David Davis MP, who challenged and lost out to David Cameron in the 2005 Conservative leadership stakes has now gone public advising DC to cut taxes, reduce state regulation and liberalise employment laws for small businesses.
No doubt this advice will appeal to hard core Conservative voters but I am afraid it fails to recognise political reality.
Firstly, the Conservatives do not have a majority in the Commons and depend on Liberal support to get their policies through the Commons. The Liberals are a very mixed bunch and capable of facing in many different directions when it suits them. However, at heart, they are soft-centre and left-of-centre; anti profit, anti private sector and anti-enterprise. Davd Davis is flying a kite that will crash.
Secondly, the UK electorate chose to give the country a hung parliament. They may not thank a senior Conservative parliamentarian for suggesting that Conservatives should reject the electorate’s choice and throw down the gauntlet of an electoral pre-emptive strike. I think we have to address the wishes of local voters much more effectively than quoting partisan soundbites.
