In the National Interest? Oh Dear. - Iain Martin - WSJ

• Commentary
• By Iain Martin

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne speaks at the Conservative Party Conference.

The Conservatives have chosen to continue their tree logo in the Federal flag for the party`s conference. To follow it they cause also follow up with a new edition on an old slogan: "Together, in the National Interest.

Outside its invocation in war, "the national interest" is one of the most suspect phrases used by political parties. It is amazing how much credence it is given periodically. Whenever I hear it used it is impossible not to conceive of that other old mantra: When they speak of ethics, it`s time to start counting the spoons.

It is not difficult to make out what Steve Hilton and those in point of the Tories` "messaging" are some here. They are enjoying being in force with the Lib Dems, probably more than they would have enjoyed being in power alone, and try to excuse to their company and the land that their influence has a noble aspect. Understandably, they are also seeking to capitalise on the considerable goodwill from certain groups of voters towards the collaborative concept of coalition.

The trouble with invoking the national interest is that it has poor form. Time and again it has been victimized by both major parties to form consensus, squash dissent and free all manner of questionable policies that later turned out to be duds. The Tory and Labour consensus for appeasement in the 1930s, challenged by just a brave few, is hardly such an example. Euroskeptics on the right and the left would indicate to EEC entry, presented by its advocates as being above party. They would also quote the U.K. joining the ERM, which was "in the national interest" until it turned out it wasn`t.

There is no monopoly on representing the national interest. Does Ed Miliband think he is pursuing a form that runs counter to the country`s best interests? Of course not. Beyond questions of national survival, these things are mostly a count of opinion.

The national interest is exploited to indicate that an attempt is above party. But more frequently than not it is deployed to mean that the former side, Labour in this case, is not concerned in the nation and its fate. The Tory leader aims, just like Gordon Brown with his similar rhetoric in the summer of 2007, to impoverish his opponents space.

So, the word is gravely intoned to produce it sound like a noble feeling when usually it`s another part of positioning. Which is fine, but recognize it for what it is.