A philosophy worth keeping.
William built something rare: a political philosophy for the SDP that is unique, powerful and coherent. It must be preserved. This is how I understand it, and how I would apply it to the way we run the party.
“Britain is not a finished country, but an unfinished inheritance. Our generation can decide whether to build, defend and hand on what it received.”
Left, right or something else?
The old categories have been broken by globalisation. As have the old parties.
abandoned labour
conserved nothing
Governments chose ‘the global good’, short-termism and narrow ideologies over the good of the people and the country. The SDP will reclaim that ground, not with nostalgia but with determination.
The SDP will face the realities of a multipolar, AI world and put the national interest first.
Read: the globalisation article (when published)Maintain the pitch. Don’t play on it.
The state does not score the goals. Its job is to create and maintain the conditions in which the people, families and businesses of the UK can play.
Floodlights
Keeping the lights on — with cheap, abundant power
Irrigation
Investing in water — the essential service that keeps life and our economy flowing
Stadium upkeep
Invest in strong infrastructure so the foundations that make everything else
The referee
The justice system that makes sure rules are applied equally
The rules
Clear, stable laws, devised carefully to keep the game flowing
The scoreboard
Honest data and openness so people can see the state of play.
A competent state publishes the score. Citizens should be able to see what government promised, what it spent and whether anything improved.
The turnstiles
The borders and defence that protects the nation and its people
The youth team
The education system that gives people the skills and knowledge they need to play the game
The medics
The health and welfare system that takes care of the people who can't play the game
The foundations
energy, water, infrastructure
The foundations
energy, water, infrastructure
Floodlights
Keeping the lights on — with cheap, abundant power
Irrigation
Investing in water — the essential service that keeps life and our economy flowing
Stadium upkeep
Invest in strong infrastructure so the foundations that make everything else
The rules
justice, law, the scoreboard
The rules
justice, law, the scoreboard
The referee
The justice system that makes sure rules are applied equally
The rules
Clear, stable laws, devised carefully to keep the game flowing
The scoreboard
Honest data and openness so people can see the state of play.
A competent state publishes the score. Citizens should be able to see what government promised, what it spent and whether anything improved.
The national boundary
borders and defence
The national boundary
borders and defence
The turnstiles
The borders and defence that protects the nation and its people
The national capacity
education, health, welfare
The national capacity
education, health, welfare
The youth team
The education system that gives people the skills and knowledge they need to play the game
The medics
The health and welfare system that takes care of the people who can't play the game
A state does not have to be big. It has to be competent enough to let people play the game.
How we would govern
A political philosophy matters because it changes the decisions you make, in government and in the party.
Material reality before ideology
In the countryBegin with what is physically, economically and socially true.
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Sex is real. Borders have consequences. Energy must be generated. Homes must be built. Money spent today must be paid for tomorrow.
A policy does not become workable because its theory is fashionable or its language sounds compassionate.
In the partyTest every policy for its real consequences, winners and losers, before we adopt it.
Country before faction
In the countryTreat people as citizens of one country, not competing blocs to be flattered, managed or blamed.
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Government should serve the national interest, not activist networks, institutional interests, donor groups or electoral factions.
In the partyOne party. No internal identity or ideological factions. We work together.
Calm, confident patriotism
In the countryLove of country should be natural. It need not be embarrassed, theatrical or hostile to anyone else.
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Britain is a home to maintain, defend and pass on.
In the partyWe can be combative without being aggressive, and determined without being brittle.
A capable and accountable state
In the countryGovernment should do the things only government can do, and do them properly.
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Responsibility must be clear. Results must be measured honestly. Failure must be visible, and those with power must answer for it.
In the partyA leader with the power to act, and members with a real say in where the party goes.
Rights and obligations together
In the countryA functioning country protects its members, but it also asks something of them.
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Solidarity depends on reciprocity.
Rights without obligations eventually destroy the trust on which both depend.
In the partyMembers and leadership owe each other the same things: honesty about what’s possible, and delivery on what’s promised.
A Britain that can
Politics ends in ordinary life. The choices made should expand possibility and improve conditions.
Can you make a home, raise a family and build a business?
Can you speak your mind, feel safe and trust the institutions that serve you?
Can the country control its border, build what it needs and defend its interests?
Britain has become a country that can't.
The SDP will fight for a Britain that can.