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The Blairites are making a comeback — at Conservative HQ

Wednesday, 11th June 2008

Fraser Nelson reviews the week in politics

Mr Maude’s Implementation Team has adopted Eisenhower’s motto: plans are nothing, planning is everything. Nicholas Boles intends to rejoin the team in the summer when he stands down as Boris Johnson’s chief of staff. They plan to operate quietly, issue no documents and ruffle few feathers. Yet there is already disgruntlement. If Mr Cameron wants radicalism, it is argued, the last thing he needs is an influx of civil servants who specialise in finding a difficulty for every solution.

The businessmen are proving rather hard to get hold of, but there is no shortage of help from Blair-era advisers. Sir Michael Barber, former head of Mr Blair’s delivery unit, has been generous with his time, as has Matthew Taylor, who used to run the Number 10 policy unit. A former Blair adviser is now working full-time on the Implementation Team. The joke among the orphaned Blairites is that if half a dozen of them embed with the Tories, they could retake power — meeting Mr Blair at his Connaught Square home for weekly instructions.

The ease with which they slot into Project Cameron is readily explained. The Blair ‘choice’ agenda has mutated into the Cameron ‘empowerment’ agenda. Phil Collins, Mr Blair’s former speechwriter, observed recently that the key dividing line in politics is ‘no longer between left and right’ but ‘between liberal and authoritarian’. The Blairites-for-Cameron can argue, with some justification, that they are fighting for the same cause. And, in Mr Brown, the same enemy.

The supply of experienced Blairite talent is a boon for Mr Cameron, because he is having a hard time finding any Conservatives. As if in a British version of Atlas Shrugged, his most talented people have been disappearing one by one. Danny Kruger, his chief speechwriter, has resigned to work for a charity. Steve Hilton, his chief strategist, has left to work from California for six months, accompanying his partner on a posting to Silicon Valley. Barely a week passes without another Tory staffer being poached by a lobbying company preparing for a change of government.

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Tony Makara

June 12th, 2008 5:01pm

More must be done to promote job-creation in the private sector. Especially in manufacturing and agriculture which could, over time, produce the million plus jobs needed to end wefare dependency.

A start can be made by making it profitable for producers and farmers to supply the domestic market. Which is a ready made market waiting to be exploited. Special tax status should be awarded to British firms who supply the domestic market, allowing these producers to keep more of their profits as incentive. New firms should be allowed to operate tax-free until they have grown to a certain size.

David Cameron has pledged to support the supply-side with transport infrastructure. This is a very positive move and would lend itself to British producers supplying the domestic market. Recent events have taught us that imports are not always cheap and that we need a more balanced economy with more British produced goods available to consumers.

David Short

June 13th, 2008 4:01am

Because Cameron is an empty vessel, very similar in that sense to Blair, and whose experience as a pr man of a 'real job' is even less than that of Blair, I don't really believe that this rich kid is 100 per cent destined for power.

It's a pity there's no chance of a Tory leadership change before then.

A hung parliament with the Lib-Dems in the driving seat is more likely.

Don't forget Kinnock's hubris.

David Lindsay

June 13th, 2008 6:36pm

The Continuity New Labour Council.

Just what we all want, need and deserve.

Isn't it?

sid

June 14th, 2008 9:29am

I can't believe how anyone can be deceived by that pompous charlatan Camoron. Obviously a good education in an exclusive school helps. Tory MPs desperate for power have copied the Blair blueprint to the letter. The hierarchy have squashed any dissenters, and banished them to the hinterlands. As usual there are plenty of servile fags, fighting to gain favour with the prigs in charge. All they crave and all they will receive will be a condescending pat on the head from the head prefect and his clique. How can a party that produced Thatcher have sunk to such depths.

David Short

June 15th, 2008 6:00pm

Somehow Cameron has got to be rid of before the next election. He hasn't had the courage to come out against 42 days, against 28 days, in fact against any day that a British subject of the Queen should be held without charge.

Even those of us who would otherwise support Labour cannot condone this.

We need an Opposition that will repeal this law. Either vote Cameron out as Tory leader and bring in Boris or DD, or we will really need to push hard for a Lib-Dem government.

I know the Tories don't normally kick out a leader until he's/she's lost an election, but this is too important an issue to for the normal rules to apply.

I wish the Spectator, even under the dim management it now has, would make this a central issue.

Matthew Cain

June 16th, 2008 9:50pm

Phil Collins has always been adept at repeating what he has heard from more intelligent, thoughtful colleagues and claiming credit for the remarks himself. The man is not wise enough to know his own limitations.

Bob T

June 18th, 2008 4:41am

Excellent interesting article which speaks volumes about Cameron and former Blairites (and indirectly Brown). So much so that it is difficult to understand who has moved in what direction with what end in mind. Indeed it is reminiscent of the plaintive question raised in a well known ditty involving an unlikely couple in a comparable state of confusion: "Who does what, with what, to whom?"

Pugnacious Perry

June 22nd, 2008 9:50pm

Oh Lordy, Lordy, - he who SHOULD have been the Ire of Bliar, - surely isn’t really the Heir of Blair after all? The inane grin, the gush, the faux sincerity . . . . . the ‘I hear you’ . . .

Time to give up on this one folks, there’s better things to do with our time and energy


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