Conservatives think that we have responsibilities to look after each other and take care of our own communities, neighbourhoods, children and elderly family members. Socialists think that all that 'caring' stuff is the government's job, and that care can only come in the form of cash. Taxpayer cash.

If you want fresh policies which will appeal to younger voters, why not let us in? Instead of making another Think Tank consisting only of MPs (!), the party could allow some way for younger members to contribute.

You're right, many younger people value independence, freedom and personal responsibility. They believe in society caring for itself first, with government intervention a last resort. They are aspirational, and frustrated that the opportunities to realise the hopes raised in them at school & university are so scarce. They want to do something meaningful with their lives instead of working in an office for 50 years then dropping dead.

This describes my peer group, most of whom would be natural Tory voters if there were any decent right-wing policies to vote for, instead of watered-down Labour statism. But currently there's no way for us to contribute to the party except leafleting safe seats at election time (and nobody replied to my applications to volunteer last time round).