The ResPublica Launch
ResPublica was officially launched on the 26th of November 2009 by the leader of the Conservative Party, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP. It was a packed event attended by over 400 guests from across the political spectrum, the think tank world, leading businesses and the armed services, and more. Below you can watch both the speech given by the Rt Hon David Cameron MP, and that of ResPublica's Director, Phillip Blond, or browse pictures of the event.
Event Details
- Date:
- 26 November 2009
- Time:
- - 11:30am - 1:30pm
- Location:
- London- strictly by invite only
Event Videos
Event Photos
Related Content
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It seems extraordinary that with the launch of ResPublica, and David Cameron's very public backing, the fightback against the pervasive influence of Thatcher's radical choice-centred liberalism has been mounted from deep within the Tory party. Less extraordinary when one recalls that, for all her Tory fans, Thatcher was always more of a 19th-century liberal.
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The proper name for the Red Tory think-tank is ResPublica. No, this does not mean that the Tories are no longer monarchists. Res publica means public things: a public agenda. Mr Cameron is committed to such an agenda. His approach to social policy is summarised in two sentences: "we are all in this together" and "there is such a thing as society but it is not the same as the state".
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At the launch of his new thinktank ResPublica, "red Tory" Phillip Blond, basking in David Cameron's approval, said that one of the three cornerstones of a new conservatism was the moralised market. He fiercely criticised the tendency to size and monopoly in unregulated free markets in which the only criteria was narrow static economic efficiency. There needed to be more diversity and genuine competition. Small was beautiful. A libertarian view of the world, he said, had allowed too many mergers to go through.
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Not that Mr Blond had anything to complain about: he had, after all, just been anointed as Chief Sage Designate of the next government, which is no small deal in the groves of academe. If his fellow scholars are jealous, as well they might be, they should reflect upon his most astute insight. Which is that, to attract the attention of a politician, it is not enough to be right. You have to be useful, too.
