Centre Write Autumn 2017 Conservatism refresh The Rt Hon Justine Greening MP | Jacob Rees-Mogg MP | The Rt Hon Ken Clarke MP | Sir Craig Oliver SAVE THE CHILDREN Hyams the Children/Jonathan Save Photo: ANNUAL RECEPTION Speakers include: Co-hosted by The Rt Hon Priti Patel MP Secretary of State for International Development ConservativeHome The Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP Tuesday 3 October Paul Goodman 9.30pm – 11pm Editor, ConservativeHome Charter 4 Kevin Watkins Chief Executive, Save the Children Manchester Central Refreshments will be provided, wheelchair accessible RSVP to: [email protected] Registered charity England and Wales (213890) Scotland (SC039570) Party Conference Flyer 148x210_v4.indd 2 18/09/2017 12:27 CONTENS 3 Contents EDITORIAL Brexit together Editor’s letter Syed Kamall MEP 12 Laura Round 5 Director’s note SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATISM Ryan Shorthouse 6 Her secret... Letters to the editor 7 Lord Willetts 16 Beware Corbyn CONSERVATISM AT A CROSSROADS Kate Maltby 18 Contents for conservatism End of the insurgency? Julian Glover 8 Douglas Carswell 19 Time for more state? Dialogue with Lord Finkelstein, Nicky Sam Bowman and David Skelton 10 Morgan, Jacob Rees-Mogg & Craig Oliver 20 Page 8 Julian Glover Page 34 The Rt explores what’s next Hon Ken Clarke Bright Blue is an independent for conservatism MP reflects on his think tank and pressure group time in parliament for liberal conservatism. Director: Ryan Shorthouse Page 28 The Centre Write Chair: Matthew d’Ancona interview: The Rt Hon Board of Directors: Rachel Johnson, Justine Greening MP Alexandra Jezeph, Diane Banks, Phil Clarke & Richard Mabey Editor: Laura Round brightblue.org.uk Print: Aquatint | aquatint.co.uk Design: Eleanor Hyland-Stanbrook CONTENTS 4 CONSERVATISM ABROAD The Centre Write interview: BOOKS & ARTS Magician Macron? The Rt Hon Justine Greening MP 28 Exhibiton: Rachel Whiteread Rupert Myers 24 A big splash of green Laura Round with the Rt Hon Matt Conservatism across the Atlantic Sam Hall 30 Hancock MP 36 Ted Bromund 25 Attracting BME voters 2017: The year in political books James Dobson 32 Diane Banks 38 BRIGHT BLUE POLITICS Profile: The Rt Hon Ken Winning hearts and minds An update from our Chair Clarke MP (Sir Oliver Letwin MP) Matthew d’Ancona 27 Laura Round 34 Ryan Shorthouse 39 Page 24 Rupert Myers on lessons we can learn from Macron Page 36 Laura Round visits the new Tate Britain exhibition with the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP Page 16 Lord Willetts on the secrets to Thatcher’s success EDITORIAL 5 Laura Round is the Editor’s letter Editor of Centre Write and Communications Manager at Bright Blue he centre-right is in trouble: capitalism is under attack Former MP Douglas Carswell (p.19) explores whether there from the socialist left, young voters have deserted the is still an electoral threat for the Conservative Party from the T Conservative Party and many liberal conservatives are populist right after the EU Referendum. And, just in case you’ve feeling politically neglected. forgotten, negotiating Brexit is the biggest challenge facing First Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Damian Green MP, the Government today: London’s MEP Syed Kamall (p.12) recently echoed these concerns at Bright Blue’s annual recognises that wounds from the Referendum are still healing but conference, saying the Conservative Party is going to have to urges ’Leave’ and ‘Remain’ conservatives to unite. “change hard” if it wants to win a majority at the next general election. “It’s time for the centre-right to come Targeting working-class Labour and UKIP voters by trading together to fight the real threat of off socially liberal voters was a gamble that lost the Conservative socialism in modern Britain.” Party its majority. Economic and social liberalism appeals to the younger generations, yet this liberal conservatism has been There is no inherent reason young people should be more rejected by the Prime Minister over the past year. These are attracted to left-wing thinking, let alone a hard-left, socialist points reiterated by our Chair, Matthew d’Ancona (p.27), who candidate. Yet, worryingly, the under 45s overwhelmingly argues liberal conservatism is needed now, more than ever. believe the Labour Party have the answers when it comes This edition of Centre Write explores the challenges facing to issues such as housing, tax, unemployment and the conservatism today, drawing from many different voices on the economy. I asked a number of conservative politicians and right. thinkers, including the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP and Lord Heseltine, what they believe are the biggest challenges facing “The Conservative Party is going to have to conservatism (p.14). ‘change hard’ if it wants to win a majority These debates aren’t taking place in Britain alone. at the next general election.” Ted Bromund (p.25) from the US think tank the