Zac Goldsmith - An Insider's View

One of Nonsuch HP's correspondents recently attended a meeting between Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith and his local constituents. The meeting raised some fascinating issues, with his attitude towards referendums and the use of Parliament being of particular interest to AS Politics students. Many thanks for BM for providing this - here is her report...

Zac Goldsmith, Tory MP for Richmond Park & North Kingston, speaks about flaws in the UK’s democratic system.
On Thursday 3rd February, Zac Goldsmith came to talk to his constituents at a local church. I along with around 30 others attended to pose questions and hear the MP discuss with us important issues that affected our lives. Much of the hour long meeting was taken up discussing local issues such as the Kingston bingo hall being turned into a night club, and the new crime map system which shows levels of crime around the constituency. However as well as this, several important national issues were brought up. The privatisation of forests is a very conscientious issue, which many conservatives and liberal democrats in general discussion seemed opposed to. However when the time came for the vote, only 6 LibDem/Tory MPs voted against, Zac Goldsmith being one of them.
This led onto the point which he admirably raised about the dysfunctional nature of parliament, where MPs have lost the ability to think for themselves, being voted in and then being ‘lobotomised’ to follow the orders of those above them. As well as this, amendments offered by backbenchers are seen as being an act of hostility, leading to them generally being ignored. Zac considers Labour under Ed Miliband as being an ineffective opposition as they do not appear to be making relevant points that may actually achieve something and as a result the government is not being held to account. The fact that parliament is no longer effectively doing this has caused it in many ways to be ‘broken’.
Zac Goldsmith also discussed with us the referendum on AV, deeming it to be a waste of time, and a distraction from what the government should really be focussing on. He claims that AV would just cause a reshuffle of seats here and there, but nothing major would come from it. And what the government should instead be pushing is the idea of recalling MPs, which at the beginning seemed to be a key policy, but has appeared to have lost some vigour. This, in Zac’s view would be much more beneficial to the people, as some of the power would be given back to them. Zac also agrees that more people need to participate in elections, and this could be done through the use of referendums, creating a more direct democracy. Countries such as Switzerland are criticised for using them too much, but at least the people are having their say. This would engage people in politics as they would feel involved, as just having one vote every five or so years is not substantial.
The talk then moved to finances, with bankers and the richest of the countries being criticized for their cunning methods of paying as little tax as possible. In Goldsmith’s view, the figures that are being thrown around in the media are largely guesses and wild assumptions, and there is no real way of knowing how big the issue is. As well as this he raises the important issue that if the taxes are raised too high for the rich, it would encourage this behaviour of using offshore banks to store money, or alternatively, the rich person in question could just up and leave to another country where the tax is far lower. There is a fine line, and the government have to be very careful not to cross this line, the lower the tax, the more likely that the more elite of society are to pay it.

PS: For further Goldsmith updates, here is a link to his blog.

The ‘Brokeback Coalition’, is it for real?

When the Conservative party formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats after the May 2010 election failed to supply Tories with their much desired majority, I don’t think any of us quite expected the public ‘bromance’ between David Cameron and Nick Clegg which blossomed almost immediately afterwards. Despite casually insulting each other and their party’s policies throughout the election campaign, with Cameron once calling Clegg his ‘favourite joke’, especially on the three live television debates, Cameron and Clegg appeared to immediately put the past behind them and get stuck in on the small matter of running the country.

Although in the public interest this may be, some, including myself may perceive this as a desperate move by the power starved Lib Dem’s, to seize what may be their first and last opportunity to be in power and influence UK government policy. Is the friendship between our Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister built to last, or is it just a ‘friends with benefits’ deal, which is liable to break down when either party’s main principles are significantly compromised? So far, there is no sign of this happening, as the recent bill for the rise in the university tuition fee cap to £9000 has shown that the Lib Dem’s are more than willing to sacrifice their dignity and public support to stay on amicable terms with their coalition partners.

We will never know the exact words exchanged back in May 2010, when Cameron and Clegg sealed the deal and decided to commit to forming first coalition government in 70 years, but one can guess that Cameron’s suggestions were more than likely compromising to the majority of Lib Dem policies. Despite this, it is apparent that the Lib Dem’s are managing to ‘water down’ some of the more right wing policies of the original Conservative manifesto, such as raising the inheritance tax threshold to £1m, which has now been put back, and they will likely hold a referendum on switching to the AV voting system, which was previously opposed by the Tories.

Shunning the criticisms from former shadow home secretary David Davis that this ‘Brokeback Coalition’ is not in the public interest, Cameron and Clegg insist that the phrase does not capture the true spirit of the coalition which is “two separate parties led by two separate leaders, recognising that this country is facing some very difficult short-term challenges”. Only time will tell if this so called ‘sprit’ and enthusiasm for reigniting our economy and bettering our country as a whole can last a full parliamentary term, but so far things are certainly looking promising. There is no doubt in mind my however, that come the next election, whenever that may be, that the popularity of the Liberal Democrats will not compare to that seen in the run up to the 2010 election.

