Common Sense Conservatism: The Path Back to Trust

This is not about chasing voters from the left or the right. It is about standing firm in Conservative values, proving them through action, and showing strength in conviction. Common Sense Conservatism is the path back to trust and the way to make our party the natural choice of the British people once again.

The Conservative Party can only win back the trust of the people by standing firm in its values and speaking with conviction. Anything less will fail.

For my sins I have always been a strong Big C Conservative. Since 2015 I have campaigned for the party. Even as a child I was drawn to the intrigue of politics, the drama of election night, the arguments between senior politicians. Back then politicians seemed like the elite, the grown-ups who knew it all. I was in awe of them.

And then I grew up.

Today politics is a very different beast. Gone are the innocent years of believing these people were the superheroes of the country who knew how to overcome even the worst challenges. In their place we see scandals, the revolving doors of ministers and the loss of values and principle.

Too many politicians change position more than the wind. The public has lost trust in those who were meant to be the guiding hand of our country. What we see instead is sleaze, influence bought and favours traded in the shadows.

The reason Reform support is growing is not because they are offering something radically new. It is because the public are fed up. Labour, now in government, are reinforcing the same message, that politicians cannot be trusted and are in it for themselves.

Reform are not a sickness to be cured but a movement to be understood.

Conservatives must listen to why people are leaving and joining Reform. It is not because they reject Conservative values. It is because they feel the party has rejected the values it once stood for. We pandered to the left. David Cameron promised a new start but was saddled with a Lib Dem coalition. With Nick Clegg as number two the Conservatives drifted into a more liberal lean. One Nation Conservatism took over. The grand promise of a bonfire of quangos was replaced with yet more quangos. The ability to set budgets was hampered by the OBR, George Osborne’s attempt to make economic forecasts more credible, but which has often blocked good economic ideas with flawed projections.

Instead of reversing Blair’s long march through the institutions, supercharged by legislation and quangos, Osborne and Cameron left in place the mechanisms that continue to hamper government today. The Human Rights Act of 1998 embedded the ECHR into British law, tying our hands on deportations, immigration, policing powers and prisoners’ rights. The Equality Act of 2010 cemented equity and diversity structures inside every public body. Blairite reforms emphasised managerialism, consultants and sofa government. This weakened direct ministerial accountability but left machinery in place that frustrates real reformers.

But I digress. I could go on all day about how Blair and Labour destroyed traditional government.

What matters is how Conservatives fight back, the values we must show and how we will win back the electorate from populist politics.

Firstly we must be Conservative

Conservatism means many things to many people, but at its heart the principles are clear. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for life.

We believe in self-governance and freedom of choice. We believe in personal responsibility, where people are trusted to make the right decisions for themselves and their families. We believe in strong families and communities, knowing that they provide the bedrock of a stable and thriving society. We believe in law and order, because liberty cannot exist without security.

Conservatism is about limited government that does only what it must and does it well, leaving space for free enterprise, hard work and innovation to create prosperity. It is about learning from our traditions and heritage, passing on what works to future generations while safeguarding our nation’s resources with prudence. It is about equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome, where every person has the chance to succeed. And it is about sovereignty and security, ensuring Britain governs itself and puts its people first.

How do we get back there

We must show, not tell. We must listen and we must act. It does not matter where on the Conservative spectrum you sit. The public want to see delivery, not division. We must go back to the basic Conservative principles of responsibility, family, community, freedom, security and pride in our country.

We do not need to be Reform lite, chasing anger without answers. We do not need to be a pale imitation of the Liberal Democrats, trading principle for popularity. The Conservative Party succeeds when it is itself. Confident, grounded in values and focused on the people we serve.

This is Common Sense Conservatism. It is not about chasing voters from the left or the right. It is about speaking to the common sense of the British people. Most people want the same things. The security of a safe community. The chance to provide for their family. The ability to own a home. Pride in their country. A government that spends their money wisely. These are not fringe positions. They are the mainstream, and they are ours if we have the courage to stand by them.

What this means in practice

We must take a strong stance on illegal immigration. It puts strain on our services, threatens our security and too often those who arrive do not share the values of the British people. We will be compassionate to those who travel the correct routes and follow the process. We are a nation with deep roots across the globe and we welcome those who share our values and contribute to society. But we will not be a hostel for those who abuse our systems, reject our way of life and cause harm.

We must show we are the party of strong economics. We back those who contribute and we encourage those who do not to see that they are always better off if they do. We will protect the vulnerable but we will root out those who game the system. Welfare is one of our biggest expenses. We must restructure it and make work pay.

We must back business, encourage innovation and foster a new age of entrepreneurs. We must move away from high taxes and return to the days when hard work meant you could take your family on holiday, buy a car or build that longed-for extension.

We must give the younger generation a way onto the housing ladder and the same opportunities enjoyed by their parents and grandparents.

We must dismantle quangos and cut the bloated civil service. Decision making must be in the hands of those the public elect. Ministers must not just be spokespeople but people with the power to enact real policy change.

And we must speak plainly. Not in political jargon or pompous vocabulary, but in words that people understand and trust.

The choice before us

This is how we rebuild. By being true to Conservative values. By proving through actions not words that we are on the side of the people. By speaking honestly about the challenges we face. These values are not about chasing voters from the left or the right. They are the roots of what most people want. Security for their families. The chance to get on in life. Pride in their country. A government that spends their money wisely.

This is Common Sense Conservatism. It is not One Nation and it is not Thatcherite. It is practical, principled and rooted in the everyday lives of ordinary people. It is not theory, it is not compromise, it is the future.

If we have the courage to stand firm in these principles, we will restore trust and show once again why the Conservative Party is the natural party of government. If we fail, we leave the field open for others who offer anger without solutions. The choice is ours, and it is time to be bold.