I look forward to the dukedom this manifesto advice will bring

[Briar]

I look forward to the dukedom this manifesto advice will bring

The Tories could sweep back to power on a tide of old Labour votes with some old-fashioned ideas now without a champion

Philip Pullman

I've noticed that the Conservative party has been rather at a loss recently. It doesn't know what it stands for or what it ought to be proposing to do in government.

So in a friendly spirit of helpfulness, I thought I'd point out some policies that resonate with old-fashioned ideas of the sort that a truly conservative party might well feel at home with. By good luck, these policies are without a current champion, and any party taking them up would find a natural body of support ready and waiting.

To start with, then, there's the notion of noblesse oblige. For those who can't remember, this is the very good and centuries-old idea that privilege imposes obligations. That was ditched over a quarter of a century ago, and since then we've suffered under the revolting principle that we should all be intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich.

A genuinely conservative idea would be to restore the principle that the wealthiest people should bear more financial responsibility than they've been required to do under the filthy-rich system: so income tax for the rich should go up...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1569288,00.html

[ikri]

1. Excellent Manifesto

Hell, even I would consider voting Tory if they ran with this.

But, since it is a rejection of pretty much everything that Thatcher stood for most Tories won't recognise that it is exactly what is required to save their party.

Whilst the spectre of Thatcherism haunts the Tory party they'll lose.

[Briar]

2. I want to know why Labour

isn't running with this. I suspect Mr Pullman would like to know as well.

[ikri]

3. Labour can't run with something like this because

It would show everyone just how far to the right New Labour has fallen.

Demonstrating to the country that New Labour is more conservative than the old style Ted Heath / Harold Macmillan Tory would be a terrible idea for Labour.

The Lib Dems picked up a ton of votes at the last election by giving the appearance that they're to the left of Labour. Labour admitting that fact without offering substantial policy changes to move it back to the left would pretty much guarantee a Labour loss at the next election.

[Greeby]

4. I don't care about left/right

I just want someone who can operate from a place of basic decency, and is able to grab their ass with both hands without Dick Cheney's say-so

[LeftishBrit]

5. HEAR HEAR!!!!

'I just want someone who can operate from a place of basic decency, and is able to grab their ass with both hands without Dick Cheney's say-so'

Says it all!

[Kipling]

9. Shut it, pinko!

Basic decency?
Grabbing asses without Dick's permission?
Commie!
Socialist Bolshevik Leninist lefty liberal!
Criminal-loving baby-slaughtering Islamofascist!
Pacifist hippy soldier-betraying Nazi!
Trotskyite Black Panther gay-loving useful idiot!
Marxist fifth-columnist Francophilic Stalinistic anti-semite!
Satanist tax-and-spend Clinton-voting Christ-killing towelhead!
Nanny-state-loving kiddyfucker-protecting Khmer Rouge red SCUM!

In twenty years time, where will we be, eh, Stalin? Going to ban us from spitting in collection trays held by blind people? Going to stop us setting fire to blacks? You disgust me. Go live in the UN where you belong.

[Taxloss]

6. Good chap, Philip Pullman.

I had the privilege of having a chat with him some years ago (pre-Dark Materials) and he's absolutely spot on. His Dark Materials is great as well.

[Briar]

7. I agree

If only an American company hadn't bought the film rights so they can ruin it by leaving out God.

[non sociopath skin]

8. Diamond geezer, yes ...

... but I, for one, will be disappointed if he lets Hollywood bowdlerise "Dark Materials" out of its serious purpose.

The Skin