We once again have to think about defence requirements, national capabilities and strategic strengths. This is what Conservatives used to do. We are rediscovering that Conservative tradition.
The sheer boldness of his vision seems far removed from modern capitalism but the technologies he has created to deliver it are of enormous value. Space X is a valued at over half of the $3b value of the top 100 companies on the London Stock Exchange.
Conservatives have, in the past, been good at building up broad coalitions behind big all-embracing Conservative principles, interpretations of which may differ. If we won’t create our own coalitions then the electorate are going to force us into one on someone else’s terms.
For many people who are not working, especially if they are young, their benefits are very low indeed. The big trend of the past decade or more has been to shift benefit spend away from young people and families towards pensioners.
Space is exciting science. It is bold human exploration. But it is also a crucial environment for complex geo-political rivalries too. Artemis II was a model of international collaboration very different from the MAGA rhetoric. Even America now is not trying to do it all on its own.
It is great to see the Conservative Party launching its New Deal for Young People which is a bold attempt to plug the gap of not having any offer for younger people. Any evidence of the party thinking beyond its core vote of pensioners is to be welcomed.
Conservatives used to be more comfortable with going to university, seeing it as a route to a decent job. Young people can’t take that for granted now but if work is a route out of poverty then backing things that deliver that seems obvious
It would be absurd to attribute all the flaws and mistakes of our time in Government to bad people who somehow didn’t care about controlling public spending or immigration.
Jenrick thinks things are so bad that we need a “revolution” but Reform have given little indication of what an economic revolution might look like. Reform cannot be trusted with the public finances. The Conservatives should carry on with the hard work of showing they can be
There are always temptations for oppositions to back measures which make it harder for governments to do things. Yet such tactics must be treated with great care.
It makes sense to fund degree apprenticeships in the same way as the rest of higher education rather than as a charge on employers via the Apprenticeship Levy which should be focussed on much more deserving cases
Freezing working age benefits in cash terms whilst pensioners get a surge above prices or earnings cannot be defended, even by pensioners who care about future generations. The time has come to redress the balance and do a bit more for working age families.
Fiscal Conservatism means tough effective management of the public finances. That has historically meant some tax rises at the start, like in 1979 and 2010. Labour’s catastrophic mistake of ruling out increases in all three of the main taxes should not be repeated.