Jonathan R. Pritchard’s Homepage

I identify myself as a believer in capitalism, free-enterprise and free-market economics. I also have a strong affinity for the Conservative party. However, I don’t agree with a number of Conservative policies, be they ideological or just ill-thought out. Indeed I find that I want to nationalise the railways, increase funding of state schools and take away the tax breaks on independent ones; as well as reform and create a strong NHS.

Education is close to most people’s hearts, be it from our memories of our school days, or the wishes of parents for their children, the human resource of the future, to do well, get ahead and have a strong foundation for the future. It is in this background that David Cameron’s attacks on grammar schools were arguably his most misguided move, apart from WebCameron; it doesn’t look good when an Eton and Oxford-educated man denounces grammar schools which I see as a key proponent of social mobility. The defence of which was a key Conservative policy.

It is no wonder why school standards are falling under a Labour government that prefers comprehensive schools completely forgetting the point that education needs to be universally accessible: giving everyone the chance to make the most if their god given gifts and it needs to be uniform.

The creation and protection of selective schools is not a discriminatory policy for the privileged. It is not an example of ‘the tyranny of the majority’. Grammar schools are a key method for the bright, but deprived, to reach higher grounds. Education has always been a tool out of the vicious cycle of poverty, and frankly, now it is gone or in decline.

There has been so much panic in recent months - that is before Labour’s poor showing in the local elections and the Crewe and Nantwich byelection - the fact that our future economy is going to have a shortfall of well-educated graduates in the labour market. This of course is a direct consequence of poor educational standards in schools.

It is not a huge jump, therefore, to look at the school rankings and notice that the independent schools and the grammar schools dominate the top of these charts. It is not the fault of independent schools who have always been well privately-funded and have maintained standards. It is a loss of our valuable assets in state schools of grammar schools across the country, bar the home counties and a various spattering around the country.

Just like the NHS, education in our schools is mortally important for the country. Just as every NHS Trust needs to be up to standard across the country so does every school. Those that oppose grammar schools speak of the unfair, undue pressure put upon the shoulders of 11-year olds and talk of it’s crippling psychological damage of being labelled a ‘loser’ by themselves or others. They fail to realise in this analysis that there is the 12 and 13-plus exams if they don’t get in the first time round. there is also the case of appeal, which a significant minority win. Finally there is also the choice of school for sixth form.

Why cripple social mobility? Why ruin our children’s chances? This is the state of our politically correct, but ignorant government. In my eyes, David Cameron not only joined the government on this failure of policy but has forsaken the likes of Margraret Thatcher and Edward Heath who are grammar-school educated. It is he, who is clearly discriminatory in his command as Leader of the Opposition; having 13 out of ~20 shadow cabinet ministers from Eton is akin to the problem that the Labour party has with Scots in the cabinet. I’d say Cameron’s cabinet problem is the greater.

How do we pay for all of this? Well the Conservative party say they believe there is at least £7 Billion of waste in the government’s various departments, how about you look at the waste that’s been going on in the NHS computer system which adds up to Billions alone. £50 Million to fix a computer program that was speaking in German. We’ve got to make people accountable again.

David Cameron’s speech was delivered very well. A great fuss is being made by his delivery without auto-cue. It’s certainly turning into something of a race of personalities in this election that is not yet to be. Whether Gordon Brown will call one or not, is anyone’s guess.

However, a complaint often levelled at David Cameron is “What does he stand for?!”. I think this finally answers it. He brought forward his policies on emigration, his thoughts on the NHS, the Army and foreign policy focus on Afghanisatan. Already the Shadow Chancellor’s promised reforms on stamp duty and inheritance tax are near election winners in my vote. And they’re justified, the finance is backed up.

There were some big corner stone pieces of policy unveiled in this speech, completing an otherwise empty dossier. He downplayed his family values points. However with stamp duty and a clear push towards national citizenship service as well as discpline in schools and over-arching power to headmasters shows the kind of things he will be doing in a push towards greater family values and therefore logically, one would think, a stronger community.

I applaud the idea to strengthen border controls and control emigration instead of introducing ID cards. But the recognition that it is something has made this country great.

What I am scared of is his talks of keeping jury trials, something that is taken as a given in my mind but apparently something Labour are trying to scrap. Repealling the Human Rights Act is a bit suspect, I’d have to look further into the issues at hand to say whether that’s an informed move or not, but I agree that sometimes the Human Rights Act is stupid - protecting terrorists. There must be checks and balances however. You can scrap police paper work etc. and push for more local control by schools and zero tolerance policing and what not, but what happens in the case of the guy who’s innocent or needs help?

I strongly applaud the move to let the NHS decide it’s own future more, to not hinder public sector with targets, something that has even impacted myself. We need a strong NHS.

I disagree with getting rid of the ’state monopoly’ on schools. Education isn’t a business, it should be nationalised and standardised.

Although I support many of the Conservatives and in particular David Cameron’s newly revealed policies one must be slightly cynical. It is easy to question and jeer at this government’s achievements and failures but it’s obviously a hard task running a country. With a more neutral view a journalist made a good point - how is Cameron going to achieve some of these things whilst remaining in the EU, which is largely a good thing and I think definitely a beneficial thing for us here in the UK. It does however dictate much of our legislative power.

I fear there’s too much emphasis on the person and not the policies, what’s all this “authentic Cameron” and “He didn’t use an auto-cue unlike Brown, yesterday”. Simply bollocks. If the Conservatives gain power, which I hope they will as a progenator to change they must be kept true to mission, with checks and balances I fear some draconian and anti-civil liberty type legislation coming in further down the line. All under the banner of family values. As always in politics, it’s a mixed bag.

Is it so hard? I don’t know yet, having not studied economics or politics in depth but is it so hard to give not big business a break, not marginal concessions on stuff that doesn’t really matter, to actually not waste money to the best of the government’s ability, to be a bit more even handed? Obviously not.

The UK Conservative Party’s announcement of giving tax cuts to big business appal me, that is not what we need. Big business can certainly fend for itself or are the Tory’s so bereft of support and votes these days? No, they’re not, they’re perhaps very well placed against Brown’s new government but squandering opportunity with these silly non-clear cut policies is simply idiocy. The green band wagon, keeping the status quo, tax cuts to big business, increase of censorship of the arts (see Cameron’s speech at the British Phonographic Industry). I used to call my political views conservative, but I don’t believe in any of this, how could anyone? The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Thank god we’re in a relatively liberal democracy. Again, how do you Americans live without a welfare state? If your taxes are lower, how are you paying for all that military expenditure?

Ok, I’m not saying I’m labour either, I don’t agree with plans for identity cards certainly so pushed through by Tony Blair, but things might change under Brown. Besides this is something that looks to be coming in from the EU and general world pressure, but it’s like searching my bag when I go into a pub, or a theatre… why? I know why, but why?! There’s got to be some other way than this blanket policy of “Everyone’s guilty until proven not so.” I thought it used to be “Innocent until proven guilty”.

Maybe when I’m older.