Changes
By 1997 the Labour Party had finally embraced the more conservative direction for the country and abandoned many of it's socialist economic policies of the past. Economic difficulties, including a dispute over whether England should join the currency of the European Union, hurt the Conservative Party further. This was coupled with a perception that the party had become corrupt, with a number of high-profile members of the party being involved in financial and sexual scandals. The Labour Party won in a landslide in 1997 and has held power ever since.
Since the early 2000s, the Conservative Party leaders have softened its conservative stance on social issues and this has increased its popularity with the voters. Particularly since David Cameron - a self-declared "liberal conservative" - became leader of the Conservative party, their support in the country has risen dramatically. See the full text of his speech at the September 2006 Conservative Party conference <ref>http://politics.guardian.co.uk/speeches/story/0,,1869970,00.html</ref> and recent polls. <ref>http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/reviews/2007/Guardian%20-%20Jan/guardian-jan-2007.asp</ref> <ref> http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,2016791,00.html </ref> However, despite this apparent change in direction, careful examination of David Cameron's policies, attitudes and his shadow Cabinet colleagues reveal that he is as right-wing and Conservative as John Major or Margaret Thatcher. This is further backed up by what we know about his life pre-1997, when the country was shown that outward liberalism (but with centre-right policies and attitudes) could win a general election, is that he followed a very stingent neo-conservative line: He was in favour in high taxation, more restrictions on homosexuality, less women in the workplace, Christianity for all and messing the country up so bad that its economy suffers the worst blow to it since the Wall Street Crash. David Cameron's example highlights how the Conservative Party should not be trusted, despite its apparent change in heart and that New Labour is far too dangerously straying towards the conservative viewpoint. Hopefully Gordon Brown should correct this and go back to the best form of political ideology; Clement Atlee's Socialism.
==Conservative party in the USA==
