It's a usual headline, and certainly one you could expect to read in the mainstream media. Labour have to a great extent ruined this country, and of course higher education is no exception. Whether it be cuts in funding, to increases in student numbers, to dilution of course content, you can rest assured Labour is trying to worsen Britain's renowned higher education system.

The problem as it stands is that Labour are planning to cut 6,000 lectureship and professorial posts, leaving fewer academics to teach and research at university, as well as a general cut in funding, but at the same time, the government proposes a mediocre increase in tuition fees while imposing 10,000 extra - and unfunded - places in universities on the most costly of courses.

It is unsustainable. Labour argues that universities are failing the poorer members of society, but in reality Labour has done this by closing down grammar schools, and additionally, they're worsening the prospects of those from poorer backgrounds by this affront on higher education.

The solution? Well, it's quite clear and plain that we cannot have increased participation in higher education while at the same time have less funding and fewer academics yet still maintain the quality of education offered to students.

Personally, I think the solution is a combination of increasing student tuition fees (possibly removing the cap and allowing variable fees) and also realising that we cannot have 50pc of 18 year olds in higher education for a variety of reasons, whether it be because the economy doesn't require it or because maybe - and let us accept this - not everyone is academically capable of attending university and so a vocational course would be more suitable to them.

The above may sound like blasphemy to the left, but let's be realistic. We have to shift higher education funding toward private industry and also the students themselves; national governments have an important role to play, but that is more in relation to the cutting edge research. Additionally, we need people to fill vocational roles which are vital to the everyday running of society and it's important to not have a 'snobbish' attitude toward such roles within society, as again let's be plain and simple, everyone in society has an important role to play.

The Conservative Party has been somewhat timid on the issue of higher education. It is important that David Willetts be bold and take the lead on higher education funding and the future of British universities.

Already universities are looking toward becoming private and independent institutions or increasing the amount of international students who pay £10,000 or more per year to make up the funding shortfall at the expense of places available for British students. If we don't come up with a solution, the universities will, and it won't necessarily be in the best interests of us all.

‘Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government.’

and

‘I am in favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible.’

We are all feeling the pinch of the global recession. America is affected. Britain is affected. The whole of Europe is affected. The issue for us, however, is that we belong to the European Union and are one of the few select countries to not use the euro as our currency. This, while in itself not an issue, has become one since there are murmurings about how we would have not been as badly affected if we had adopted the euro, and now some are even advocating we adopt the euro in this time of financial crisis.

Now, while I agree the recession is bad, and it’s affecting us all in multiple ways, and I agree we need radical measures, I do think swapping the pound for the euro would be a bad move now. Indeed, we must not forget why we actually rejected the euro in the first place.

Britain, due to retaining control of the pound, is in a unique position within the EU in that the Bank of England sets interest rates, and not the European Central Bank. The ECB decides interest rates based on the whole of the euro area, and tries to find a compromise which benefits no country yet isn’t a detriment to any either. In addition, Britain is unique with its housing market such that any ECB determined rate would indeed be to the detriment of our economy. Indeed, the ECB is trying to find a one-size-fits-all interest rate, which unfortunately simply doesn’t exist.

If Britain were to adopt the euro, we would lose control of our interest rates. Indeed, we would lose all and any overview in monetary policy.

Additionally, Britain initially rejected the idea of the euro due to the lack of clarity as to whether or not it was good for business. While being good for tourists and ‘easy’, and this ‘ease of use’ also applies to businesses, it at the time wasn’t clear how valuable it would be to the UK due to the more international role of trade.

Indeed, looking again today, the euro isn’t any better for business than the retaining of the pound would be. If anything, retaining the pound means better trade with important partners: the US, Canada, and Australia.

It’s easy to say that having the euro would make us more adaptive to the financial recession. The reality is that this isn’t the case. It would, if anything, make us worse off in this regard. In addition, with all the reasons for us initially rejecting the euro remaining, there is no reason why we should open up this old can of worms – it is imperative we keep the pound.

To date Brown has kept very quiet about when he will call the next general election. All we know is that it must be held sometime before June 2010. The current situation, however, pinpoints exactly when the next general election will be held.

Labour realise that for the most part they have lost. All current polls indicate a Conservative majority, though of course a hung-parliament could very well be on the table. Irrespective, the people have lost respect for the current government and want Brown out. Everyone within Labour realise this, from MPs to grassroots, and even Brown himself realises the damage that has been caused.

What is Brown’s response, then? To hold back until the final moment for when an election can be called. The aim? To reduce the damage caused by the current events and any future possible events. Some predicted that Brown will hold a general election on the same day as the European Elections, though my view is that this is now unfeasible if Labour want any fighting chance.

Personally, I’d love it for Labour to hold an election as soon as possible. The reality, though, is that we’ll see one in May 2010 when – as Brown hopes – most of this will have blown over and be forgotten.

The Labour deputy leader, Harriet Harman, has said that the BNP pose a real threat in the upcoming European Elections. Indeed, in many areas Labour have changed their usual act and are now focusing solely on the ‘threat of the BNP’.

The important point here is that Labour realise they have lost. Especially so with the current debacle going on regarding Damian McBride and his atrocious smear campaign (which, like everything Labour does, failed spectacularly). The fact they’re not even focusing on the Conservative Party or Liberal Democrats anymore just shows how badly they feel they will do come June 2009.

