Political positions of David Cameron

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Main article: David Cameron

This article concerns the policies, views and voting record of David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Cameron describes himself as a "modern compassionate conservative" and has said that he is "fed up with the Punch and Judy politics of Westminster".[1] He has stated that he is "certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite."[2] He has also claimed to be a "liberal Conservative", and "not a deeply ideological person."[3] Cameron has stated that he does not intend to oppose the government as a matter of course, and will offer his support in areas of agreement. He also wants to move the Conservatives' focus away from purely fiscal matters, saying "It's time we admitted that there's more to life than money, and it's time we focused not just on GDP, but on GWB - general well-being". [4] There have been claims that he described himself to journalists at a dinner during the leadership contest as the "heir to Blair".[5]

He and others in the "Notting Hill set" have sought to focus on issues such as the environment, work-life balance and international development -- issues not seen as priorities for the post-Thatcher Conservative party.[6] In a speech to the Conservative annual conference in October 2006, he identified the concept of "social responsibility" as the essence of his political philosophy.[7]

Some political commentators have suggested that his style is influenced by the Swedish Moderate Party leader and current Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, who advocates moving to the centre and supporting traditionally centre-left issues[8] and in fact, Reinfeldt himself has been called the "Swedish David Cameron".[9]

[edit] Economic policy

Cameron has said that it is "essential to reduce taxes on employment and wealth creation in order to enhance our economy's competitiveness. But I don't think it's sensible today to write a Conservative budget for 2009 or 2010, with specific pledges on tax reduction."[10] He has stated that he hoped to cut taxes and raise public spending, "as the economy grows". [2] He has referred to this approach as "sharing the proceeds of growth".

[edit] Air travel

Cameron has expressed interest in introducing "frequent flyer" taxes on those who frequently fly around the globe.[11]

[edit] Copyright

Cameron intends to increase the period of copyright from 50 to 70 years, bring copyright infringing downloads under stronger legal control and require ISPs to "block access and indeed close down offending file-sharing sites" [12]. He supports music industry representatives going into schools to teach children about copyright, technology hindering copyright infringement (DRM), and encourages the music industry to exercise self-censorship on its material in return for the above music industry friendly measures [13].

[edit] Environment

Cameron has regularly stressed his green credentials since becoming leader, describing himself as "passionate about our environment." He has argued that "there is a price... for tackling climate change" but it is a "social responsibility to the next generation".[14] He has stated he is committed to achieving the 2010 emissions limit and has announced he would change the current Climate Change Levy to a carbon tax in order to counter global warming.[15] [16] Cameron proposed a Climate Change Bill which would include committing to binding annual carbon reduction targets.[17] However, a memo that was leaked to the Labour Party suggested the binding targets proposal may be dropped,[18] and these do not form part of the proposed Bill as of November 2006.[19]

It has been widely publicised that Cameron on occasion cycles to work. However, an official car that followed him carrying his clothes and official documents was photographed by the media, leading to accusations that his bicycling image was "spin".[20][21] Cameron has since stated that this happened only "once or twice" and has vowed that it will not happen again, now that he has a pannier to carry documents. In the same interview he admitted that since becoming leader of the Conservative Party he is now only able to cycle to work once a week.[22]

[edit] Globalisation

He has appointed Bob Geldof as advisor for a policy group on globalisation[23]. Cameron is staunchly in favour of free trade and and an open economy[24]

[edit] Social policy

In a July 2005 speech to the Centre for Social Justice (before becoming party leader) he stated, "the biggest challenge our country faces today is not economic decline, but social decline", stating that in life in Britain "there is a complex web of interconnected problem... Family breakdown. Persistent unemployment among some groups. Low expectations. Chaotic home environments. Drugs. Crime. Poor quality public space." [25] Upon becoming leader Cameron set up a number of committees, such as the Social Justice Policy Group chaired by Iain Duncan Smith, to generate policy ideas on these issues.

