The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : Rightwards is not the route to power

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Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

Rightwards is not the route to power

Tim Yeo

A Tory MP argues that his party must learn that elections are won only on the centre ground.

I DOUBT whether even the gloomiest British Conservative would have feared in 1997 (the year Tony Blair's New Labour first came to power in Britain) that eight years and two general elections later the party would still have fewer than 200 MPs — fewer than Labour's lowest total in all its 18 years of opposition.

Although the election of some talented new MPs could provide a springboard for recovery, a closer look at the results gives no cause for comfort. Conservatives are no longer the main opposition to Labour in great chunks of Britain. In Scotland we are not even the third party.

In the aftermath of defeat, everyone says we must learn the lessons of the election but few spell out what this really means. Modernising the party means more than appearing on television without a tie and not being nasty to minorities. Now is the moment for the Conservatives to accept that our brand was comprehensively rejected by the voters, not just in 1997 but at both the subsequent elections too.

This doesn't mean we have to abandon our principles. Belief in individual liberty, the merits of the market and a firm line on law and order, and in the need to keep the state small, should remain the bedrock of our approach.

But true Conservatism is also about tackling global threats such as climate change, raising standards in state education, promoting equality of opportunity, and social justice. In the constituency casework I do, I am reminded every week about the need for compassion in dealing with the problems that too many people face in their daily struggles: young people worried about housing, low income and childcare, old people anxious about pensions, disabled people denied access to jobs, patients waiting too long for treatment.

Our task is to show not only that we share these concerns but that we have better answers. A greater willingness to tackle some non-traditional issues would help too. One thing is clear: we cannot expect to return automatically to power merely by waiting for Labour to become more unpopular.

We must recognise that elections are won only on the centre ground. This is an inherently difficult and even unwelcome message for activists whose instinct is to believe that fiercer attacks on the government and more loyal adherence to rightwing principles is the route back to power.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

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