Kate Fairhurst is a Conservative councillor and was the 2024 general election candidate in Smethwick
A fortnight ago, I stood on stage as a Conservative parliamentary candidate, watching one of Labour’s 411 MPs claim his victory in the Midlands constituency of Smethwick. I have been touched to receive messages from many friends since then to offer their condolences for what must have been a terrible and dreary time to be a Tory. There is no escaping one hard fact: the public is hugely disappointed in the Party and wants to see us punished. Yet I heard a wider and far more interesting story on the doorsteps.
As a local councillor, I am used to speaking to residents about their issues. Usually, it’s all about what I call ‘The Three Ps’ – Parking, Poo bins, and Potholes. When Rishi Sunak announced the General Election in May, I was intrigued to hear people’s views on more national issues. I guessed I would hear a mixture of anger at the Conservatives alongside a mix of worries about the NHS, schools, and the cost of living.
After six weeks and hundreds of doors across multiple constituencies, I can report that I heard surprisingly little of those things. It wasn’t that people weren’t worried about these important subjects, but rather that they had something far more fundamental in mind.
It simply came down to delivery: “Why does nothing work anymore?”, “Why do I pay more and more tax for worse and worse public services?”, “How can I be hopeful for my children’s future?”, and “Why is it so hard to get anything done?”.
As all good political canvassers do, I nevertheless pressed people for that all-important VI (or ‘voting intention’ for any normal people reading), usually to be met by an exasperated sigh. Many said they would not vote at all. Why should they believe that anyone can change their lives? I was later unsurprised to see the record-low turnout after so many of these conversations.
As Conservatives, we are about to embark on a much-needed rebuilding of our Party, and of our identity. It is imperative that as we do so, we begin with a return to our core principles. We have lost our way. We have forgotten why we are the natural party of government. It is because people used to trust us to get s*** done.
In large part, this is because the answer to ‘getting things done’ has too often become to throw money at a problem. More ‘funding’ for the police, more ‘funding’ for the civil service, more ‘funding’ for the NHS, more ‘funding’ for the railways. Of course, in the real world, people know that ‘funding’ means ‘other people’s money’. Taking ever more tax money without more careful thought is hugely short-sighted, and ultimately ineffective as a means to get things done.
To solve issues in our public services, we too often default to the status quo and look to find more cash. We don’t stop ourselves often enough to question whether the process is right, whether there are private sector solutions that could be helpful, whether there are obvious efficiencies that can be made, and whether an assessment of risk is far more cautionary than it needs to be. Or, indeed, whether the state should even be involved in that particular activity.
Conservatives should believe in a small state. We should believe in taking as little of taxpayers’ money from them as possible, and in working collaboratively with other parts of society to get things done most efficiently and effectively possible. In the coming years, we need a return to this. We need to focus on outcomes, not processes. We need to figure out how we will deliver for those we serve.
This election was a real kick for the Conservatives. Be in no doubt: we deserved it. But there is a thick silver lining – it was not a resounding endorsement for the alternative. The public doesn’t want Labour, they just want things to work again. They want politicians to be able to take decisive action on the issues that matter. Most outside the bubble care surprisingly little about the colour of candidates’ rosettes – they just want their family’s lives to be better.
Fundamental reform is needed, not just of our Party, but of how our system of government works. We need to be able to make better decisions, hold people accountable, and deliver things. Conservative governments have done it before, and we can do it again.
Kate Fairhurst is a Conservative councillor and was the 2024 general election candidate in Smethwick
A fortnight ago, I stood on stage as a Conservative parliamentary candidate, watching one of Labour’s 411 MPs claim his victory in the Midlands constituency of Smethwick. I have been touched to receive messages from many friends since then to offer their condolences for what must have been a terrible and dreary time to be a Tory. There is no escaping one hard fact: the public is hugely disappointed in the Party and wants to see us punished. Yet I heard a wider and far more interesting story on the doorsteps.
As a local councillor, I am used to speaking to residents about their issues. Usually, it’s all about what I call ‘The Three Ps’ – Parking, Poo bins, and Potholes. When Rishi Sunak announced the General Election in May, I was intrigued to hear people’s views on more national issues. I guessed I would hear a mixture of anger at the Conservatives alongside a mix of worries about the NHS, schools, and the cost of living.
After six weeks and hundreds of doors across multiple constituencies, I can report that I heard surprisingly little of those things. It wasn’t that people weren’t worried about these important subjects, but rather that they had something far more fundamental in mind.
It simply came down to delivery: “Why does nothing work anymore?”, “Why do I pay more and more tax for worse and worse public services?”, “How can I be hopeful for my children’s future?”, and “Why is it so hard to get anything done?”.
As all good political canvassers do, I nevertheless pressed people for that all-important VI (or ‘voting intention’ for any normal people reading), usually to be met by an exasperated sigh. Many said they would not vote at all. Why should they believe that anyone can change their lives? I was later unsurprised to see the record-low turnout after so many of these conversations.
As Conservatives, we are about to embark on a much-needed rebuilding of our Party, and of our identity. It is imperative that as we do so, we begin with a return to our core principles. We have lost our way. We have forgotten why we are the natural party of government. It is because people used to trust us to get s*** done.
In large part, this is because the answer to ‘getting things done’ has too often become to throw money at a problem. More ‘funding’ for the police, more ‘funding’ for the civil service, more ‘funding’ for the NHS, more ‘funding’ for the railways. Of course, in the real world, people know that ‘funding’ means ‘other people’s money’. Taking ever more tax money without more careful thought is hugely short-sighted, and ultimately ineffective as a means to get things done.
To solve issues in our public services, we too often default to the status quo and look to find more cash. We don’t stop ourselves often enough to question whether the process is right, whether there are private sector solutions that could be helpful, whether there are obvious efficiencies that can be made, and whether an assessment of risk is far more cautionary than it needs to be. Or, indeed, whether the state should even be involved in that particular activity.
Conservatives should believe in a small state. We should believe in taking as little of taxpayers’ money from them as possible, and in working collaboratively with other parts of society to get things done most efficiently and effectively possible. In the coming years, we need a return to this. We need to focus on outcomes, not processes. We need to figure out how we will deliver for those we serve.
This election was a real kick for the Conservatives. Be in no doubt: we deserved it. But there is a thick silver lining – it was not a resounding endorsement for the alternative. The public doesn’t want Labour, they just want things to work again. They want politicians to be able to take decisive action on the issues that matter. Most outside the bubble care surprisingly little about the colour of candidates’ rosettes – they just want their family’s lives to be better.
Fundamental reform is needed, not just of our Party, but of how our system of government works. We need to be able to make better decisions, hold people accountable, and deliver things. Conservative governments have done it before, and we can do it again.