[edit] Crime

In July 2006 Cameron made a second speech to the Centre for Social Justice in which he highlighted the problem of young offenders and called for more understanding. At the time, the News of the World headlined its report of the speech "Hug a hoodie, says Cameron",[26] coining a phrase which came into popular use, although Cameron never actually used the phrase. Cameron afterwards stated that he never advocated hugging 'hoodies'.[27] On 17 May 2007, Cameron labelled the speech as the "most misrepresented thing he had ever said" and reiterated that he didn't ask anyone to hug hoodies.[28]

Cameron has criticised ASBOs as "reacting" to crime, rather than reducing it, and argued that they should be replaced with "challenging community punishments." In the same speech he also argued that young offenders should be shown "a lot more love" and more understanding into why youths commit crime, specifically calling for more youth counselling, education and training.[29] Cameron was mocked by many Labour MPs for the speech, but he received unexpected backing from right-wing peer Norman Tebbit.[30] Cameron has repeatedly defended his argument, saying that although "I understand, you break the law, you get punished" it was important "to understand what's gone wrong in these children's lives."[31][32]

[edit] Health

Cameron has commended the National Health Service, saying it is "vitally important to every family in this country" and "one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century." He has stated his political priorities can be explained in three letters: "NHS"[14] Upon becoming party leader, he confirmed that the "patient's passport" policy from the 2005 manifesto (a subsidy for private treatment at 50% of the equivalent NHS cost) had been dropped and specifically ruled out converting the NHS to an insurance-based system.[33]

Cameron has pledged to develop policies to make the NHS a "more efficient, more effective and more patient-centred service." He wishes to grant the NHS much greater independence from the Department of Health in order to prevent it being used as a "political football" and to create "greater professional responsibility".[34] He has stated the Conservative party will propose an NHS Independence Bill to this effect in January 2007, and has publicly asked the Labour leadership to support the bill, after he supported Blair's education reforms.[34] [35]

[edit] Education

David Cameron has endorsed the government's creation of city academies, unpopular with many Labour backbenchers, as a way of improving standards in deprived areas. He has called on the government to go "further and faster" with the policy, and says that academies should be given even more freedom from central control.[36]

Regarding higher education, Cameron has reversed the Conservatives' 2005 election manifesto policy on tuition fees; a future Conservative government under Cameron would not remove the fees currently in place.[37] [38]

Lately, Cameron has also spoken of busting the public monopoly on education to let new schools be set up, although has not specified what exactly that means.[39]

[edit] Gay rights

During Labour's repeal of the Section 28 legislation in 2000, Cameron accused Labour PM Tony Blair of being "anti-family" and of pursuing the "promotion of homosexuality in schools"[40], accusations associated with the Conservative right.

At some point over the following four years, Cameron changed his mind about gay rights and later stated that marriage can be irrespective of "whether you're a man and a woman, a woman and a woman or a man and another man."[14] In a free vote in 2004 he supported the Civil Partnership Act 2004, which gave legal recognition to same-sex couples.[41]

[edit] Disability

Cameron has stated that the government needs to change social attitudes towards disability by setting an example for the private sector.[42] Under a Conservative government the state would prioritise increasing the number of disabled people employed at Whitehall. Cameron has asked the disability charity Scope to advise on employment policy, claiming it is "morally wrong and economically stupid for five million on incapacity benefit who could work to be left on the scrap-heap." The government has disputed the figures.[42]

[edit] Drugs, alcohol and tobacco

Cameron is in favour of drug law review and reform.[43] Cameron voted for recommendation 24 of the Home Affairs Select Committee report: 'The Government's Drugs Policy: Is It Working?', (published on 9 May 2002), which recommended that "the Government initiates a discussion within the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of alternative ways — including the possibility of legalisation and regulation — to tackle the global drugs dilemma".[44] He has said that drugs policy must be based on evidence and acknowledges that the evidence concerning cannabis has shifted since 2002.[citation needed]

In 2005 Cameron appeared as a guest on BBC 1's Friday Night With Jonathan Ross in which he and presenter Jonathan Ross debated their views on class-A drugs. Ross raised issues about the legalisation of class-A drugs, which Cameron dismissed, saying, "I don't think we should legalise drugs. Much more emphasis on treatment is the key. If you get addicts off the street it helps to collapse the market. The other key is education."[45][46]

