No, this is about whether my former research assistant, Derek Laud, will triumph in the Channel 4 Big Brother reality show.I got a bit mixed up the other day when tackling two phone calls simultaneously - I speculated that Derek would end up leading the Tory party but that Saskia and Sam would definitely nominate David Davis for early eviction. These matters can no longer be seen as part of the armoury of the left. In the modern context this is not just about Identity Cards, which we will, rightly, oppose. The onslaught on trial by jury, the desire to imprison people without trial or due process of law, the constant pressure by government ministers about how people should live their lives, the diminution of privacy, are all changing the nature of this country Each might be defended in isolation Cumulatively they are a real threat.. But here too we need to do far more work before we can demonstrate that such reform will be fair, equitable and do more good than harm.I turn now to the priorities of the Britain of our dreams. We need to be, and to be seen to be, proactive in the defence of the liberties of the citizen. We have not yet demonstrated how choice will be meaningful for the millions of people who live with poorly performing schools and inadequate hospitals Finally, we need to champion tax reform.
We must convince those who think of themselves as liberal and forward looking that they have more in common with us than with the arid, centralising, bureaucratic preoccupations of Gordon Brown and his ilk.Thirdly, while choice in health or education must be a fundamental part of our policy, we need to recognise it as a means to ensure quality and not as an end in itself. Secondly, we must use the next two years to win the hearts and minds of thinking Britain. We must take that battle to the universities, to the think-tanks, and to the academic world. Sorry? The Tarantulas of Hemel Hempstead? I stroked one, but I'm not sure I'd want to again.. The Conservative Party has begun its debate about how to take forward its renaissance and win the support of the people of Britain. We have begun that debate but we must be careful that it is the right debate.
Firstly, we need to be a radical, liberating Conservative Party. Conservatives are not reactionary defenders of the status quo. You will have seen, also in the exotic pet area, that Melbourne customs officials have just discovered 51 live tropical fish in plastic bags under a woman's skirt after hearing flipping noises, while, in this country, an albino blackbird has been spotted in Cornwall.And now there's Mayor Livingstone's plan to import more adders into London, which should be welcomed as the sight of an adder will enliven any stroll or ramble, and is a sure-fire antidote to ennui Death from a bite, too, I note, is "rare". Strollers and ramblers of a nervous disposition should jump up and down occasionally, as the vibration scares the snakes away.The guidance is against sucking the venom from a wound, which is disappointing, as I've always wanted to do that. The annual cost of the Africa package Mr Blair and Gordon Brown want to place before next month's G8 summit is many times less than the amount Britain and France together spend on weapons. And it might explain what's going on next door.But then these are particularly stimulating times in animal matters.
