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The Conservative Party, one of the oldest and most successful political parties in the world, is rooted in a clear set of ideas. If it is to win back the support it lost in the General Elections of 1997 and 2001, the Conservative Party has to place those ideas at the centre of its political agenda. Conservative
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| Ø Freedom: people should be free to take decisions about their own lives | |
| Ø Light government: the state is there to serve not to dictate | |
| Ø Rule of law: it is the rule of law which secures our liberty | |
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Strong defence: in Britain we have a valuable heritage and
a way of life worth defending |
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Conservatism is based on the belief that people are more important than the state. It combines a respect for individual liberty, and a belief that people should help each other. Compassion comes through people, not through the state. All of us are responsible for the condition of our country. It is true that much of the purpose of a political party is to win elections. But there must be an even greater end. Because although a party without the purpose of seeking votes is little more than a pressure group, a party that seeks only votes with no clear ideas and values is of no service to anyone but itself, and as a political organisation is pointless. In every political issue the Conservative Party addresses – Britain’s public services, poverty, human rights, foreign policy, the environment – we have to ask ourselves how our core values can be applied. If we do not live these values, we do not hold them. |
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