Interview by Josh Broadhurst, Edited by Tom Guyton-Day
Asher Glynn, Student Chair of the Tory Reform Group - in an exclusive interview with TheStudentWord - makes the case for compassionate One Nation Conservatism.
He’s leading a campaign, encouraging those who share One Nation values to join the TRG with membership now only £1.
To begin, we delved into Asher's thoughts on One Nation values, and how they're represented within the modern day Conservative Party, a party many think has now abandoned the centre.
Asher told me he disagrees with the view that the Party has moved from the centre as "the One Nation Caucus are the biggest grouping of the party with over 100 MPs from across the country.”
“From the TRG's perspective, we support the Government, work with the Government, and take Boris Johnson very seriously when he says he's a One Nation Conservative.
“I actually think, the over one hundred members of the One Nation Caucus, led by Damian Green, have a huge sway on the Party and I would argue… they do have a lot of influence.
“On Hong Kong, for example, the TRG are leading alongside the One Nation Caucus and have a big impact which is reflected within the Government.
“Under the leadership of David Cameron we also saw a liberal Conservative government passing same sex marriage, driving forward equality for people.
“I became a Conservative because of David Cameron and George Osborne. I was a big fan of their socially liberal, pragmatic, One Nation approach to politics.
“And I think that pragmatism is really lacking in politics at the moment. You look at identity politics - It’s got a bit ugly around the world.”
As of writing this in October 2020, Covid-19 is one of the most pressing matters and we were keen to get Asher’s opinion on Britain’s financial future.
Asher recognised how tough the next few years are going to be, stating: "Conservatism is about pragmatism. From a personal perspective I think there are going to have to be tax rises and/or cuts, and we should avoid hurting the poorest.”
“Timing is everything, low interest rates make us able to borrow. But we are a party that wants to balance the books. We need slower cuts than 2010, and northern infrastructure needs investment, including HS2."
It's clear a mixed approach is becoming ever more popular. Asher himself was very clear that this is going to be a defining moment for the Conservative Party, and that people who share One Nation values do have a home within the TRG, a place where they can go to events, attend Conference, meet like minded people, and ultimately help define the future for the Party, in the post-COVID world.
A controversial topic we discussed was the Government's decision on the Gender Recognition Act, Asher informed me "my view and the TRG's position is that individuals should be able to live their lives as they choose, and the government should stand for freedom and equality.”
Asher made it clear: “the TRG are behind Trans people.”
The final controversial topic I wanted to get Asher and the TRG’s opinion on was assisted dying. Asher explained his thoughts which are as follows: "the lack of assisted dying is one of the burning injustices left in our country. I believe that individuals, not the state, should be able to control their lives. We should allow people to have a dignified & pain-free death."
Moving away from Trans rights and Assisted Dying, I was keen to find out what the TRG believes can, and should be done, to tackle the Party's problem with its lack of young members and an issue which is important to a lot of young people: the threat of Climate Change.
Asher took this issue with particular seriousness and pointed out that: "part of engaging young people is in our commitment to fighting climate change, but it's not only the environment that attracts young people.
“Our generation is a liberal one and this Government is a liberal One Nation Government and it needs to shout about that far more.
“Personally I support fighting Climate change, and votes at 16, I think it would really help youth engagement and shows we can absolutely trust young people as voters and contributors to our economy."
Whilst many would see this as a good start by trusting young people, as well as a bold offer on climate change, some may see this as falling short of the mark when it comes to attracting young people.
So does the Conservative Party need a bigger offer on things that impact young people, such as university funding, housing, jobs with excellent career prospects, and is the TRG the vehicle, as Asher says, to try and pursue a bold offer to engage them?
The Conservative Party faces many challenges ahead. Whether it be on the economy, liberalism, the environment, or young people, the debate continues to rage on, and decisions on direction will be made.
Above we see Asher's belief in compassionate One Nation Conservatism, set out clearly, and an invitation to other One Nation Conservatives to get their voices heard in the TRG for just £1.
I think this writer can clearly see the benefits of the TRG to young people within the Conservative Party and also the wider public.
