The New Conservatives: Fact or Façade?

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In last month’s Budget, much was made of Alistair Darling’s introduction of the 50p tax on earnings over £150,000. In breaking one of New Labour’s 2005 manifesto pledges, the move provoked widespread anger in much of the press – though, critically, not in the rest of the public – with accusations of a return to Old Labour and the politics of the 1970s.

Whilst Labour has drifted to the Right and back again over the past fifteen years, on the other side of the despatch box, the Tories have undergone a renaissance of late as well. Following eight years out in the cold, David Cameron’s leadership has rejuvenated the Conservatives. ‘Compassionate’ conservatism has become the byword for the New Tories as Cameron mirrors Labour’s move to the centre ground a decade and a half ago.

So, as Labour’s experiment falters, is Cameron’s faring any better?

The stress of recession does seem to have revealed a less compassionate side of the Party of Change. In light of the past few weeks’ revelations concerning MPs’ expenses, the Tory leader’s emphasis on the need for a ‘government of thrift’ does, on the surface, seem valid, and indeed desirable. But taking a look at Conservative policy, and there is by no means much to go by, it seems that government of thrift involves, like Labour, a return to the policies of old. For the Tories, this means selling off state assets to the highest bidder and cutting back on essential social spending.

In education, health and welfare, the Conservatives mention need for cut-backs, of ending the state monopoly on schools, whilst pledging the renewal and maintenance of the British nuclear deterrent. Where is the compassion in spending upwards of £20 billion renewing and maintaining a defunct national defence whilst allowing the opportunity gap between those who can afford to pay and those who can’t to widen?

The idea of a New Conservative party is rubbished further in light of the expenses debacle. Spending public money, at a time when home repossessions continue to rise, on tennis courts, moats and the upkeep of country estates only serves to reinforce the stereotype of the Old Tory.

On Europe, their attitude is again of the old order. Euroscepticism has continued under Cameron, leading to his pledge to withdraw his party from the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament following the June elections, despite criticism from other leaders of the centre-right.

Some policies have shifted. Devolution and the minimum wage are here to stay, even under a Conservative government, says Cameron. And the environment, as their latest rebranding shows, is at the heart of the Tory’s future. In spite of this, the stress of recession has shown that, under the personable and electable exterior, the Party of Change remains firmly the Party of the Right.

The content of this article is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of The Vibe.