A right-wing ethos

CURRENT POLLING SUGGESTS  that Reform UK will not gain a majority to form a government at Westminster. This is before a Conservative resurgence under Kemi Badenoch, any drift away to Restore or into apathy due to Reform mistakes, or a Burnham bounce. It has been clear from the Welsh and some local elections that many people will vote tactically to keep Reform out. It may be essential at some point to unite the right to see off the Labour/SNP/LibDem/Green left-wing threat.

The organisation Unite the Right has calculated that Reform and the Conservatives combined might not obtain a working majority if they each compete in all seats. If the two parties were to collaborate in 50 per cent of constituencies, they would gain a majority of more than 100. If they did so in all constituencies, it would be more than 160. This is currently very speculative but it is worth considering.

When I was appointed Chair of the Reform UK Scotland Policy Group, I prepared an ethos document, which I termed a right-wing one, because the vehicle by which it is delivered is irrelevant. It was met with general agreement when tested at various branch meetings. I have since updated it.

1. A good political and social philosophy promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy and free enterprise. Individuals should be allowed to advance their self-interest in harmony with that of others. Legislation should tend more towards enablement than restriction.

2. In an enlightened society, the individual is given as much freedom as possible to maximise his or her potential and prosper, firstly within the family setting, then within the community and finally within the country. Stereotyping is harmful, with the left wishing to brand us all as either advantaged or disadvantaged, victims or perpetrators, or virtuous or evil. This leads to division and prejudice.

3. We should celebrate the best of our British heritage. We led the demise of the 5,000-year-old tradition of slavery. We are the home of Magna Carta, the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. What other country remained friends with its former colonies in a Commonwealth, or allowed its dominions to beat it at the “fair play” sports of football, rugby, golf and cricket that it gifted to the world?

4. The peoples of Britain work best together. Our rich diversity is an enduring strength, whether our backgrounds are English, Scots, Welsh, Irish, Jewish, Afro-Caribbean, or Asian, of any faith, or whether we are whoever makes our home in the UK. Planned immigration is required to benefit from this and avoid cultural and resource shock.

5. The first priority of government is security, both from external threats and from within. Affordable and secure energy is fundamental to all areas of life. The education of our young people is an investment in our future. Good health is essential but, since modern medicine has largely solved traditional health problems, people must take more responsibility for their lifetyle-related conditions.

6. The delivery of public services should be pragmatic and not ideological. A nationalised organisation may be appropriate, for example in monopoly situations, but the benefits of private sector involvement should always be considered.

7. The UK is a good size as a country to survive and thrive in a world economy. The Common Market was good for trading relationships but, as it aspired to political union, it inevitably exerted too much bureaucratic control. A nation the size of Scotland needs to be part of a larger political entity.

Governments cannot tax-and-spend or regulate their way out of economic problems

8. In a liberal market system, entrepreneurs respond to the needs and desires of citizens with a sensitivity that a centralised authority cannot. Capitalism has raised billions out of extreme poverty, where totalitarian and authoritarian states have inevitably failed.

9. Governments must allow people to be as resourceful as possible so they can prosper, rather than be burdened by high taxes and over-restrictive regulations. Governments cannot tax-and-spend or regulate their way out of economic problems. They must place their faith in citizens and entrepreneurs to spend and invest money in ways that are most advantageous.

10. Tax rates should be higher for wealthy individuals and businesses, but not so high that they discourage the best of talent and entrepreneurship. We are in an international market for talent.

11. People should be encouraged to lead a purposeful life with as much opportunity as possible to maximise their talents. A socialist-driven dependency culture prevents people from challenging themselves and proving their worth. Benefit traps are humanity traps. It must be worth people’s while to work.

12. Equality of opportunity is a valid objective, but equality of outcome is dangerously utopian. People are individuals, and the more they are challenged, the more their differences are exposed. This may be unfair but is inevitable. Positive discrimination is still discrimination.

13. We must protect the vulnerable in society: children, women in potentially threatening situations, and the sick and disabled. Family is a precious succour in this respect and must be valued. To provide the necessary resources to help people, the country must be economically strong. Personal economic security is the best cushion when troubles appear.

14. The market should be the prime mechanism for setting prices. Government should only interfere in times of emergency. Subsidies distort market forces and should rarely be applied. Printing money is not an enduring solution. If organisations know they may be bailed out, they will not take insolvency seriously. Market failure is just as important as market success in an ever-evolving economy.

15. Markets should be as free from obstructive tariffs, trade barriers and crony-capitalism as possible.They are global in nature, and the fewer the trade barriers the better off we all are. The stronger our domestic economy, the better we will be at doing good international trade deals. Cosy deals between governments and multinational companies are rarely in the interests of consumers.

16. The market will naturally monitor commodity supplies and determine whether “renewability”, “recycling” and “sustainability” are appropriate. The irrational fear of running out of the world’s resources led to an obsession with commodities being recyclable. The market finds new ways of sourcing raw materials, driving efficiencies and inventing alternatives.

17. Public service providers, such as teachers and doctors, should have power devolved to them to deliver the best possible customer service. Public sector protocols often constrain their ability to provide tailored or innovative practice. This can be frustrating and stressful for the service providers, who feel undervalued. It leads to inefficiencies and poor outcomes.

18. Where possible, the scientific method should be used to advance progress, but where novel situations occur, common sense and a willingness to take risks are necessary. Modelling is not empirical science, as we found when it was applied to predict trends in the economy, Covid and climate change, and it failed. Leaders should beware those who brand themselves as “experts”.

19. A healthy environment is good for our physical and mental health, but pragmatism is required to balance the needs of humans and wildlife. The net zero agenda, as well as being bad for the economy, could be rejected purely because of its harmful effects on the environment.

20. Freedom of speech is paramount, short of incitement to violence or slander. This may cause offence, but judgement should be left to the person at whom the criticism is aimed, not a third-party, puritanical authority or a court.