I have a question. During an election campaign, and let’s be honest it already feels like we’re already in the middle of one, is it acceptable for one party to adopt a policy which has been proposed by one of their opponents? This post argues yes, especially for a Party that has serious aspirations to govern.
One of the major strengths of a democratic system is that it creates a market place where ideas compete for the blessing of citizens. It is churlish to believe that one person, one institution or one philosophy has a monopoly of knowing what the best solutions are for the problems that this country faces, especially when all Parties, pressure groups and institutions compete for our support by producing what they consider to be the best solution.
Gordon Brown’s brand of political chauvinism is an example of what can happen if you believe the answer to my question is no. He searches for dividing lines that can be used to beat-up his opponents. The desire for instant victory over opponents who are viewed with hatred trumps any concern over how these victories are achieved. It is this type of attitude that breeds instances such as the Damien McBride/Red-Rag scandal. This intransigent outlook has not just damaged the country, it has also stunted the Labour Party. By crushing any possibility of there being a leadership contest post-Blair, Brown was telling his party he would not tolerate competing views. He did not allow Labour the breathing space to conduct a debate about its future direction. He denied the general public a chance to hear the case for him being our Prime Minister. It is no coincidence that the most promising Labour thinking emanates from those who do not share his mentality thus consider ideas from wide variety of sources.
The trigger that started my thought process was the Liberal Democrats’ proposal to raise the threshold at which people start paying income tax to £10,000 pa. They claim that this policy will mean that 4 million low paid workers will no longer have to pay income tax. This policy instantly appealed to my Tory gut. It neatly ties together the Conservative philosophies of low tax and achieving social justice through promoting aspiration. If the Tories adopted this policy they would not need to move a political inch. The tax threshold idea compliments existing policies such as abolishing tax on new jobs and reducing tax on small businesses will help to encourage companies to employ more people, the commitment to create 100,000 new apprenticeships and fund 10,000 extra high-tech university places so that the unemployed can play an active part in the new economy. From a social justice angle the £10,000 tax policy stands on the shoulders of much of the work done by the Centre for Social Justice. Since 1997 three quarters of a million more people are classed as living in severe poverty. Despite what Labour propaganda would have you believe the Conservatives want to help people get out of this situation. Unlike the Labour Government Tories understand that this cannot be done by just throwing money at the problem. A sense of aspiration and reward needs to be built into the system in order to encourage welfare dependants to take their first step onto the working ladder. Labour can criticise Tory tax cutting beliefs as being something that just benefits the rich but raising the tax threshold shows that tax cuts can benefit us all.
Politics being politics, if the Conservatives did add the Lib Dem idea to their programme for government they are bound to face some hostility. In anticipation of this I have answered the three most obvious charges which may be flung at them.
You have stolen that idea!
To quote my political philosophy lecturer “There is no such thing as an original idea.” The Conservative Party have a fine history of encouraging the poorest in our society to generate, accumulate and use wealth. The Lib Dems’ idea builds on the work of Iain Duncan Smith and George Osborne to put aspiration back into the welfare system. The Tory Party is not afraid to adopt ideas which will benefit the country, wherever they emanate from. We welcome the fact that the Lib Dems have spent time on issues which we have consistently highlighted as being important and we already have a wide-ranging governmental programme to solve. Raising the tax threshold to £10,000 is a Lib Dem cherry which has been put on top of a Conservative cake.
This is proof that you have no good policies yourself. This is a Tory endorsement of the Lib Dems. Voters should forget about the Tories and just vote Lib Dem.
Labour has plunged Britian into the longest and deepest recession on record. We face the largest budget deficit of any major economy. The Conservative Party has a full economic programme which will firstly ensure that Britian maintains its place as a major economic power and secondly wenches our nation back onto the path to prosperity. We will create a national loan guarantee scheme to underwrite bank lending to business, to save businesses and protect jobs. We will tackle debt, we will create 100,000 new apprentiships that will create a qualified workforce for the high-skill economy that Britain needs to develop. We will cut the cost of Whitehall and Quangos, freeze Council Tax for two years, and abolish tax on new jobs. If you would like me to go on let me know. The point is it is only us who has the right strategy for fixing the problems that face this country. If another Party, pressure group or individual creates a good idea that fits into our strategy we have no problem adopting it. Our decisions are based on what is best for the British people, they are not driven by an abstract political agenda.
You are only adopting this policy because you want the support of Nick Clegg’s mob.
The Labour Party has dramatically failed in its promise to raise the living standards of the lowest paid workers in our economy. Stateist solutions have lead to greater inequality partly because they have taken away pride, aspiration and responsibility from those they feel the need to protect. The Tories have been highlighting this broken promise for a number of years now and we have many progressive policies which will encourage improvements. It is unsurprising that the Lib Dems are also trying to solve the mess Labour has created. We have no problem working with others to solve this issue. A Conservative Government will concentrate solely on making Britain a better place to live.
Adopting others ideas, when they are good and are consistent with your programme, shows the electorate that you posses political maturity, confidence and leadership. Maturity because you ignore yaa-boo politics in favour of the greater good. Confidence because you will do what is right even if it opens you to criticism. Leadership because you are open to considering many ideas before deciding which direction to take.