David Cameron’s speech today is another reminder of how concerned the Tories are about losing their traditional advantage among female voters. The message that the Tories are cutting so that the country is passed on in a better state to the next generation is a direct response to the fact that the party’s polling has found mothers to be deeply concerned that their children will not have as good a quality of life as they have had.
At the away day for Tory MPs last week, Andrew Cooper — the PM’s chief political strategist — said that talking about deficit reduction in these terms was crucial to winning over female swing voters. Indeed, when I asked one Downing Street source about the timing of today’s speech, it was instantly pointed out to me that next week is International Women’s Week and that Cameron will be doing something to mark International Women’s Day on Thursday.
It is easy to mock the politics behind today’s speech. But it does make an important point. There is nothing compassionate or progressive in simply kicking the can down the road. The problems of the deficit and out-dated public services need to be dealt with. To simply try and adopt a sticking plaster solution would be an abdication of responsibility. Indeed, the real question about this government is not whether it is cutting too much but whether it is doing enough to make this country truly competitive in the global economy of the 21st century.
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