Tory lead in the polls the norm! He has commissioned Policy groups to look at the deep problems in our society and look at forming policies for government. Those who call for immediate policy announcements are mostly Labour Party activists desperate to show that we have not changed and to leap on ill-thought out proposals or steal good ones!
David Cameron has chosen the right path – one chosen by Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher – to ask the great and the good to look at real challenges relevant today – the work/life balance, social justice, global poverty, public services, terrorism and foreign policy and most recently social mobility. Policies cannot be formed without an understanding of the fundamental problem and this requires detailed thought and examination.
I was most heartened by David’s remarks at the TRG Summer Party that he intends to stay the course – to reclaim the centre ground of British politics from the Labour Party. It was our natural place – it is where elections are won. It should be ours again.
Let us hope that those who seem determined for our Party to become a right-wing pressure group rather than a Party of Government come to their senses and join us in fighting the Labour Party and those pesky Lib Dems!
Comment by Tim Crockford — 24 July, 2007 @ 9:23 am
Totally agree with both of you. It is absurd that there are mutterings from anonymous individuals within the parliamentary party. David Cameron’s election as Leader in 2005 was one of the few best things this party had done in a long time.
Of course, things won’t change over night. But over the course of a year and a half Cameron has transformed the Conservatives into a serious political force once again. We are now taken seriously by both public and press alike. He is moving us back to the centre ground where elections are won.
The process of developing policies is also the right one – taking our time, thinking them through and involving the great and the good from previous Conservative governments and importantly experts in the field. When this process is complete we will have plenty of ideas to form a manifesto and compare with Labour’s agenda.
Until then, the best thing that these certain critics of Cameron’s modernising agenda can do is take a long summer holiday and chill!
Comment by Lee Summers — 24 July, 2007 @ 11:52 am
I have to agree with all of the above; the party still seems beset with the same suicidal lunatics who characterised the Major years. A cynic might wonder if they’re actually Labour moles, pre-programmed to sound off and self-destruct every time the Tory party looks like posing a challenge.
I am a recent convert to the party, having crossed from the red corner. David Cameron was instrumental in my conversion for two reasons: firstly, the long policy reviews and commitment to lean government are producing well thought out solutions to social challenges. Secondly he looked serious about reforming the “party of privilege” into something that better reflects the population.
It would be tragic if he weren’t allowed to see this process through.
Centrist voters like myself, who are comfortable with the free market coexisting with public services, must be a serious target for the party to win elections. David Cameron is the first Tory in years to appeal to this centre ground.
It will take time to fully convince the public that the Conservatives are a serious proposition, able to fully represent the people. The public have long memories of the Major years: double figure interest rates, the rape of public services, sleaze and laughable infighting. Outbursts like this only serve to remind us of the worst the Tories produced and they undermine the serious efforts David Cameron has made to reform this party into the best for the modern world.
Comment by Richard Speigal — 24 July, 2007 @ 7:27 pm
“The raper of public services”. Richard, are you sure you are in the right political party?
Comment by Michael McGowan — 1 August, 2007 @ 11:12 am
[...] Conservative Party leadership — Timothy Barnes @ 8:01 am Over the last month there has been some criticism of David Cameron from former party donors and candidates, among [...]
Pingback by August Poll: What do you think of DC? « Tory Reform Group — 6 August, 2007 @ 8:01 am