Six political principles, setting out a visionary relationship between Individuals and the State in the United Kingdom.
1. Individual Sovereignty
Over his thoughts, speech and property, the individual is sovereign. We believe Public policy arguments in favour of regulating the first two should be put to serious public scrutiny. We should be similary vigilant with regard to the third, questioning any attempt to increase the overall burden of taxation, direct, indirect or otherwise.
2. Subsidiarity
We believe that decision-making should be made at the most local level possible. If some aspect of policy can be administered effectively by local government, there is no reason for it to be administered centrally by national politicians in Whitehall. Similiary, if policy can be managed well at the national level, there is no reason for interference from Brussels.
3. The Limited Role of Government
We acknowledge that Government can be a force for great good. We also acknowledge, however, that it should not be the role of politicians to identify and solve all of society's problems. As conservatives, we believe that deprivation and other social problems are best tackled through co-operation with the voluntary sector, and that even with all the resources and the best will in the world, top-down political attempts to solve these problems would fall short.
4. Traditional Values
We believe in the virtues of traditional marriage, and that the tax and welfare systems should be reformed to benefit, not hinder, married couples. We also support strong relationships between same-sex couples in the form of civil partnerships. We believe that any functioning society requires respect and certain levels of discipline and believe, for instance, in restoring authority in our classrooms by shifting powers back to teachers and parents and away from pupils.
5. Immigration and Citizenship
We acknowledge that immigration has been a source of strength, not weakness, for the UK, but believe that better systems need to be in place to determine how many people enter and leave the country each year. We believe that citizenship means more than permanent legal residence, and that those wishing to settle here should be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of the country's core political values, its history and institutions, and be able to speak English to a conversant level.
6. A humble Foreign Policy
We believe in a strong national defence but are committed to the principle that military action should be used only as last resort, where national security is genuinely threatened, and potential political solutions have failed.
SBS
