Douglas Carswell's Blog

Why grassroots Tories love Clegg

A poll in the Sun suggests that Nick Clegg is more popular amongst grass roots Tories than most Conservative cabinet members.

Why?  Because he's leading the way with the kind of radical, decentralising reforms we ought to be seeing implemented from every government department.  A fair bit of Nick's agenda could have been lifted straight out of the book I co-wrote with Daniel Hannan, The Plan.

My evidence?

Clegg wants a local sales tax, or at the very least to allow local councils to keep fuel duty receipts.  Not simply a lip-service localist, Clegg should be cheered for wanting to overcome the Treasury's traditional insistence that it control every aspect of the nation's tax and spend.    

Clegg is leading the way with reforms to clean up politics, with measures to shut the revolving door between big government departments and big business contractors. 

He took up the idea of a Great Repeal / Freedom Bill - even if Whitehall has since strangled much of it.  It's Clegg who has championed the idea of popular initiative, even if others have dragged their heels.  He is pushing for Lords reform against all the vested interests of retired quangocrats.     

Demonstrated in his reply to leading reformist Zac Goldsmith, Clegg insisted that there would soon be a right for voters to recall wayward MPs.  One can argue about the detail of when such a process should be triggered, but the principle is sound - and popular with the grass roots.

If only all Clegg's Cabinet colleagues were as willing to ignore what Sir Humphrey wanted and instead make the changes we need ....

Many commentators lazily harp on about tensions between Tory Right / grass roots V Lib-Con Coalitionistas.  But there is a far more interesting story sitting under their noses.  As Clegg's popularity suggests, his reformist agenda has far more in common with the kind of changes grass roots Tories want than is generally understood. 

Incidentally, this also explains why when I do sometimes criticise the Coalition, it's not because its not traditionally Tory.  Rather it is failing to be radical enough. 

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