"Bright Blue and its contributors have been tireless in bringing forward new ideas and fresh thinking to the conservative cause."
The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP
Centre Write
Monday, 16 October 2017 01:00
James Boyd-Wallis: Making the case for free enterprise
Capitalism is under threat and companies now face a more hostile environment in which to do business than at any time in the last 40 years. A study by the Legatum Institute, a think tank, and Populus, the market research company, found that there is widespread support for Labour’s nationalisation agenda and much less support for free enterprise. For advocates of free enterprise, anyone who runs a business, and, as should be the case, is merely employed by private enterprise,…
Friday, 13 October 2017 15:13
Ben Rochelle: How do we deliver a renaissance in affordable housing?
One of the few headline statements during a bewildering and yet underwhelming Conservative Party Conference was the Prime Minister’s announcement that an additional £2 billion will be pumped into the Affordable Homes Programme. This will provide increased funding for housing associations and councils with the date for submitting bids for the funding yet to be confirmed. The Department for Communities and Local Government estimates that this investment will supply around 25,000 more homes at rents affordable for local people at…
Saturday, 30 September 2017 10:31
Sam Hall: Conservatism rejuvenated: appealing to the under 40s
The Conservative Party has a problem with younger voters. At the last general election, the young decisively opted for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party over Theresa May’s Conservatives. In their post-election study, YouGov found that age was in fact the best socio-demographic predictor of voting intention: the younger you were, the more likely you were to vote Labour. It wasn’t until the age of 47 that voters became more likely to back the Conservatives over Labour, implying the problem is deeper…
Wednesday, 27 September 2017 00:00
The Rt Hon Lord Maude: Capitalism is core to Conservatism
A Conservative Party that doesn’t appear to be passionately in favour of free enterprise and wealth creation lacks credibility and authenticity. With a Labour leadership overtly hostile to capitalism and globalisation, in the recent election noone was making the case for open markets and private enterprise. The Chancellor, who is an articulate advocate for the market economy, was seemingly locked in a cupboard for the duration of the campaign; and with no frontline economic spokesman on the airwaves the case…
Monday, 25 September 2017 00:00
The Rt Hon Ed Vaizey MP: Creative prosperity
From Shakespeare to Skepta, the UK has a proud history of cultural leadership. 2017 is already proving to be another fantastic year for this dynamic sector. June saw the world’s greatest music festival, Glastonbury, watched by a record 21 million people. Mesmerising headline performances from two brilliant British artists: Radiohead and the other Ed (Sheeran). The grime scene continues to make waves on both sides of the Atlantic. Spend on film production in the UK reached the highest level on…
Saturday, 23 September 2017 00:00
Paul Goodman: The conservative state: small, strong and strategic
Election day polling by Michael Ashcroft showed a Britain divided not so much by class or region as age. The 45-54 age group split almost evenly between the two main parties. Older voters went for the Conservatives; younger ones for Labour. Among 18-24 year olds, only 18% voted Tory, while 67% supported Labour. Among 24-35 year olds, that first figure rose to only 22% and the second dropped to only 58%. It is inevitable in the aftermath of these findings…
Thursday, 21 September 2017 14:06
Ryan Shorthouse: Centre Write Director’s note
So, what went wrong? This summer, there has been much soul-searching from Conservatives on why they recently failed to win the decisive parliamentary majority almost everyone predicted. Two clear points stand out. First, the substantial polling lead the Conservatives initially had over Labour narrowed during the election campaign. Second, there was a considerable shift in voting intention to the Labour Party after the launch of the manifestos. Some Tories now claim that it is because the public are tiring of…
Thursday, 14 September 2017 16:25
Rohit Bansal: Social justice is at the heart of conservatism
Britain faces many challenges; falling real wages, a lack of secure employment and an ageing population among others. On the steps of Downing Street in July 2016 Theresa May outlined those ‘burning injustices’ which systemically hold people back: “If you’re black you’re treated more harshly in the criminal justice system than if you’re white, if you’re poor you will die on average 9 years earlier than others, if you’re a white working class boy you’re less likely than anybody else…
Wednesday, 23 August 2017 12:53
James Dobson: Social integration SRC reflections
Last month Bright Blue hosted its Social Reform Conference. The Conference included a number or break-out sessions. I had the pleasure of hosting a highly informative discussion of social integration session. Social integration has become a significant Government priority over the past seven years. Under David Cameron's Premiership, the Government was particularly concerned with a lack of integration among certain minority groups, such as Muslim women. This led to the Casey Review - authored by the civil servant Dame Louise…
Wednesday, 09 August 2017 01:00
Dame Caroline Spelman MP: Why I’m a Bright Blue MP
In 2016, we witnessed the global rise of populism. I believe strongly that this is a reflection on the inability of governments to adequately address the big challenges arising from globalisation. For example, the low-waged in relatively rich, developed nations have seen a squeeze on their incomes as it has become harder to compete in a global marketplace. A recent poll found that 49% of participants felt that globalisation has pushed wages down for British workers, while 51% thought that…