Does David Cameron Have a Future After Latest Election Defeat?
Fiscal hawks within the party, meanwhile, are calling for tax cuts for workers and businesses and the scrapping of regulation — much of it emanating from Europe — which they claim is stifling job creation and growth. They point out that Moody’s downgraded the UK not because it was cutting too fast, but because it wasn’t cutting fast enough. They want bigger reductions in welfare spending, and warn that even the education and healthcare budgets, which so far have remained sacrosanct, will have to be cut if the debt is to be brought under control.
In his defense, Cameron says he cannot implement all the policies he would like because of the constraints of being in coalition with the socially progressive and economically centrist Lib Dems, and that he will pursue a more overtly conservative agenda if he secures an overall majority in 2015. The danger, however — and the conundrum for Cameron — is that if he doesn’t starting pursuing those policies now, there will be no overall majority.
It’s not all doom and gloom. For one thing, there’s that fall in unemployment, which has been little short of remarkable given the economic climate. Around a million private sector jobs have been created since the coalition took office, more than offsetting redundancies in the bloated public sector, and at 7.8% the rate is well below the European average. While politicians and pundits like to obsess over quarterly GDP figures, voters tend to worry more about whether they have a job to go to.
Cameron can also take comfort from the fact that, for all his problems, the Labour party isn’t doing much better. It was Labour that got Britain into its current state, and which now offers only more borrowing and spending as the solution. While in opinion polls Labour holds the kind of lead that’s typical for an opposition party midway through a parliament in a sluggish economy, Cameron remains more popular than its leader Ed Miliband, and the Tories remain more trusted than Labour to fix the economy.
There’s a consensus among conservative commentators that while progress is slow, the government is on the right track. But there’s also frustration stemming from a sense that Cameron could be taking bolder measures without alienating voters. After all, most of the nominally right-wing policies they’d like him to pursue — from lowering taxes and cutting welfare budgets to renegotiating the relationship with the EU — are far from being “extreme,” as they are supported by majorities of the British people.
It would be a disaster for Britain if Labour clawed its way back into office (if it did, it would likely be in its own coalition with the Lib Dems, for whom Labour are more natural allies) and the country was as a result plunged back into a deep and lasting recession, all because Cameron was too timid to pursue policies that if explained and implemented properly would enjoy widespread support. Those urging Cameron on would like to see him call the bluff of the Lib Dems over some of those policies, daring them to withdraw their support, and perhaps to force an early election.
Many Tory MPs and grassroots activists have long suspected that Cameron’s instincts are not truly conservative; that his true sympathies lie with the metropolitan liberal-left elites, from whom he differs only on a few points of economic policy. It’s a theme that UKIP’s straight-talking leader Nigel Farage has tapped into, accusing Cameron of talking about “gay marriage and wind farms” instead of addressing the real concerns of voters.
If Cameron is to have the chance to finish the difficult and vital job he’s taken on, he will soon have to start proving those critics wrong.
The proposed cap on banking industry bonuses should be revised - to zero. The bankers cannot be trusted. Else why would RBS, which lost over £5 BILLION last year, still have found the money to pay £600 million in bonuses to its City gamblers? And this is despite the fact that HMG could stop the bonuses altogether, given that HMG owns over 80% of that bank.
What we need in the UK is a Conservative... (show more)
The proposed cap on banking industry bonuses should be revised - to zero. The bankers cannot be trusted. Else why would RBS, which lost over £5 BILLION last year, still have found the money to pay £600 million in bonuses to its City gamblers? And this is despite the fact that HMG could stop the bonuses altogether, given that HMG owns over 80% of that bank.
What we need in the UK is a Conservative leader and Chancellor that didn't go to Eton. Maybe then, what should be done would be done - which is to take steps to restore manufacturing industry in the UK. (show less)
there's no excuse for the idiocy of the bankers, and they should not have been bailed out. We should have... (show more)
there's no excuse for the idiocy of the bankers, and they should not have been bailed out. We should have let them go bankrupt, and let the assets pass from the clearly incompetent, to the competent, at knock-down prices. Then start again. We would have had a proper depression, but we would have healed the problem by now or nearly. But instead they've elected to condemn us to decades of pain, by bailing them out, and giving us a zombie economy.
but don't tell me it's all the fault of the bankers, because it isn't - by a huge margin. (show less)
The proposed cap on banking industry bonuses should be revised - to zero. The bankers cannot be trusted. Else why would RBS, which lost over £5 BILLION last year, still have found the money to pay £600 million in bonuses to its City gamblers? And this is despite the fact that HMG could stop the bonuses altogether, given that HMG owns over 80% of that bank.
What we need in the UK is a Conservative... (show more)
The proposed cap on banking industry bonuses should be revised - to zero. The bankers cannot be trusted. Else why would RBS, which lost over £5 BILLION last year, still have found the money to pay £600 million in bonuses to its City gamblers? And this is despite the fact that HMG could stop the bonuses altogether, given that HMG owns over 80% of that bank.
What we need in the UK is a Conservative leader and Chancellor that didn't go to Eton. Maybe then, what should be done would be done - which is to take steps to restore manufacturing industry in the UK. (show less)
I decide issues based upon facts, evidence and argument that is persuasive and intelligent.
Then, and only then...do I choose a side.
However....rampant, runaway, radical leftism is the scourge of the planet and has Europe on the brink and America on the run. It currently despises Israel and wallows in treason, slander and propaganda.
Opposing radical leftism is the job of every man and woman of honor. All other issues pale in comparison. Cameron is not a centrist if he becomes a toe-dipper.
What I want my friends on the right of me to understand, is that not all GDI's are squishy. (and please, stop using the term "RINO", it's... (show more)
I decide issues based upon facts, evidence and argument that is persuasive and intelligent.
Then, and only then...do I choose a side.
However....rampant, runaway, radical leftism is the scourge of the planet and has Europe on the brink and America on the run. It currently despises Israel and wallows in treason, slander and propaganda.
Opposing radical leftism is the job of every man and woman of honor. All other issues pale in comparison. Cameron is not a centrist if he becomes a toe-dipper.
What I want my friends on the right of me to understand, is that not all GDI's are squishy. (and please, stop using the term "RINO", it's beneath anyone who has the IQ above a Chia Pet, every time someone takes an independent stance. Use it sparingly, if ever. A little goes a long way with that epithet. The overuse of it immediately destroys credibility of the speaker, like any other kneejerk slur)
There is a difference between a center-rightist and a toe-dipper. Cameron should be aware of that difference. (show less)
If rain gets you wet, it doesn't matter how much you've politicized and radicalized yourself into hating the idea - you'll still get wet.
The UK should end all immigration while they still have a country that won't resemble those they used to exploit. Like it or not, it is what it is and people should adjust themselves to this reality, because there's an awful lot of soaking wet people proclaiming themselves dry.
If rain gets you wet, it doesn't matter how much you've politicized and radicalized yourself into hating the idea - you'll still get wet.
The UK should end all immigration while they still have a country that won't resemble those they used to exploit. Like it or not, it is what it is and people should adjust themselves to this reality, because there's an awful lot of soaking wet people proclaiming themselves dry.