In the past Cameron has smoked cigarettes,[3] though he is now reported to have quit after six attempts.[47] Cameron did not vote in Parliament on the bill that created the Health Act 2006, which introduced a complete smoking ban in enclosed public places in the UK.[48]

[edit] ID cards

Cameron has spoken out against identity cards on a number of occasions. He has also confirmed that under a future Conservative government the present plans for ID cards would be scrapped.[7]

[edit] British Hindus

David Cameron supports referring to British Hindus as a separate ethnic group, refining definition of "Asian" to separate ethnic groups, saying "And if you prefer to be referred to as British Hindus or British Indians rather than as simply Asians, we should welcome that as a positive thing." [49] Cameron's comments are significant because the British Hindu community has often resented the ethnic grouping Asian; while relations between Hindus and Muslims in Britain have often been strained, the current description does not recognise any distinction between these groups.

[edit] Fox hunting

Cameron is in favour of overturning the ban on fox-hunting and has stated that a Conservative government under his leadership would give Parliament time for a free vote on the issue.[50] He himself has been fox-hunting on several occasions.[51] [3]. There is a history of hunting in his mother's family- her grandfather Sir William Mount, 1st Baronet fell off his horse after having a heart attack and was pronounced dead whilst out hunting with the South Berks hunt in 1930.

[edit] Immigration, asylum and integration

On economic immigration, Cameron has said "we think immigration is very good for Britain; we think that there are clear benefits in a modern economy from having both emigration and immigration, but that net immigration has to have a very careful regard to good community relations and the fair provision of public services."[3]

His stated views on asylum have contrasted with his predecessors, particularly Michael Howard, who proposed an annual quota on the total number of asylum seekers entering Britain. Cameron has claimed "I'm passionately committed to giving people who are being tortured and persecuted asylum, and that means not just letting them in, but taking them to our hearts, and feeding and clothing and schooling them".[3]

Cameron has stated that contact between different communities is essential for social integration and as such, the government should ensure that new immigrants learn to speak English.[52][53]

[edit] Foreign policy

Cameron has stated that he believes in "spreading freedom and democracy, and supporting humanitarian intervention" in cases such as the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. However, he claims to not be a neo-conservative because, as a conservative, he recognises "the complexities of human nature, and will always be sceptical of grand schemes to remake the world."[14] He supports multilateralism stating "a country may act alone - but it cannot always succeed alone." He believes multilateralism can take the form of acting through "NATO, the UN, the G8, the EU and other institutions", or through international alliances.[54] Cameron has also argued that "If the West is to help other countries, we must do so from a position of genuine moral authority" and "we must strive above all for legitimacy in what we do."[54]

Cameron has supported the alliance with the United States, viewing it as highly important. He has praised its role in the Second World War and the Cold War, about which he has said "Unlike some, I never had any doubts about whose side I was on". This was interpreted as a knock at sections of the Labour Party, some members of which had expressed support for the former Soviet Union. He has also claimed "we must be steadfast not slavish in how we approach the special relationship", arguing that "questioning the approach of the U.S. administration, trying to learn the lessons of the past five years, does not make you anti-American."[14] Cameron also supports Israel and has described the state as being "a lone democracy in a region that currently boasts no others." He is a member of and has spoken for the Conservative Friends of Israel group.[55] However he criticised the country's 2006 missile attacks on Lebanon, describing the force used as "disproportionate."[54]

[edit] Iraq and the "War on terror"

Before becoming leader, he voted in favour of the Iraq War, confirming this stance during an interview on the British TV show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. In defence of the Iraq situation, he stated, "You've got to do what you think is right even if it's unpopular, that's the only thing you can do".[46] Subsequently he supported a motion brought by the SNP and Plaid Cymru on 31 October 2006, calling for an inquiry into the government's conduct of the Iraq war. This was after the government informed the Conservatives that an inquiry would not be accepted in 2007, the initial policy call of the party. The motion was defeated by a margin 25 votes, 273 MPs voting in favour and 298 against.[56] He was criticised for this in editorials in The Sun and The Times newspapers.[57] He was also criticised by some Conservative MPs who claimed it was irresponsible to support an enquiry while British troops were still involved.[58]

