Tory modernisation ‘tactical’
David Cameron’s approach to employment relations reveals his “tactical” approach to modernising the Conservatives, new analysis shows.
Research from the University of Portsmouth suggests the Tory leader’s initial progress in changing his party’s approach had not been sustained because of political imperatives.
It notes that the “modernising tide ebbed” in 2008 and 2009 before recovering during the run-up to the general election because of the need to emphasise progressive credentials.
The article, appearing online for the Parliamentary Affairs journal, said the subsequent formation of the coalition had had an additional positive effect which did not necessarily reflect on the Conservatives’ own approach.
“On the basis of this evidence the proposition that Cameron has strategically forged a grounded, value-based return to the centre-ground of British politics seems to be of doubtful validity,” Steve Williams and Peter Scott wrote.
“Any changes have been of a reactive, tactical kind, designed to win the support of specific groups of voters (eg public sector professionals), or to accommodate the Conservatives’ Liberal Democrat coalition partners.”
The coalition’s austerity drive and its impact on the pensions, pay and jobs of public sector workers are increasing pressure on ministers, meaning the government faces further tests in 2011.
The research found that the Tory party leadership faces strong internal pressure to appease business and eurosceptic interests.
A Tory pledge to repatriate EU powers on employment issues was dropped following the coalition, however.
“It will take a while before we can properly gauge the potency of any ‘coalition effect’,” the authors added.
“Nevertheless, in the immediate aftermath of the general election the participation in government of the Liberal Democrats helped to moderate Conservative aspirations in a number of key policy areas.”
The Portsmouth analysts concluded by suggesting their findings implied the presence of a pragmatic, tactical approach to change which was as keen on incorporating the legacies of New Labour as it was those of Margaret Thatcher’s government.
“In some ways, the question of whether or not Cameron’s Conservatives have genuinely modernised, as opposed to having simply received a makeover, misses the point,” they stated.
“This study of policy change in employment relations indicates that both modernising tendencies and countervailing pressures have co-existed within the recent history of the Conservative party.”
