The real Tories

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The FT makes a simple point this morning — that unacceptable as Cameron and Osborne are to most in this country, they’re just as unacceptable to their own Tory candidates to be MPs.As they note:

David Cameron is struggling to convince a group of his own party election candidates of the merits of key Conservative policies.

Financial regulation, tax and climate change were the most controversial areas of policy for would-be Tory MPs, a Financial Times investigation found, with a number of candidates unconvinced by the party’s direction.

In a survey of candidates the FT found:

About a quarter of those the FT examined had held jobs in financial services or the City, and many of those were unhappy at the prospect of the government legislating in that area.

Twelve of those interviewed were uncomfortable with any government involvement in pay, while eight backed such action only at government-owned banks.

Only five echoed Mr Osborne’s outspoken approach and few supported a special tax on financial institutions.

The idea, entrenched in the City, that bankers somehow create wealth as a result of their zero sum games when this is far from the truth is to be found amongst the candidates:

“The last thing we want to do is drive people out of this industry who are going to create wealth over the next 10 years,” Andrew Bridgen, standing in North West Leicestershire, said.

There’s more though:

There were signs that Mr Cameron will come under pressure to speed up the scrapping of the 50p top rate of income tax. Every candidate who answered the survey opposed the measure and most stressed that the Tories should be the party of low tax.

You might as well say these candidates have one aim: to make the rich richer and the poorest poorer.

As worrying:

Many prospective MPs appeared unconvinced by the argument that humans were responsible for climate change. Few believed governments should legislate on the issue.

It’s as if these people want to find as many cliffs as they can over which society can jump, and then want to help the slippery slope to oblivion that will destroy society as we know it.

The stakes are high.

And yes, I know I could be very depressed in four weeks time. But don’t worry — the arguments for reform will continue whatever the Tories do.


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