Tory MP Emphasizes Party’s Need to Take Responsibility for Errors in Order to Secure Next Election Victory
Danny Kruger, MP for Devizes and co-chair of the New Conservatives group, believes that the Conservative government needs to acknowledge its failures and make demonstrable commitments in order to prevent the Labour Party from winning the next election. He suggests that the government needs to undergo a course correction because the cultural foundation of society has been broken down over the years. Kruger also emphasizes the need for radical reform of institutions to regain public trust. He acknowledges the positives of the Conservative government’s record, such as fixing public finances, education and welfare reform, and Brexit, but criticizes the neglect of certain issues. Kruger believes that the Conservatives should not have accepted the human rights settlement in the Equality Act 2010 and should have controlled immigration more effectively. He also mentions the economic changes that have been overlooked and the worsening cultural questions surrounding sex and gender. Regarding recent governments, Kruger states that the 2019 election offered a glimpse of a national political movement led by Boris Johnson, but that Johnson failed in handling the COVID-19 crisis and reforming Whitehall. Kruger expresses shame over Parliament’s behavior during the pandemic, including his own role, and emphasizes the need for honesty in admitting mistakes to prevent their recurrence. Kruger argues that the root problem lies in a cultural mistake of prioritizing the immediate and personal over long-term and relational factors. He believes that recovering foundational principles, such as the importance of relationships and institutions like families, neighborhoods, and nations, is essential for a healthy society. Kruger regrets the trend of dismantling these foundations and criticizes the damaging effects of prioritizing independence over interdependence. He defends his speech on the normative family and its importance in a functioning society, arguing that societies that lack this model do not thrive. Kruger admits his regret over the ease of divorce, the abandoning of marriage vows, and the disincentivization of marriage and family life through the tax and welfare system. He concludes that while the government cannot prescribe behavior, it can create conditions that encourage positive behavior and meet people’s desires to have connected, community-minded, and family-oriented lives.
Source link