To find out more on this £1 membership offer and the TRG generally, follow this link:
https://www.trg.org.uk/its-back-join-the-trg-student-network-for-just-1-this-autumn-freshers-2/
He’s leading a campaign, encouraging those who share One Nation values to join the TRG with membership now only £1.
To begin, we delved into Asher's thoughts on One Nation values, and how they're represented within the modern day Conservative Party, a party many think has now abandoned the centre.
Asher told me he disagrees with the view that the Party has moved from the centre as "the One Nation Caucus are the biggest grouping of the party with over 100 MPs from across the country.”
“From the TRG's perspective, we support the Government, work with the Government, and take Boris Johnson very seriously when he says he's a One Nation Conservative.
“I actually think, the over one hundred members of the One Nation Caucus, led by Damian Green, have a huge sway on the Party and I would argue… they do have a lot of influence.
“On Hong Kong, for example, the TRG are leading alongside the One Nation Caucus and have a big impact which is reflected within the Government.
“Under the leadership of David Cameron we also saw a liberal Conservative government passing same sex marriage, driving forward equality for people.
“I became a Conservative because of David Cameron and George Osborne. I was a big fan of their socially liberal, pragmatic, One Nation approach to politics.
“And I think that pragmatism is really lacking in politics at the moment. You look at identity politics - It’s got a bit ugly around the world.”
As of writing this in October 2020, Covid-19 is one of the most pressing matters and we were keen to get Asher’s opinion on Britain’s financial future.
Asher recognised how tough the next few years are going to be, stating: "Conservatism is about pragmatism. From a personal perspective I think there are going to have to be tax rises and/or cuts, and we should avoid hurting the poorest.”
“Timing is everything, low interest rates make us able to borrow. But we are a party that wants to balance the books. We need slower cuts than 2010, and northern infrastructure needs investment, including HS2."
It's clear a mixed approach is becoming ever more popular. Asher himself was very clear that this is going to be a defining moment for the Conservative Party, and that people who share One Nation values do have a home within the TRG, a place where they can go to events, attend Conference, meet like minded people, and ultimately help define the future for the Party, in the post-COVID world.
A controversial topic we discussed was the Government's decision on the Gender Recognition Act, Asher informed me "my view and the TRG's position is that individuals should be able to live their lives as they choose, and the government should stand for freedom and equality.”
Asher made it clear: “the TRG are behind Trans people.”
The final controversial topic I wanted to get Asher and the TRG’s opinion on was assisted dying. Asher explained his thoughts which are as follows: "the lack of assisted dying is one of the burning injustices left in our country. I believe that individuals, not the state, should be able to control their lives. We should allow people to have a dignified & pain-free death."
Moving away from Trans rights and Assisted Dying, I was keen to find out what the TRG believes can, and should be done, to tackle the Party's problem with its lack of young members and an issue which is important to a lot of young people: the threat of Climate Change.
Asher took this issue with particular seriousness and pointed out that: "part of engaging young people is in our commitment to fighting climate change, but it's not only the environment that attracts young people.
“Our generation is a liberal one and this Government is a liberal One Nation Government and it needs to shout about that far more.
“Personally I support fighting Climate change, and votes at 16, I think it would really help youth engagement and shows we can absolutely trust young people as voters and contributors to our economy."
Whilst many would see this as a good start by trusting young people, as well as a bold offer on climate change, some may see this as falling short of the mark when it comes to attracting young people.
So does the Conservative Party need a bigger offer on things that impact young people, such as university funding, housing, jobs with excellent career prospects, and is the TRG the vehicle, as Asher says, to try and pursue a bold offer to engage them?
The Conservative Party faces many challenges ahead. Whether it be on the economy, liberalism, the environment, or young people, the debate continues to rage on, and decisions on direction will be made.
Above we see Asher's belief in compassionate One Nation Conservatism, set out clearly, and an invitation to other One Nation Conservatives to get their voices heard in the TRG for just £1.
I think this writer can clearly see the benefits of the TRG to young people within the Conservative Party and also the wider public.
To find out more on this £1 membership offer and the TRG generally, follow this link:
https://www.trg.org.uk/its-back-join-the-trg-student-network-for-just-1-this-autumn-freshers-2/
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