Many thanks to AW for this post.

By-election

A victory for Labour? Relief for the Lib Dems? Concern for the Conservatives? What do you think the Oldham East & Saddleworth by-election last night shows and what do you think it will mean for the May elections?
Have a look at the reporting of the result on the BBC, Guardian and Telegraph (also a nice feature on most influential politicians), and make up your own mind.

The Economist this week

A definite must-read this week as there are a number of excellent articles which will help with the exams. First of all, there is analysis of the new coalition government with comparisons of the new leaders in the British section. Also, there is a good comparison of the parties' promises on political reform as well as thoughts on the Labour Party's leadership contest. On the USA, there are articles on Elena Kagan, the climate-change bill and Utah's primary which has resulted in another moderate Republican being dropped by the party.

The Deal

Here is the full text of the deal made between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, plus a guide to the main policies of the coalition. Let us know your thoughts on this, and Clegg and Cameron's conference in the Downing Street garden yesterday.

Philippa Stroud and Iain Duncan Smith Visit TODAY

Philippa Stroud, the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Sutton & Cheam is coming in to school today. She will be answering any questions you may have about Conservative party policy, local issues or her personally, in the Library at 1.15pm. All welcome, bring your lunch and lots of questions!

Iain Duncan Smith MP - the ex-Conservative party leader (2001-3) - is accompanying her. He is Chairman of the Centre for Social Justice where Philippa is Executive Director and MP for Chingford and Wood Green in Essex. Please welcome him and ask him any questions as well. Here is his website and a recent article about his interest in social justice here.

UPDATE: Sadly Ian Duncan-Smith was too busy in his constituency to come - we hope that he will be able to visit Nonsuch in the future and share his views. Here is a review of Mrs Stroud's visit from Nonsuch HP's reporter CM:

On Tuesday 20th March Philippa Stroud, the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Sutton and Cheam, visited Nonsuch again. Philippa answered questions on a wide range of issues, from economic policies to the prospect of a hung parliament to gay rights. Of course, Nonsuch’s favourite question (‘what’s your opinion on grammar schools?’) was answered very tactfully, joking that we might ‘mob’ her if she answered unfavourably. We’re not that bad!
Overall it was a very interesting hour, with a fantastic turnout. We look forward to listening to what Kathy Allen, the Labour Candidate, and Paul Burstow, current Lib Dem MP, have to say on similar issues when they visit on Tuesday 27th and Thursday 29th respectively.

Philippa Stroud Visit

Philippa Stroud, the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for Sutton & Cheam, is coming to Nonsuch on Tuesday.
She is currently the Executive Director for Social Justice, a right wing think tank and lives close by in Sutton. She has had a fascinating career so far, working with drug addicts in Hong Kong and developing policy on social issues. She has three teenage children and her husband is a Church leader. See her website here and an article today about her in The Times here as the 'new face' in Tory politics.
Come along to hear her speak and ask her questions on Tuesday 26 January at 1.20pm in the library.

Are the Tories wobbling?

This article from the Guardian suggests that the Tories electoral campaign may have hit trouble. Criticisms of David Cameron's background and political inconsistency appear to have hit home with some voters, and a recent opinion poll cut the Conservative lead to six points. If voting behaviour remained like this on election day it could quite likely lead to a hung parliament. What's your opinion of the current state of play between the main parties?

All-women shortlists for the Conservatives?

David Cameron has suggested that he might be prepared now to countenance all-women shortlists for Conservative candidates from January, using it as a threat to recalcitrant Conservative associations. But is this a good idea? Does it help or hinder women? Read Nick Robinson's take here and a debate on the Daily Politics here.

25th anniversary of conference bomb

Party Conferences were transformed 25 years ago when the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was nearly killed by an IRA bomb. Five people were killed, including one MP, and security was from then on not taken for granted. Read more about this event here.

Conservatives and History Teaching

As we hope you've noticed, the blogs we feature on the right hand side of this page are an excellent source of information and content on what is happening in the world of history and politics. Politics Etc (Sutton Grammar School's Blog) has discovered that grassroots Conservatives consider the "proper teaching of British history" to be their 2nd highest priority. The author has a good grumble about this as the vast majority of Key Stage 3 teaching is already devoted to British history, but it does suggest that core Tory values may not have moved as far as David Cameron may have hoped. Here is a direct link to the report and more from the Conservative Home Page on their views on history teaching (by the MP for Bognor Regis).

PS: The Conservatives are keen to promote the new History section of their website, so here it is.