âWe need to make the case that lower taxation is vital to creating the business climate that will shape our economic future.âAs we kept saying to Britain in Europe and shall go on saying to the European Movement, just make that case. Donât tell us that you need to make the case. We know that. It is the Conservativesâ inability to make any case for anything that prevents people from voting for them.
âWe need to build a Britain that is dynamic, innovative and entrepreneurial,that invents and reinvents. We need new ideas on which we can build new businesses and to strip away the state-imposed barriers that hold them back. We need skilled and talented people to shape our future successes.âWell, errm, no, Dr Fox. You cannot build a dynamic, innovative or entrepreneurial anything. You are a politician. Your party is a political party. Dynamism, innovation, entrepreneurship comes from people who actually create something, whether it is financial services or organic bread. A Conservative government should simply aim at getting out of those peopleâs way, not imitate the failed Lisbon Agenda, which was based on the notion that economic dynamism could be quantified and ticked off in a series of boxes.
âBritain also needs to re-acquire the self-confidence to take its rightful place in international affairs - that is, centre-stage. We must break free from the shackles of the utterly Euro-centric view that Britain has taken of the world in recent decades.Sounds good. What does it mean? How is Britain going to take centre-stage on anything if our defence procurement is ever more closely integrated with the European defence structures?
In June, I made it clear that I do not believe in "ever-closer union". Britain's destiny does not lie in a United States of Europe. Our vision is of a much looser association of sovereign states, characterised by the economic values I outlined earlier. If Europe fails to reform, the price will be very high. China and India are changing the world we live in, producing high-quality products at a fraction of the price that we can and building service sectors that are also sucking business away from us.â
âUnder my stewardship, Conservative foreign policy will always seek to strengthen democratic principles around the world, in pursuit of what I call the "Freedom Agenda". Democracy is not just the ability to put a cross in a box now and then; to be strong and survive, it has to be underpinned by a free market,respect for the rule of law and human rights.âExcellent if vague, one might think. Well, one would think until one read the next paragraph:
That, presumably, means that under Dr Foxâs âstewardshipâ the Conservatives would stick with the benighted Kyoto agreement, having not bothered to look at any of the more modern and interesting ideas around, not to mention more up-to-date literature. One can be conservative with a small or a large âcâ but there is no need to be backward.âLikewise, we must take a lead in meeting head-on the challenge of global warming and the threat to our environment. This is a crucial issue for the younger generation in particular, and one that the Conservative Party must be at the forefront of addressing. The last Conservative government took a lead over key environmental issues such as reducing emissions and protecting biodiversity.
We must be Conservative with a small "c" as well as a large one.â
âThis is what my leadership would be about: sound defence; keeping more of what you earn; less government interference in people's lives; a sense of family,community and respect for the law; Britain controlling its own destiny.âAt least, he does not tell us that the Conservatives must think about power and not ideas but then, apart from assuring us that he is âagainst sinâ of whatever kind, Dr Fox does not tell us anything very much.