In his latest weekly column, PopCon Director, Mark Littlewood, says whoever we choose as leader and whatever strategy we adopt, the Labour government is already providing plenty of ammunition for the Opposition.
Our own party might be going through a period of introspection as we consider the next leader and future direction of our party.
Whoever we choose and whatever strategy we adopt, the Labour government is already providing plenty of ammunition for the Opposition.
The need for enhanced economic growth has become a mantra repeated by politicians of all stripes.
Keir Starmer insists that boosting growth is the central aim of his administration. What has become clear is that this is a hollow soundbite. The Labour government might be praying for an upturn in GDP but clearly they aren't minded to introduce any policies that might actually bring this about.
Taxes will be ratcheted up to still higher levels. Not because of some unanticipated black hole in the public finances but because there is no willingness to get state spending under control. Pay rises for public sector workers are not a reward for productivity gains - quite the opposite, productivity has been falling.
The swathe of new employment laws being planned by Angela Rayner will diminish output, innovation and enterprise.
A plan to outlaw smoking in pub gardens and outside nightclubs will deliver a further blow to our hospitality sector.
The key soundbites we hear from the Prime Minister might be pro-growth but his policies all appear to be anti-growth. Appeasing trades unions, bowing to the more extreme claims of the public health lobby and placing still greater burdens on entrepreneurs all clearly out trump a serious effort to boost GDP.
Our economy will continue to stutter under a government determined to seek an ever greater role for government in all aspects of our lives. The state is going to tread more heavily on all of us.
As the Conservative leadership election progresses, I'd encourage all of you to press every candidate to spell out the specifics of their economic approach. The harsh truth is that spending, taxes and regulation all edged up over our period in office. The next leader will need to chart a very different course.
As I am writing these words, I'm heading off to hear Priti Patel at a campaign event and will be going to listen to Robert Jenrick later this weekend. I hope to hear directly from the others in the coming days too. I'll report back on my early thoughts next week.
Keep the flag of freedom flying,