Conservative Essays on the Role of Civil Society, Markets and the State
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What’s Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society, markets and the state Edited by John Tate October 2005 What’s Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society, markets and the state 1 The Social Market Foundation The Foundation’s main activity is to commission and publish original papers by independent academic and other experts on key topics in the economic and social fields, with a view to stimulating public discussion on the performance of markets and the social framework within which they operate. The Foundation is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. It is independent of any political party or group and is financed by the sale of publications and by voluntary donations from individuals, organisations and companies. The views expressed in publications are those of the authors and do not represent a corporate opinion of the Foundation. Chairman David Lipsey (Lord Lipsey of Tooting Bec) Members of the Board Viscount Chandos Gavyn Davies David Edmonds John McFadden Brian Pomeroy Director Ann Rossiter 2 What’s Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society, markets and the state What’s Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society, markets and the state 3 First published by The Social Market Foundation, October 2005 The Social Market Foundation 11 Tufton Street London SW1P 3QB Contents Copyright © The Social Market Foundation, 2005 Contributors’ biographies 4 The moral right of the authors has been Preface 9 asserted. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved Introduction 12 above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced Putting the ‘social’ back into markets Michael Gove MP 21 into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, Civic conservativism revisited Rt Hon. David Willetts MP 27 mechanical, photocopying, recording, Healthy cities, healthy countryside Rt Hon. Oliver Letwin MP 35 or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner Enterprise with a social purpose: the future of One and the publisher of this book. Nation welfare reform Rt Hon. Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC MP 43 The consequences of state failure and the modern Conservative response Rt Hon. David Davis MP 52 Democratic renewal, national identity and social justice: a modern agenda for government John Tate 59 Conservative visions Rt Hon. John Redwood MP 71 Europe beyond Lisbon Dr Liam Fox MP 85 A new theory of the state and a new agenda for public services Nick Gibb MP 93 Better public services the modern Conservative way Damian Green MP 101 Direct democracy: a radical agenda for change Douglas Carswell MP 109 Raising standards: getting the basics right David Cameron MP 115 The failure of state centralism Greg Clark MP 127 Women, families and politics: the role of the state Andrew Lansley CBE MP 136 Principles of a Conservative economic policy George Osborne MP 141 Love, money and time: how to grow civil society Danny Kruger 150 Designed by Paula Snell Design Renewing the conversation Jesse Norman 166 4 What’s Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society, markets and the state What’s Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society, markets and the state 5 Rt Hon. Oliver Letwin MP Oliver Letwin has been a Research Fellow at both Cambridge and Princeton universities. After working in a number of political positions in the 1980s, he went on to be Managing Director of N.M. Rothschild & Sons Ltd. from 1991 to 2003. Since 1997, he has been the MP for Dorset West. He has held numerous front bench positions and is currently Shadow Contributors’ biographies Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Oliver Letwin is the author of a number of pamphlets, including The Purpose of Politics (1999). The Editor John Tate read politics at Essex and Oxford universities Rt Hon. Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC MP before becoming Head of Research at the European Sir Malcolm held continuous ministerial office for eighteen Foundation, of which he is now a board member. As a years, including as Foreign Secretary, Secretary of State for senior consultant with McKinsey & Co. he worked in private Defence, Minister of Transport, and Secretary of State for equity and healthcare, co-authoring a landmark report on Scotland. He was the Member for Edinburgh Pentlands until NHS reform commissioned by the Government. His policy 1997, serving on the boards of several major companies publications include The Children Left Behind, No Child Left before returning to Parliament in 2005 as the Member for Behind, Unskilled Labour, and the Drivers of Regulation series. Kensington & Chelsea. He is presently Shadow Secretary of He is Chairman of a charity for the deaf, Chairman of the State for Work and Pensions. Associates’ Club, and a school governor. Rt Hon. David Davis MP Michael Gove MP A former Director of Tate & Lyle Plc., David Davis has been Michael Gove has been a journalist since he left university, an MP since 1987 and since 1997 he has served as MP for working for local and national newspapers, radio and televi- Haltemprice & Howden. From 1994 to 1997, he was sion. A columnist for The Times, he has also appeared regular- Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. ly on radio and television, including as a panellist on The In 2001, he was appointed Chairman of the Conservative Moral Maze, Any Questions, and Question Time. He is also Party, and in 2002 he was appointed Shadow Secretary of Chairman of Policy Exchange, a centre-right think-tank. State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Since He was elected as Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath November 2003, he has been the Shadow Home Secretary. in May 2005. Rt Hon. John Redwood MP Rt Hon. David Willetts MP John Redwood was a company Chairman and an Executive David Willetts is Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Director of a merchant bank before entering Parliament for Industry and has been the Member of Parliament for Havant Wokingham in 1987. In the mid-1980s, as Margaret since 1992. He was Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Thatcher’s chief policy adviser, he helped her set up the then Pensions from 2001 to 2005, and has worked at HM Treasury Government’s privatisation programme. He later resigned and the Number 10 Policy Unit. He served as Paymaster from the Cabinet to make the case for rejecting the European General in the last Conservative Government. He is also a Single Currency. He is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford Visiting Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford and a Governor and the author of several books. of the Ditchley Foundation. 6 What’s Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society, markets and the state What’s Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society, markets and the state 7 Dr Liam Fox MP in 2001 and is currently Shadow Secretary of State for Liam Fox is a General Practitioner and a former Divisional Education. He previously held posts including Shadow Surgeon with St. John Ambulance. He has been the Member Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, Deputy Chairman of Parliament for Woodspring since April 1992. He was of the Conservative Party, front bench spokesman on Local Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Government Finance and Head of Conservative Policy Co- Commonwealth Office from 1996 to 1997, was appointed to ordination. He has also spent almost seven years at Carlton the Shadow Cabinet in June 1998 and promoted to Shadow Communication Plc. where he was Director of Corporate Health Secretary in June 1999. He has been Co-Chairman of Affairs and served on the Executive Board. the Conservative Party since 2003. Dr Greg Clark MP Nick Gibb MP Greg was elected the member of Parliament for Tunbridge After a career as a chartered accountant at KPMG, Nick Gibb Wells in May 2005. He served previously as the Conservative was elected as Member of Parliament for Bognor Regis and Party's Director of Policy, responsible to the Leader for help- Littlehampton in May 1997. He was made Shadow Treasury ing develop the Party's new policies. He also worked for the Minister in October 1998 and Shadow Trade and Industry Boston Consulting Group and as the BBC's Chief Adviser on Minister in June 1999. He was on the Public Accounts Commercial Policy. Between 1996 and 1997 he served as the Committee from 2001 to 2003 and on the Education and Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Trade and Skills Select Committee from 2003 to 2005. He was appoint- Industry, Rt Hon. Ian Lang MP. ed as Shadow Education Minister in May 2005. Andrew Lansley CBE MP Damian Green MP Andrew Lansley has been MP for South Cambridgeshire since Damian Green is a former financial journalist and worked in 1997 and since 2003 has been the Shadow Secretary of State the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit from 1992 to 1994. Since for Health. From 1999 to 2001 he was Shadow Minister for 1997, he has been Member of Parliament for Ashford. He was the Cabinet Office and was responsible for policy co-ordina- a Conservative Front Bench Spokesman from 1998 to 2001, tion in the Conservative Party. Andrew Lansley was Director Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2001 of the Conservative Research Department from 1990 to 1995. to 2003, and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport from He has also been Deputy Director-General of the British 2003 to 2004.