May’s manifesto is real politics – that’s to say, a serious attempt to prepare Britain for the post-Brexit challenges of the future.
The Prime Minister’s manifesto will have its flaws, but she has grasped the implications of Brexit more surely than any other senior politician.
Leaving the EU matters, but it shouldn’t drive out other important issues entirely.
Over the last year, I’ve set out a number of policy ideas designed to appeal to lower middle class voters. Here are some of them.
Pro-EU Lords will not be able to block Brexit measures that are set out in May’s programme for Government.
I truly believe that this election will finally banish the tribal, class-driven polarisation of workers versus bosses. That rhetoric will be firmly placed in the dustbin of history.
None the less, campaigns are not devised for the entertainment of journalists and websites. They are crafted to win votes. Which this one seems to be doing.
Gender, race and sexuality dominated the early phases of Tory modernisation. The Prime Minister is now scaling the most challenging peak: class.
Plus: Diversity sweeps Essex. Forget the Conservative Party – this is May’s campaign. And: Give Anne Jenkin a peerage. But of course: she already has one.
They are willing to support the Corbyn leadership even though they expect it to break a similar tuition fees promise to that broken by Nick Clegg.
Why spend money on grammars, rather than dealing with school overcrowding? And why back Trident rather than the Navy’s conventional fleet?
One place where there is unlikely to be any dithering is the West Midlands. The prospect of someone like Andy Street becoming mayor is hugely exciting.
The absence of a trade agreement with the EU should not concern us – there are swift, practical ways to overcome possible issues.