Which Way's Up? [Paperback]

Conservative MP Nick Boles's book Which Way's Up? attracted immediate headlines about his support for a two-term coalition and for an electoral pact.The heart of the book, however, is about policy rather than political tactics.

Boles himself has long been a Conservative moderniser - "a Cameroon before anyone had heard of David Cameron" in Jonathan Freedland's words - and was a founder of Policy Exchange. In this book he sets out five areas where he believes Liberal Democrats and modernised Conservatives share policy objectives and so can forge a long-term political arrangement.

Intriguingly, the five are areas which many of the left also use to talk about the prospects of centre-left or progressive political agreement. The importance of personal freedom, offering more opportunities to those born into poverty or other disadvantage, the need to protect our environment, a desire to give local communities more power and a belief in the importance of restoring Britain's finances based on cutting the deficit and reviving both investment and exports are five themes that could just as well come from a new Progress pamphlet or an Evan Harris speech.

On immigration Boles does present a set of policy ideas - including ways round EU rules and introducing an equivalent of the American daily pledge of allegiance in schools - which are distinctive - but then they are also ones that many Liberal Democrats abhor.

Yet in most areas what Boles paints as grounds for Conservative-Lib Dem coalition could also be the grounds for other cross-party agreements, if Parliamentary arithmetic (either in Westminster or in devolved bodies) allows or requires it. His vision is certainly one of a much different Conservative Party from that of the past, but he fails to present a compelling case as to why it must be the Conservatives that the Liberal Democrats agree with in future.

His belief in the need for Conservatives to be different from their past comes out particularly strongly when he argues that modern Conservatism must be concerned with social outcomes in a way that 1980s Thatcherism was not. Nor is Boles's description of markets a traditional right-wing one - "free markets are neither God given nor the inevitable product of evolution. They are institutions, created by man, and based on a wide range of artificial interventions in the natural way of doing things".

On public services, Boles argues that, "The key distinction is between those responsibilities that involve services delivered to a whole community and those that involve services delivered to individuals or households. Where a service is delivered to an individual or a family, we should strengthen the relationship between them and the institution that serves them, giving them the power to choose and the institution the freedom to compete."

The implication of this approach in areas such as health and education is one that many Liberal Democrats disagree with (think free schools) - though the unspoken challenge in Boles's book to them is to come up with a better alternative vision than simply one of `if a Tory is saying it, it must be wrong' or 'the answer to everything is to give more powers to councils'.

Overall, although Boles's book is about a future of Conservative-Liberal Democrat cooperation, in many ways its most important message is how even Conservatives now want to be judged on levels of social equality and mobility. It is not a Labour or a Liberal Democrat MP but a Conservative one who writes,

"There are parts of Glasgow in which nearly 40 per cent of children grow up in homes where there is no adult in paid employment and male life expectancy is lower than in Gaza. When you consider this and set it against the life on display in the streets of Notting Hill and Alderley Edge, it isn't surprising to learn that income inequality in Britain is at its highest level since comparable statistics began in 1961. But that doesn't make it any the less shocking."

The debate over methods for and success at tackling this state of our country has been and will continue to be fierce, but that Conservatives such as Boles willingly offer up this area as a major criteria for judging the government is in itself a major sign of changing politics.

As is probably customary when reviewing a "political" book - a declaration of interest! I have no affiliation to any political party, have voted for every different colour politician in my time - but am passionate for doing things right (especially for our country and communities!). Nick Boles is not my MP - although his constituency is only a few miles away.

This book is a great read - and uplifting (there is hope in these desperate times of Britain moving higher/foward). Although the book is effectively a personal manifesto - gathered from his work with the Policy Exchange and helping David Cameron with strategy - the over-riding message is about the common ground that is shared. The common ground argument is expressed well - and directed at supporting the coalition (but I think it's equally a message for all Brits). As Brits, we do spend too much time moaning about what's wrong and disagreeing with small elements .... when we should be working together on the things we agree with.

The book is short and to the point - no historical political tome. Messages that hit home for me were things like putting local communities in charge of their own destiny, liberation of schools from stifling bureaucracy - and that decisions should be made by individuals and collectives (not grabbed by power hungry politicians).

Although Nick is not a front bencher - he has credibility. He was a key figure in a ThinkTank (the Policy Exchange) - and helped in 2005 Michael Gove put together the blue print for current education thinking and working with Simon Jenkins on his 2004 paper Big Bank Localism. Googling him also shows that he has had a key role in Cameron's strategy.

I liked his idea of "Elbows out for Britain" - we should be working to build up our country ... and our competitive elbows need to be out. As an entrepreneur, I totally agree with the sentiment that reform and change can be made, while saving money.

I've just bought 3 extra copies - and sent to friends. Recommended read - there is light at the end of the tunnel that Britain is currently in!

Nearly two years in after a week of utter incompetence, it is easy to forget that the enthusiasm that led to the coalition and the aim of creating a centre-right vision that had the effectiveness of Blair's transformation of Labour into a Party pf Government. Nick Boles sets out a short and coherent list of objectives for a liberal-minded government: some are obvious, some are inspired and some are crazy.

Reading this you understand why the coalition gave Cameron the opportunity to switch the Tories from the nasty party to a popular voice that would resonate with most of the British people. Despite Unite doing the coalition the immense favour of foisting the most lkeable but least competent leader of the Opposition for thirty years on Labour, the coalition seems rudderless and actually incompetent as it focuses on ways to upset public servants rather than deliver the changes set out by Boles.

Read it, it is short, think about it: if New Labour still existed PM in waiting Balls would do a lot worse than start here.