Is the present Conservative Party really conservative?

As the Conservative Party conference is underway in Birmingham I thought it would be appropriate to consider if the Tories really are conservative anymore.

First of all ponder their present attitude to England’s green and pleasant land.  In the last century Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin said: "To me, England is the country, and the country is England".  Would our current Prime Minister or any of her Cabinet colleagues agree with him?  I doubt it after reading Peter Hitchens’ article in the Mail on Sunday on September 2.  He wrote:  

“The Concrete Party's desecration of beauty. 

A gloomy, grey shadow now falls across what has until now been an unspoiled part of our beautiful country.

I have often bicycled across the quiet counties that lie between Oxford and Cambridge, and found great peace there. It is the intensely English countryside through which John Bunyan tramped as he imagined his great book The Pilgrim’s Progress, with its Celestial City and its Delectable Mountains.

They soon won’t be delectable any more. Our Government, which seems to have sold its soul to the developers, is on the brink of ordering the building there of something called the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway, another hideous stripe of concrete which will tear up trees and scar hills, and create a long, wide corridor of noise, stink and light pollution.

Everyone knows that such roads solve nothing, and simply attract more traffic. But they will make billions for the builders of box homes in ugly, bare estates alongside the new road.

Yet the decision already seems to have been taken. Did anyone who voted for this Government think they were voting for the desecration of English beauty? The ‘Conservative’ Party should be forced to change its name to the Concrete Party.”

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-6122911/PETER-HITCHENS-war-marriage-controlling-children.html

Conservatives say that they are the party of “law and order”, but can they really make that claim.  According to reports in the media more than 600 police stations have closed in the past eight years.  Bath, for example, is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Somerset with a population of around 90,000 yet it has no police station; the last one was sold to the University of Bath nearly 3 years ago. 

The number of police officers in England and Wales peaked at 141,647 in 2009 when Labour was in power.  The BBC website states: “Since September 2009 – the last set of Home Office figures before the Conservatives came to power – there has been a cut of 22,424 police officers.”  The Tories have decimated the forces of “law and order”.  This is not what one would expect from a conservative government!     

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45477960

 “As a global power, we have the responsibility to sustain our fine armed forces so that they can defend the realm, our overseas territories and our interests around the globe” said the 2017 Conservative Manifesto.  However, actions speak louder than words!  In November 2017 Johnny Mercer, MP for Plymouth Moor View, expressing concerns about cuts in defence spending said he would not “be prepared to see something the size of Belgium in the UK’s armed forces”.  I doubt if Belgium, fine country though it is, considers itself to be a global power!

Lord Michael Ashcroft, an influential conservative, and Isabel Oakeshott have just published a book about the state of Britain’s armed forces called White Flag (Biteback Publishing).  After eight years of defence cuts what on earth could they be thinking?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-42138295/conservative-johnny-mercer-on-defence-spending-and-cuts

Defence, law and order, and the English landscape, three areas where the Conservative Party in government does not seem to be very conservative.

Mitchells Hill near Ilminster in South Somerset. A view soon to disappear?

The Council’s South Somerset District Local Plan Review for Ilminster suggests that up to 400 houses will be built on open agricultural land south of Canal Way between the Meadow’s Surgery and Coldharbour Farm.

While enjoying a recent stroll around Ilminster I took some photos from the cycle path (NCN Cycle Route 33) behind Adams Meadow.  I believe this pleasant view of Mitchells Hill will soon be obscured by housing.

So, it seems yet another corner of this green and pleasant land will disappear under bricks, mortar and tarmac in order to accommodate England’s burgeoning population.  

A view towards Mitchells Hill from the cycle path near Adams Meadow, Ilminster in South Somerset.  Soon to be obscured by housing?

 

The Campaign to Protect Rural England suggests that England's small farms are disappearing.

A report by The Campaign to Protect Rural England suggests that almost a third of England's small farms have disappeared between 2005 and 2015 and could all but disappear from the English countryside by the middle of the century.

In my view it is largely the efforts of our farmers that have formed, preserved and maintained the beautiful and productive English countryside.  Unstinting support should be given to our farming and rural communities with particular attention paid to smaller farms to ensure their survival.  


Here is the press release from the CPRE introducing their report:

'A new report by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) today illustrates that England is rapidly losing its network of smaller farms, and the diversity in food and landscape they provide.
CPRE’s Uncertain Harvest uses official statistics from the UK and Europe to demonstrate that smaller farms in England are in steep decline [1]. Overall, a fifth of English farms have disappeared in the past 10 years, but the rate is fastest amongst the smallest farms. Almost a third of farms under 50 hectares disappeared between 2005 and 2015 [2].
Should these trends continue, CPRE suggests that farms under 50 hectares could all but disappear from the English countryside by the middle of the century.
CPRE believes that a mix of farm sizes and enterprises is crucial to maintaining England’s world-renowned landscapes and diversity of food. As part of this mix, smaller farms are vital to the countryside as they sustain rural communities through jobs and protect distinctive local character. In their diversity of approaches, they create greater diversity in food production and conservation, both of which shape rural heritage and rural economies.
Competition and market pressures have put great strain on smaller farms, with supermarkets controlling 90% of the retail market and forcing down prices [3]. During this time, smaller farms have also faced an inequitable funding model through the Common Agricultural Policy.
Following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, the Government has pledged to pursue a new funding settlement that rewards farmers for public goods and environmental benefits rather than the size of land holdings [4]. The future structure of public funding will likely determine the future of many smaller and struggling farms.
Graeme Willis, food and farming campaigner at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), said:
“There is a silent crisis in the farming sector. Smaller farms struggle to compete in the current market and, if the current trends continue, they could all but disappear from the English countryside by the middle of the century.
“While it is not a case of small versus big, smaller farms are vital to the diversity of our rural communities and our beautiful landscapes. Michael Gove has made positive statements about moving towards rewards for public goods and environmental benefits. We must use this platform to help all farms become economically and environmentally sustainable.
“To help smaller farmers succeed, the Government must research the health of the farming sector and assess the impact of any new funding model. Public finance should be designed with tapering to support all farmers for providing public benefits, and smaller farmers should be given a strong voice in the distribution of local funding. We must also make sure markets are fair and support our farmers. We all want a diverse, thriving countryside and wonderful food. Smaller farms are integral to both.”
To tackle the stark decline in smaller farms, CPRE recommends that the Government undertake research to assess the current health of the farming sector, especially in respect of the market, and to work out how any new funding models can help farms of all sizes prove economically and environmentally sustainable. Any regional-based funding must ensure small farmers have a strong voice to determine share and distribution, and assist new and young farmers across the sector.'

A view of the Somerset countryside from Wavering Down looking toward Glastonbury Tor.