A Kiwi conservative’s message for Dave

Allister Heath talks to Don Brash, leader of New Zealand’s National party, and finds him much more robust than Cameron on tax cuts, welfare and the environment

If you were to cross Clark Kent with Josiah Bartlet of The West Wing, you would end up with somebody very much like Don Brash, leader of New Zealand’s conservative National party.

A mild-mannered, grey and softly spoken 66-year-old, he is endearingly wonkish; thanks to eye surgery, he no longer wears thick glasses but his hobby remains growing kiwi fruit on his orchards. But first impressions can be deceptive and there is another, steely side to Dr Brash: like Martin Sheen’s character, he is a highly respected economist, probably the best to run a major political party anywhere; and he displayed his secret super-strength at last year’s election, doubling his party’s share of the vote from 20.9 to 39.1 per cent.

While this astonishing performance wasn’t quite enough — he lost by two seats — the resurgence of Dr Brash’s conservatives is a story that David Cameron ought to study closely, even though the two leaders’ styles are very different.