Sunday, October 1, 2006

Cameron policy cover-up?

There is a nice tidal wave developing marked "Where's the beef, Dave?"

However, I can remember one policy which Cameron has announced - I wonder if anyone can remember any others?

The one I remember was announced in late June. Cameron announced he would scrap the Human Rights Act and set up a "British" Bill of Rights. The idea fell apart on a minute's inspection, but one wonders why Dave is so bashful about this idea? Why isn't being presented in depth at the Conservative conference?

Also, DC seems to be saying that we should wait patiently for his policy commissions to report back.

However, I can think of several examples where the overwhelming gist of the findings of his policy commissions have already been aired.

First, transport. John Redwood's team have already published their recommendations. The
centrepiece seemed to be proposing that drivers could turn left at red traffic lights. Presumably to preserve the ancient British rights of car drivers to kill pedestrians and cyclists.

In September we had an airing of what was coming out of Steve Norris' tax working party and heard from the Sunday Times:

TAXES on motoring, flying and other polluting activities would rise under a Conservative government, according to George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor.

In July we heard some of the things coming out of Kenneth Clarke's constitutional commission. "Tory's plan to restrict Scots MPs" was one. There was also this suggestion from Tory Alan Duncan:

I'm beginning to think it is almost impossible now to have a Scottish prime minister because they would be at odds with the basic construction of the British constitution.

We also heard in February that "Tory leader David Cameron wants to strip the Queen of some of her historic constitutional powers".

So, far from having no policies, Cameron has announced at least one major one and we have seen several others bubbling up from his policy commissions and from him. Why aren't these proposals being put to the Conservative conference for debate and the verdict of party members?

Why, instead, are they, humiliatingly, reduced to pressing buttons to vote pointlessly on "hot topics" like "alcohol does more harm than drugs".

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