In the 2004 European Election they faired badly with only 22.6pc of the vote. The BNP, on the other hand, achieved only 4.9pc of the vote. It’s clear Labour are in the mess if they’re focusing on a political party which achieved not even 5pc of the vote in the last election.

This, while good news for the Conservative Party, shouldn’t mean complacency. The Conservatives still need to talk more about Europe, especially with the upcoming election, and also get out there and win the message. The major threat for the Conservatives is UKIP, and with increased campaigning and publicity on their part, the Conservative Party could feel the pinch in June unless they make themselves heard.

In the past nine months, Cameron has made one speech on health and education, whereas he has made no less than 18 on the economy. It is clear why he wishes to shift focus onto the economy, as this is where the Tory party is leading, and also it is something which is directly affecting everyone in the country in a negative way.

The problem with this, however, is that he is failing to point out Labour’s other failures which are just as important and detrimental to the future of this country. In education, as I reported recently, 25pc of primary school children are floundering and there is a black hole worth millions. In health, some 30 000 children have to have their teeth pulled due to the poor quality of NHS dentists or even the lack of NHS dentists in certain areas. In general party politics, Labour is continuously at the forefront for sleaze and misadministration and incompetence.

Above I’ve given three precise examples. There are, however, many more if one wishes to read the papers or do a bit of research. Each and every day there are stories about how Labour is failing Britain today and for future generations. It is true, they are doing so in regards to the economy as well, however, this shouldn’t be the sole point of attack.

The Conservative Party needs to be more vehement in their attacks on Labour and Brown, and also more broad and cover a variety of briefs on a regular basis than focus on one or two areas. Repeating Bill Clinton’s “It's the economy, stupid” mantra won’t work.

The issue is that it is already far too late for most, and indeed, this is nothing more than a smokescreen; Brown has failed local communities and the British youth, and now we’re left in a situation where so many young Britons resemble feral animals. Having these people aid in their local community would cause more problems to the local community and vulnerable people than it would benefit them.

What is needed is a proper action plan to deter anti-social behaviour (and ASBOs aren’t the answer). People respond to incentives, and a clear incentive to stop anti-social behaviour is correct punishment in the form of correctional facilities. Drastic? Possibly. The reality, however, is that we’ve past the point of no return and now people are scared to walk down a street or go to their local grocery store.

In addition, we have to look at ways to reverse the growing number of feral youths. Is it education? No doubt, this will play a part. Indeed, incentives are also necessary. However, one more vital piece of the puzzle is dealing with parents and ensuring they have proper control over their children and ensuring they play their role correctly in moulding their children in a correct manner for society.

If Brown wants to improve the future generations of Britain, then the above is what must be done, and not some useless national service or community-work scheme which will help no one.

The Times has an article on how 25pc of students across the UK in primary schools are failing to grasp the basics of literacy and numeracy. So in short, the current Labour government doesn’t have a grasp on what’s going on in our schools.

It’s time to realise that new chic gimmicks and pricey options aren’t the way forward to learning the basics. The way forward is to put back into the system rigour and traditional methods which are understood by everyone, logical, and actually work.

Some things simply need to be learnt by rote, such as spelling and times tables. Enough of these useless methods such as ‘chunking’ or ‘the bus stop’, just learn good old fashioned long-multiplication and long-division. Forget about phonics, and focus on traditional methods which actually work.

So many of these new teaching methods are fads which have no impact on learning and exist solely to create a stir, to the detriment of the education of those involved.

In Britain, we need something akin. Indeed, the Conservative Party needs something akin to focus policy. Obviously we’re not going to copy the French motto, as not only would that be theft, but of course, lest we forget that our views on a variety of issues are greatly different.

I propose: Freedom. Enterprise. Choice.

Of the above three words, Margaret Thatcher said: For responsible individuals, guaranteed by the rule of law administered by and independent judiciary and minimal state activity; Fostered by a low tax, low inflation economy - with currency exchange rates determined by the free market; For individuals must be maximised - even if the state accepts responsibility for provision of a safety net.

In essence, the above typifies the Conservative Party in every form possible. It’s about ensuring freedom and liberty, ensuring that people are free from government interference and regulation, allowing us to get on with our lives and making the best possible of what we have; it’s about fostering a sense of community and business spirit within the people, ensuring that we’re all working together and working for our own and our community’s best interests; it’s about ensuring that choice is maximised and that all people in Britain are given the freedom to choose what they want to do, purchase, and have a variety of choice within that freedom.

It is important that David Cameron realises the mess that Labour has left Britain in, and that finances are now worse than ever, and while ‘sharing the proceeds of growth’ may sound trendy, it is far from the most important thing for the average Briton. Indeed, they would rather focus on the above three words to lead Conservative policy in the right direction.

This would ensure lower taxes – giving people the choice to spend their money how they choose; this would ensure less regulation and interference in education and health care – letting doctors, nurses, and teachers get on with their jobs and letting them make the right decisions for their patients/students; this would mean deregulation and increased globalisation to help the poor labourers in foreign markets and give more choice to Britons here for consumption of goods and services.

The Conservative Party has a strong chance of winning the next general election, the best chance since the loss in 1997. The current Shadow Cabinet is one of the strongest (possibly second only to that of Michael Howard) since the loss in 1997. Now, if ever, it is more important for Cameron to realise that focus in policy is vital for victory. If we lack this, we lack victory, leading to Labour for another four miserable years.