I would like to pay my sincerest respect to David Cameron and his family; it is little of our business what happens in his personal life, yet what is obvious is that David Cameron is ever man the media portray him as - the family man with honest, family values.
Let us not forget the fatherly message behind this, and highlight the plight of all those families who are going through such difficulties. May they also show the strenght David Cameron has shown, and such resilience to sleep on hospital floor through the night by their childrens' side, as their hopeful role model has done in the past.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Progressive Conservatism? A little bit goes a long way...
So Conservative leader David Cameron has placed further emphasis on the decentralisation of the state this week. He explained that “decentralisation, devolution and empowerment” are naturally part of a Conservative approach to government, and stressed the importance of an “empowering state” rather than an “overpowering state”.
It's a fascinating state of affairs, no pun intended, not least because of its underlying trust in human nature. It's something which Mr Cameron has been harking on about since his casual stroll into Conservative HQ; the reunification of society through diligence, hard voluntary work, and essential community action. The concept falls under the ideology of 'progressive Conservatism'. It's a wonderful two words, encompassing all that was good about former Conservatism with the relatively progressive ideal of caring for one another in a society. Everbody wins. We have a society where the individual has the power to do what he or she wants, yet still stays within the ultimate confines of the social contract. Everybody lives for themselves while not ignoring the others. It sounds rather ideal, I'm sure you'd agree.
But it's nothing new to the Conservative Party. Sir Robert Peel's metropolitan police established in 1829 put citizens into uniform to serve their local communities, not to act as the arm of the state. Disraeli's innovative social reforms in the late-1870s were what are now termed enabling measures: they made powers available to urban local authorities but left them free to use them as they thought best. Lord Salisbury's County Councils Act of 1888 provided elected institutions to implement the collective wishes of the myriad little platoons in the countryside without resort to Parliament. The Tories made Britain the most decentralised country in Europe.
.The situation we find ourselves in today couldn't be further from that ideal. We have a government which spoon-feeds us information, benefits the unworthy and keeps a beady eye on all of us and all of our money, just in case we do something it doesn't like. It's the complete opposite of what I believe is what we need to progress as a nation. And that is why I wholly applaud Mr Cameron's proposals.
It doesn't matter if there are some people who would rather ruin the system than obey by it; I believe that these people are a minority. No matter how you look at it, for a lot of citizens in the UK, things aren't all that bad. Many have warmth, clothing, a home, lighting, food, water, and all the basic benefits of life. They're not usually the people out on the streets. Perhaps Hobbs was therefore wrong, and intrinsic human nature is not all that bad. A government needn't be formed just for the sake of keeping people under control.
The proposals include a fascinating number of radical changes to the democratic system, such as local referendums on numerous matters, from mayoral elections of vetoing council tax hikes.
As Mr Cameron says himself: "Many worry that decentralisation is a step backwards. But localism isn't some romantic attachment to the past. It is absolutely essential to our economic, social and political future."
Giving the power back to the people. More on this later.
It's a fascinating state of affairs, no pun intended, not least because of its underlying trust in human nature. It's something which Mr Cameron has been harking on about since his casual stroll into Conservative HQ; the reunification of society through diligence, hard voluntary work, and essential community action. The concept falls under the ideology of 'progressive Conservatism'. It's a wonderful two words, encompassing all that was good about former Conservatism with the relatively progressive ideal of caring for one another in a society. Everbody wins. We have a society where the individual has the power to do what he or she wants, yet still stays within the ultimate confines of the social contract. Everybody lives for themselves while not ignoring the others. It sounds rather ideal, I'm sure you'd agree.
But it's nothing new to the Conservative Party. Sir Robert Peel's metropolitan police established in 1829 put citizens into uniform to serve their local communities, not to act as the arm of the state. Disraeli's innovative social reforms in the late-1870s were what are now termed enabling measures: they made powers available to urban local authorities but left them free to use them as they thought best. Lord Salisbury's County Councils Act of 1888 provided elected institutions to implement the collective wishes of the myriad little platoons in the countryside without resort to Parliament. The Tories made Britain the most decentralised country in Europe.
.The situation we find ourselves in today couldn't be further from that ideal. We have a government which spoon-feeds us information, benefits the unworthy and keeps a beady eye on all of us and all of our money, just in case we do something it doesn't like. It's the complete opposite of what I believe is what we need to progress as a nation. And that is why I wholly applaud Mr Cameron's proposals.
It doesn't matter if there are some people who would rather ruin the system than obey by it; I believe that these people are a minority. No matter how you look at it, for a lot of citizens in the UK, things aren't all that bad. Many have warmth, clothing, a home, lighting, food, water, and all the basic benefits of life. They're not usually the people out on the streets. Perhaps Hobbs was therefore wrong, and intrinsic human nature is not all that bad. A government needn't be formed just for the sake of keeping people under control.
The proposals include a fascinating number of radical changes to the democratic system, such as local referendums on numerous matters, from mayoral elections of vetoing council tax hikes.
As Mr Cameron says himself: "Many worry that decentralisation is a step backwards. But localism isn't some romantic attachment to the past. It is absolutely essential to our economic, social and political future."
Giving the power back to the people. More on this later.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
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