Heritage Foundation explains that the challenges facing conservatism in Julian Glover (p.8) hopes that the conservatism which the US are structural and that a winner-takes-all style politics encompasses a generous, liberal worldview will resurface at this is on the ascendency. Our Associate Fellow, Rupert Myers year’s Conservative Party conference, arguing the Conservative (p.24), takes a look at France and explores what conservatives Party needs a basic explanation of motives and ideas. In our letter can learn from President Macron’s success. exchange (p.10), Sam Bowman from the Adam Smith Institute and In the Centre Write interview, Education Secretary the Rt Hon David Skelton from Renewal go head to head to debate what the Justine Greening MP argues that the Conservative Party needs role of the state should be in conservative thinking. to adapt to keep up with social change in Britain. She believes In our new dialogue (p.20), Lord Finkelstein, the Rt Hon Nicky “the younger generations want to hear from us, and they deserve Morgan MP, Sir Craig Oliver and Jacob Rees-Mogg MP discuss a better choice” than a socialist Labour party. Finally, I profile the what went wrong in the last election and how to sell capitalism. With father of the House, the Rt Hon Ken Clarke MP (p.34), exploring Jeremy Corbyn’s popularity increasing in the polls, our Associate his views on leadership, conservatism and, of course, Brexit. Fellow Kate Maltby (p.18) urges conservatives to do a better job of It’s time for the centre-right to come together to fight the real explaining to millennials why socialism isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. threat of socialism in modern Britain. EDITORIAL 6 considerable influence on how prominent trends: a generation that is more likely Director’s note people describe how society works. to believe in the importance of personal Specifically, the propagation of identity freedom and responsibility, with support politics, where society is perceived not for gay rights and and scepticism with to be a collection of individuals with state welfare standing out. In other words, Ryan Shorthouse is the differing agency, morals, experiences and most young people would probably be Director of Bright Blue relationships, but simply of conflicting comfortable describing themselves as social groups wrestling for power. economically and socially liberal. Marxists started this, of course, with So, to win over the hearts and minds the idea that the bourgeoisie had the of young people, conservatism need not t wasn’t just students who voted, in proletariat in chains. But the list of victims abandon fiscal discipline or responsible growing numbers, for a radical left- has expanded enormously over time. Blind capitalism. Rather, conservatism needs I wing alternative in this year’s general to their adoption of leftist thinking, even to embrace and champion both social election. For everyone under the age many on the right now believe Britain liberalism and social justice. The Prime of 47, more people voted Labour than is like The Hunger Games, with only a Minister, therefore, should do two things. Conservative. Age rather than social class ‘liberal metropolitan elite’ benefitting and First, prioritise the development of is now a stronger predictor for the way everyone else suffering. In vogue now, meaningful policies to tackle the ‘burning people vote. especially among left-wing politicians injustices’ she cares deeply about. Are younger people struggling so and organisations, is the absurd notion Second, abandon the closed — rather than much — so poor and powerless in modern that all young people are sufferers. It is open — communitarianism she has been Britain — that they are suddenly convinced the persistently poor, not the persistently articulating in recent years, which wrongly socialism is the solution? Young people impatient, who we should focus our blames immigration and human rights today do face unique challenges: sympathy and resources on. for undermining the security of ordinary compared to their parents, it takes them Britons. longer to buy a house and to pay for their “Conservatism needs to Conservatives should not just offer higher education. A small and unfortunate embrace and champion young people this new vision, but practical minority are afflicted by evils such as both social liberalism and policies too. It is no good believing, as the mental health problems, permanent social justice.” authors of the last Tory election manifesto poverty and homelessness. Conservatives did, that policies that take away from older have been warned: no wonder young Even if the world is not a disaster people — for example, abandoning the people don’t like the capitalism you for most young people, the case for Triple Lock on state pensions — will appeal defend and represent, if they haven’t got capitalism not crumbling in front of their to younger folk. They need a positive offer. any chance of owning capital.