In the second of a two-part review of the issues facing American Conservatives Brian Monteith considers if they should copy David Cameron’s British Conservative Party.

When I was in America for the Presidential Elections a question that was put to me with some regularity by conservatives there was ‘should we copy what David Cameron’s doing in England (sic)?’

My answer was always a flat no.

Depending on just how long the questioner might have I would explain the following points.

Firstly, American Conservatives should not confuse their ‘conservative’ movement for the philosophy and principles of the Conservative Party just because they share the same word. Churchill is reputed to have said, ‘The United States and Great Britain are two peoples divided by a common language’ and the sloppy use of the word conservative on both sides of the pond is one such example.

(A similar error is made by British people equating the Republican Party with the American conservative movement – they are quite distinct and not interchangeable – with many ‘Liberal’ Republicans still holding significant influence in the GOP and there still being some conservative Democrats.)

It is an important distinction for while the British Conservatives and American Republicans are now commonly seen as sister parties there is no conservative movement in Britain like there is in the USA. Britain has some effective free-market low-tax think tanks and campaign groups – and even some socially conservative ones too – but they are less organised as a conservative cohort and many would not wish to be branded as ‘conservative’ - believing it to be too party political.

Secondly, if American Conservatives were to consider the whole range of David Cameron’s opinions then they would probably not consider him conservative at all. Cameron’s commitment to tax cuts is distinctly lacking for one thing, his unwillingness to tackle the scale of big government by previously signing up to Labour’s spending plans would cause similar concern, he is far more socially liberal than would be acceptable and his attraction to finding policies that might chime with the public mood – whatever it might be at any given point in time – would be seen as chameleon-like and alarming.

That’s not to say American conservatives would not prefer David Cameron’s Conservatives to Gordon Brown’s Labour – they would - but they would want to know just how much difference there was between the them, especially if the two leaders had interchangeable foreign policies (with the exception of the European Union, whose machinations are generally of little concern to Americans).

Cameron would possibly be placed more in the Rudi Giuliani or Arnold Schwarzenegger spectrum of Republicans – and to American conservatives they are not readily seen as one their clan.

Thirdly, the question arose because the British Conservatives were well ahead in the opinion polls – but that lead has reduced significantly in the last month – to the extent that the possibility of Gordon Brown holding a snap election in the Spring of this year is now being openly discussed. The question would be more apt if Cameron had had his chance to lead his party to victory and then displayed conservative instinct and behaviour – but he has so far been denied this opportunity and as he, George Osborne and others in his team have more in common with old-style patrician Tories like Harold Macmillan than Margaret Thatcher (who, let’s admit it, has proven to have been a one-off) he could prove as disappointing to them as have their own two Bush presidents.

As was often being argued in the USA when I was there, if conservatives in Washington had behaved like conservatives then it would not have been possible for them to have been tarred with the brush of big government, big debt and a big recession. While I would like to see David Cameron given the chance to show he is indeed conservative, I have too many doubts about his policies and his approach to have high expectations - and I would therefore urge caution on my American friends.

Finally, no two countries are the same and care should always be taken to recognise that a country’s traditions, history, culture and demographics require that no blueprint be adopted without significant modification. Yes, the rule of law, small government, regular and persistent tax reform and a robust and clear foreign policy are ideals that can be universal but how they are achieved will require a unique approach in every country. The respective policies on socialised medicine are one such example – in the UK Cameron eulogises the NHS whereas in the USA to advocate such a system would make him a Hilary Clinton clone.

If American conservatives want worthwhile examples then they should firstly look to right of centre parties that have actually won elections recently – such as in Canada and New Zealand – and see if there are any lessons that can be learned there. Give Cameron time to win and then consider his strategy and tactics.

My answer then was that America should look within itself for its own solution, find the right leaders that will do what they say and live lives that will gain respect – for leadership is the key. Then find the right language and right tone that communicates unequivocally what American conservatism stands for – and having done that, get fully behind that man or woman and don’t let divisions within the movement allow a weaker, less conservative nominee to take hold of the Republican Party, as happened this year.

If American conservatives can do that then in Britain the question will be asked – should we copy what’s been done in the USA?