An Old-Fashioned, Modern Government

In some senses, and for all its reforming zeal, this is something of a throwback government. David Cameron’s own views and preferences have, I think, mellowed with time to the point that he is now in some respects the kind of Tory who might not have been altogether out of place in the era of Harold Macmillan. Something similar might be said of Nick Clegg. Again, Liberal Unionists for the win.

And then, of course, there’s the man of the moment, David Laws. The new Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the fastest-rising star in this young ministry. How pleasing it is to come across this kind of thing in today’s much-linked Guardian profile:

“Laws is an unreconstructed 19th-century Liberal” said [Malcolm] Bruce. “He believes in free trade and small government. Government should do the job only government can do. There’s no point in having large public sector if the users of the public services are getting poorer.