The Reason Why

I have had enough. I have seen enough. I have certainly read enough. My strength of feeling is now so great that I do not believe I can contain it any longer. The leftist whining and ineffectual protesting over the internet that has been flung into my consciousness in the past 24 hours has finally pushed me over the edge. Apologies for the lack of post in recent months, but it's time you all got to know me again. Hi, my name is Rob Griffiths, and this is why I am a Conservative. 

Let's be clear, I am more left-leaning than most Tories and this is because of my own beliefs and upbringing. I don't think that parents ought to have any say in their children's political or social views beyond offering an alternative opinion. Biasing them is fundamentally damaging. I have bias because I choose it, not because it was foisted on me. I will therefore lay out, as best I can, my core principles and beliefs and if at the end you don't think I ought to be a member of the Conservative Party, then say so, this is going to press across every means of social media I currently access. Conversely if you're cheering me on, then say so as well, I could do with the support. Here we go. 

Firstly, I am a Conservative because I don't think the State ought to play as big a role as it does. I think that governments have a primary duty of care to their citizens that amounts to providing education, welfare and healthcare. However that is delivered, it is still a fundamental priority. I care not one whit for the whingeing and hand-wringing coming from many on the Left, who say we are destroying the welfare state. Plain fact is that the welfare state must adapt, very little has changed since the war. We are changing it so that it is able to cope with the increased demand of an elderly population which is living even longer. There are more people coming in from the EU who are able to claim our benefits, this must be factored in. I make no comment on immigration (yet), but this is another area where we must adapt. If that means cuts in order to restructure, then we must cut (cuts being another subject I shall mention). Our dearly beloved NHS, which has come under the most appalling attack thanks to Andrew Lansley and his butchery, will never be the same again, although there is one success story to be had from it which I will cite in all cases and that is the Hinchingbrooke hospital in Cambridgeshire. It is the sadly single indication in this country that the private sector can work successfully on a public contract within such a large organisation as the NHS. The public sector should not be a drain on society and if we want the best we must pay for it; the best is not always the State. 

I am a Conservative because I believe in putting Britain first. No, not like UKIP, I mean properly. If we are to have a relationship with the EU then we must have one which is flexible and suits our needs. The EU is a collection of twenty-seven (soon twenty-eight) nations all of which have different agendas which must have a common theme. If an idea comes up for discussion at the Council of Ministers, it is the duty of the relevant UK minister to push British interests as far as possible and damn the consequences. We are not used to surrender or acquiescence, so when did we acquire a taste for such vile narcotics? Foreign policy must also be backed up with force and that means armed forces capable of projecting the power we need to maintain our interests. Long gone are the days when we could have sailed a gunboat or three into the Straits of Hormuz and demanded that Iran halt its nuclear programme Or Else. It's a lamentable loss. We are a small island nation still capable of punching above our weight, which is why we must invest in conventional forces alongside developing new methods of waging war. Re-deploying the TA as the Army Reserve is an excellent start, but it is not a solution. I will be watching developments closely. 

I am a Conservative because I believe in the family. Families are the best support network anyone can have and I am extremely fortunate in mine. My coming out was given support and praise and I cannot thank everyone enough for that. In my family it is the person who is valued, not the choices or commitments. Being gay for me is not a choice, nor is it for the 99.9% of those who identify as such. This is the argument I made at Conference this year, because this is something about which I am passionate. I believe that a child deserves the childhood I had; loving parents wishing to preserve innocence for as long as possible. It doesn't matter what form those parents take, so long as the love and support is there. I realise that there are people who have grown and who are growing up without my great fortune, but this is an area where the State must tread with absolute care; sometimes social workers get it wrong and then things get spectacularly out of hand. That must cease and cease quickly. 

I am a Conservative because I think that capitalism still has a place in our society. I am not an economist (yeah, you all get it now, I know), but we should not persecute those who have become rich by making a profit. They have a responsibility to ensure that what they do is ethical and they treat their employees well. I believe in a symbiotic relationship between the private and public sectors; one picking up where the other falls short. We must encourage enterprising spirit wherever we find it and have those ready to invest on hand to help grow the businesses with a chance of survival. It's all about judgement call and sometimes that doesn't always work, but you pick yourself up and try again. We have somehow become set against entrepreneurial spirit in this country, something which I find unappealing. I am not, nor do I wish to be labelled as, one of the 99%. That is galling and patronising; I tell myself what to think and how to feel. I fundamentally disagree with the Occupy movement (sorry dedicated people in Sheffield I met last year) -- I enjoy buying things and that makes winners of both me and the country. I'll fuel capitalism for as long as I breathe. 

I am a Conservative because I am Robert Douglas Griffiths; son, brother, nephew, cousin, friend, commentator, colleague, employee, part-time party activist, actor and human being. I have laid my beliefs bare and will do so until I can no longer. Disagree with me or not, here I am.