Sep
16
Pride in the past, Hope for the Future
Filed Under Guest Posts
Margaret Thatcher is a name never far from the conscience of members of the Conservative party. There has been a desire since Cameron became leader to force a distinction between ‘them and us’ - the Thatcherites and the Cameroons. I believe no such distinction is necessary and to try to bury our past is to suggest there is something to bury which only serves to keep it very much alive. It is no secret that I am a great admirer of Lady Thatcher. Her economic reforms alone were remarkable and I believe that they have contributed to shape the wealthy, powerful country we live in today… at least before Gordon Brown got his hands on it!
I also believe that her personal attributes as a woman struggling against the Tory establishment and her approach to the formidable circumstances she inherited in 1979 show remarkable courage and strength of leadership which few have matched since. She has changed our nation arguably more than any other leader in modern British history and naturally this provokes a deal of curiosity and within the Tory party, loyalty. However some in the old guard cling on to the vain hope that Thatcher is coming back and we should relive our past. She can’t, she won’t. We can’t, we won’t.
My admiration for Lady Thatcher is total but so is my loyalty to the direction that David Cameron is taking. As far as I am concerned it is possible to be both a Thatcherite and a Cameroon. Are the two really as incompatible as some would have us believe? I believe that what Margaret Thatcher did economically, Cameron will do socially. In addition the rise to power of both Cameron and Thatcher has many similarities which makes them more compatible than many would assume. Both have faced off with members of their own ‘elite’ to enact their message of reform and renewal. Both have triumphed.
There is a longstanding tradition within the Conservative party to ‘divide and conquer’ as was the case when divided and conquered left wing politics. There is nothing wrong with using this approach against our ‘enemies’ but when we use it on ourselves it is us who becomes divided and conquered. There are zealots on both sides, the old guard and the modernisers, who seem to delight in treating the other as adversaries. It is these individuals that are responsible for the political wilderness this party has endured for 10 years. By my own admission most of my own family and friends are part of that ‘old guard’ who refuse to acknowledge that change in the party is necessary. They are wrong.
Having said this I am also aware of many modernisers who do their best to dismember and devalue the lessons and legacy of our past for the sake of ‘modernity’. They painstakingly and foolishly try to distance themselves from our past, even at times appearing to deny its very existence. I don’t think Cameron himself is guilty of this charge. In the beginning, quite rightly, he focused on modernity and dodged the ‘Thatcher question’. He fought tooth and nail to present a modern, compassionate and competent image, something that has evaded us since the days of Thatcher.
I believe he has succeeded in his unenviable task of promoting modernity whilst preserving our identity as Conservatives. It is at this time when we can embrace our past without being judged on it. Now Cameron feels comfortable enough to label Margaret Thatcher, in public, ‘our greatest Prime Minister’. He can do this because he has made a name for himself.
He also, quite rightly, feels free to return to the once dreaded ‘comfort zone’ and policies such as tax and immigration, something which was unthinkable two or three years ago. What’s more the British people are more comfortable with talking about the past and are ready to listen to us once again. At a time when the British public yearn for a leader with the mettle and conviction of Thatcher- Cameron can capitalise. There is a continuing and very real re-evaluation of the Thatcher legacy which will be of great benefit to our party and we cannot be afraid to embrace it…. Gordon Brown certainly wasn’t!
To conclude it is my view that what unites us as Conservatives is stronger than that which divides us. We should be respectful of our Thatcherite past, but not ruled by it. Our references to the past should be born out of a pride and passion for our history not a desire to live in it. It’s okay to look back on what we’ve achieved but never lose sight of what is ahead. New history is being made by Cameron, history that one day we can look back on with equal enthusiasm.
President, Birmingham University Conservative Future