Focus on what really matters, Mr Cameron

As the respected Tory MP Bernard Jenkin has said, such a "quick fix" approach
to the country's problems would be delusional and the Conservatives "must
avoid the idea that there is some kind of silver bullet to get us out of the
hole". Besides, Mr Cameron has often proved himself to be a very capable
leader — articulate, passionate and committed to the kind of change that
most people want to see. In his own words, he occupies the "common ground"
of British politics.

It is frustrating, then, that the Eastleigh result suggests his message is
struggling to get through. He needs to prioritise the things that really
matter to voters — principally, the economy and public services. We believe
that there are five things that he can do between now and the next election
that would help both him and his country:

Focus on the economy. Britain needs to grow, generating jobs and
improving incomes. Mr Cameron must emphasise policies that will speed
recovery: reduce taxation, slash the red tape that strangles businesses,
grant National Insurance holidays for small employers taking on new staff,
and do more to help low-income taxpayers.

Make radical but intelligent savings. Of course, we all want to
safeguard the NHS and a welfare system that protects the vulnerable, but to
preserve what is best about public services, we must reform them. That does
not mean cutting drastically across the board but rather creating a more
efficient NHS, trimming welfare sensibly, and ending extravagances that we
cannot afford – such as the ring-fenced foreign-aid budget.

Tackle the coming energy crisis. The gap between energy production and
energy use is growing fast enough to threaten price hikes and blackouts. We
cannot rely on wind power for our energy needs – it is too inefficient and
expensive. Instead, Britain needs to construct gas-fired power stations
fast, exploit shale gas and invest in nuclear power. This is complicated
stuff and does not lend itself to knee-jerk populism. The Prime Minister's
criticism of energy companies such as Centrica — which he has implied
exploits consumers — was unhelpful. An energy sector making profits that
allows it to invest and pay shareholders is a good thing. It also means more
tax money for the Treasury.

Bring people into the Conservative machine – backroom organisers and No
10 staff – who understand what ordinary people are going through, and who
can get things done. Eastleigh was not just a vote against the Tories but
against an entire political establishment that seems out of touch. We
desperately need to draw in to politics people who are not just policy wonks.

Rebuild the provincial Conservative associations, those vital places
where civic-minded Tories meet socially all year round, not just at election
time. Part of the reason for the poor result in Eastleigh was that the local
organisation had been allowed to wither. As well as being the lifeblood of
their communities, grassroots activists are crucial to the Tory party's
success in elections. Part of the reason why the Liberal Democrats held the
Hampshire constituency is that they are so good at building strong
constituency parties. By contrast, it is a sad fact that national membership
of the Conservative Party has halved since Mr Cameron became leader. It
could soon dip below 100,000.

What is needed now is a sharper focus from David Cameron, and for him to
concentrate single-mindedly on the things that really matter. There is no
doubt that he is still the man for the job.

Source:
http://www.news.ezonearticle.com/2013/03/03/focus-on-what-really-matters-mr-cameron/