Cameron supports the War on Terror. He has praised it for the removal of "two of the world's most repressive regimes", Libya's abandonment of nuclear weapons procurement, and Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon.[14] He has argued "it must be a battle of hearts and minds, as well as force" and that "the threat cannot be negotiated away or appeased - it has to be confronted and overcome".[14] Cameron has accused Iran of encouraging the insurgency in Iraq and "the murder of British troops", and has criticised the regime for supporting Hezbollah.[14]

[edit] European Union

Immediately after his election as leader, he restated his pledge to withdraw the party's MEPs from cooperation with the European People's Party (EPP) within the European Parliament, viewing the EPP as excessively federalist. The British Conservative Party is part of the anti-federalist European Democrats a sub-group of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, but Cameron plans for the ED to break away in order to form a new, independent grouping. Cameron aims to set up a group more focused on the Conservative Party's views, a move that has been resisted by some Conservative MEPs and all mainstream Conservative member-parties of the EPP. After much speculation, he announced in July 2006 that Conservative MEPs would withdraw from the EPP in 2009. The stated reason for the delay was that the Conservatives' proposed future alliance partners, the Czech Civic Democratic Party, needed time to form a new domestic coalition in order to form a "eurorealist" grouping in the European Parliament.[59] Nevertheless, he has yet to find parties from other countries that would allow his pledge to materialize.

Cameron is currently against unilaterally withdrawing from the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy, as some on the Conservative Right have proposed.[60]

[edit] Constitutional issues

Cameron is a Unionist although he supports devolution, saying that the Conservatives, "fought against the idea of a Scottish Parliament long after it became clear that it was the settled will of the people." He has also defended the Barnett formula as "Other areas within the UK are subsidised more than Scotland is." He also believes "unionists have to develop better arguments against independence", and that "the case for the Union isn't just economic." Cameron has stated that he wants to address anti-Scottishness in England, "Scotland has certainly not been an occupied or oppressed country these past three hundred years but I recognise that it has not all been a triumphal procession either", and that, "the ignorance of English people about Scots and Scotland", has sometimes meant that Scotland does not get "the respect it deserves."[61] [62]

On the West Lothian question, he has criticised the ability of Scottish MPs to vote on English matters, "We need to make devolution work... one part of devolution that doesn't work is that Scottish MPs can vote on matters that don't affect their own constituents",[63] and has asked the party's Commission on Democracy, led by Kenneth Clarke, to look at possible solutions.[61]

Cameron has announced that he would scrap the Human Rights Act 1998 which came into force in 2000. Instead, it would be replaced with a Bill of Rights, based on "British needs and traditions". However, he has said that the country would remain within the European Court of Human Rights, on which the Human Rights Act is based.[64]

He has also called for investigations into ministerial misconduct to be a "genuinely independent mechanism" after cabinet minister Tessa Jowell's husband was part of an alleged fraud inquiry. Additionally, in order to "clean up", he says ministers should not be allowed to set their expenses or salaries.[65] Cameron has also called for a reduction in the number of Members of Parliaments in the House of Commons.[66][67]

[edit] Criticism of other parties and politicians

Cameron, who has declared himself beyond "Punch and Judy politics", has accused the United Kingdom Independence Party of being "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly,"[68] leading UKIP leader Nigel Farage to demand an apology for the remarks. Right-wing Conservative MP Bob Spink also criticised the remarks[69], as did the The Daily Telegraph.[70]

Cameron has criticised Prime Minister Gordon Brown (Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time) for being "an analogue politician in a digital age" and repeatedly refers to him as "the roadblock to reform".[71] He has also said that John Prescott "clearly looks a fool" in light of allegations of ministerial misconduct.[72] During a speech to the Ethnic Media Conference on 29 November 2006[73] Cameron also described Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, as an "ageing far left politician" in reference to Livingstone's views on multiculturalism.[74]

However, Cameron was seen encouraging Conservative MPs to join the standing ovation to Tony Blair at the end of his last Prime Minister's Question Time; he had paid tribute to the "huge efforts" Blair had made and said Blair had "considerable achievements to his credit, whether it is peace in Northern Ireland or his work in the developing world, which will endure".[citation needed]

[edit] References

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