The Tory task on foreign policy

Kevyn Bodman

It shouldn't have taken more than an hour for any reasonably well-informed Conservative spokesman to read Miliband's article and formulate a response to it.
And most of that hour would have been spent on toning down the initial scorn and derision that Milliband deserves and then taking up a more statesmanlike position.
But I don't have to do that: Miliband's article was ridiculous and dangerous and by his misjudgement he has revealed that he is not fit for ministerial office.

That the Tories have not responded adequately must pose questions about them, their judgement and energy.

Andre

I do not believe the Tories either understand the nature of the threat we face or have any idea how to counter it. They epitomize the post-IRA, post cold war generation which assumes as long as one is nice to everyone all will be well. Where are they on Israel? Iranian nuclear terrorism? Turkey? Russia? no one will have greeted their metamorphosis into the nice party more keenly than our enemies.

Ian C

Hague was probably too busy with his other more lucrative interests.

Ray

The Number One foreign policy issue that the Tories need to firm up is our future relationship with the EU.

In reality, there is only one option that is in the interests of both the country and the Conservative Party ; namely, to announce our intention to quit.

Otherwise, Cameron will find himself as ridiculous and impotent in the face of the almighty superstate as previous prime ministers have been shown to be.

Ted Tedford

There is at least one Tory who could have made a pretty spectacular job of demolishing Henman, but sadly he's the skools'n'kidz shadow.

Verity

Ian C writes: "Hague was probably too busy with his other more lucrative interests."

And who can blame him, given the inadequate, clueless leadership? I'm sure he has thoughts, informed by facts, but what's the point when Cameron won't allow anyone to voice an opinion? Especially if that opinion militates against Dave's foolish denial of realpolitik.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Hague resigning in the near future. What the hell is the bloody point?

I agree with André's post.

Ted Tedford

Sorry, in my rush to gob off I missed James making the same point about Mr Gove.

It would nice to think that serious politicians with a genuine concern for Britain's national interest would not *need* a bunch of pencil-necked SPADs to formulate their foreign policy ideas. It didn't take a think-tank to inform Lady Thatcher's foreign policy instincts.

TGF UKIP

"It also does not help that the Shadow Foreign Secretary has had so much else on recently." How very elegantly shafted James.

The definitive statement of the Camron Tory Foreign & Defence policy was made by Dave in Berlin (where else?) in October 2007. It was speech that would have warmed the cockles of the hearts of all nervous nellie europhiles and struck real alarm into the hearts of all committed atlanticists.

The suspicion must be that the ructions there have been in the party over Dave's tax, spend and borrow policy would be as nothing compared with the outrage that might follow the Cameron Tories coming fully clean over their foreign and defence intentions.

That's why Dave is delighted to have a largely absentee shadow foreign policy team.

Hysteria

There may not be many votes in it (although if policy was formulated around the EU question actually there might be rather a lot) but that aside..

isn't the number one, uber-responsibility of the government to provide a secure state?

So why would any political party not have a view on this ?

I agree - deeply worrying .....

Ruairidh

I agree that a swift rebuttal would have be easy to craft in no time. I do worry that Cameron et al don't understand the threat but I've not had much to go on. I wonder if they are conciously staying clear of hamas/AQ/terrorism etc as a subject because they worry that there are no votes in it. That they risk looking like the mean old Tories if they are too harsh on Hamas and like a bunch of naive, unfit for office wet blankets if they are too soft on them. Best to stay quite and let Milliband hoist himself on his own navel gazing petard.

Pete, Scotland

Are the Tories plain and simple incompetent as an opposition?

Apart from Cameron, Osbourne and Hague who else is there.

Apart from the horrible Spelman and May women!

Archie

Clueless Cameron clearly underestimates - or willfully ignores - the sentiment in the country. People are sick to death of everything, especially the lack of opposition to this preposterous so-called government. This nincompoop is well on the way to losing the next election and deservedly so! No wonder everyone I meet intends voting BNP! If he's afraid of Brown & Co. stealing his policies, let him announce a referendum on the EU and immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers. I guarantee those policies won't be lifted! Someone at Central Office should read the Tory and MOR blogs, print them out and stick them under the dear "leader's" nose.

JONNY

wouldn't be surprised to see Hague resigning in the near future...

Please wake me up and tell me when he does Verity.

Gordon Musgo

Once Lisbon is ratified there is no need for a foreign policy.

Also, tactically, there is no need for a tory policy in opposition, as there are no votes in foreign policy now, but there could be lost votes.

JONNY

First step might be to come clean on Afghanistan.
I haven't seen one expert who seriously believes we can win this fool's errand.
Week after week our men's lives are being needlessly sacrificed. And hundreds of civilians murdered in our indiscriminate airstrikes.
(Not that anyone seems to care a hoot about that).
Yet we still persevere in our mission like programme-fed robots.
We see Brown and Cameron and even Clegg weeping their crocodile tears at PMQs.
We don't expect any sense from Brown.
But when will Cameron get up and articulate what we all know in our hearts and our heads.
This thing is not working. And is not going to work.
Well that's a Tory Foreign Policy for a start. And I give it to them free.

Verity

Archie, agreed.

Verity

I think most Tories now realise that David Cameron is a social liberal manqué, given that there is a already a party for this misbegotten belief system and it already has a leader.

He is also a Europhile.

For someone who was educated at Eton, he has no sense of the history of these islands that we all - rich and poor, dim, clever, just-getting-by, doing OK and achieving, touched by luck or failed by fortune - share. Compare and contrast with the heroic Prince Harry and even Prince William.

David Cameron is completely unconnected to the rest of us, no matter how he pantomimes "concern". Personally, I find his "there, there; we know what we're doing" attitude patronising.

As long as he is head of the party, the Tories forfeit my vote.