Matthew d’Ancona and Tim Montgomerie of Conservative Home debate what the Tories can–and should–learn from Blair.
Dear Tim,
Here is my starter for ten.
Tony Blair is already transforming Tory politics. Here are few of the lessons that are being learned (or should be):
1. Economics is no longer enough. The 1997 election result showed that growth no longer guarantees electoral victory – indeed, now that the Bank of England is independent, voters have every reason to think that they are prosperous in spite of rather than because of politicians. Cameron and Osborne are right to emphasise “economic stability”: code for “We won’t ruin it.”
2. Quality of life: making ends meet is still a struggle for millions of people. But you can no longer build an electoral coalition upon the issue of standard of living alone.
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