Conservative Politics

  • The UK media routinely sabotages us

    The experience of most people in this country is now typified by the results of deep-seated cynicism.

    In our terms, this is the Journalism we’ve got used to.

    I’ve known potential A-level students turned away from Sixth Form because their form of politics isn’t liked anymore.

    I’ve known job applicants laughed at for saying they’re a conservative because the newspaper that decides for them has moved on.

    This country is populated by people betrayed by the greedy, and the negligent.

    These are the sorts that call themselves Journalists, and yet only have a Land Rover to show for it.

    The homogenous nature of Politics is designed to betray us. It helps Labour for this to be the case.

  • Profile: Sir Winston Churchill

    Sir Winston Churchill is an example of a successful politician in our political system. He fitted into the fabric of the UK political estate with characteristic tenacity and verve.

    He spoke to the nation during the Second World War. He acted as Prime Minister during its darkest times. He also took time to write and paint his times as he saw fit.

    He was known as a gentle figure. His many friends looked to him for guidance and advice in their own affairs. He took difficulty in his stride and enjoyed the fruits of his success.

  • Tories whittle to two

    The Tories voted out James Cleverly MP (Braintree/Conservatives) in the final phase of the MP’s ballot for leadership of the party. It turns next to the party faithful to place their online vote. They’ve got until the end of the month.

    Now left in the running are Kemi Badenoch MP (North West Essex/Conservatives) who won with 34.7% of the vote, and Robert Jenrick MP (Newark/Conservatives) who surged ahead to edge out Cleverly with 33.9% of the vote.

  • Where do the Tories go next?

    The four candidates left willing to stand for the Conservative leadership race will find out who’s going through to its final ballot next week. The next stage after is the membership vote so it’s nail biting stuff.

    It’s worth thinking back on the last five leaders they’ve had, because all of them have been Prime Ministers and led the country through some testing times. They even saw out Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

    Presently the political furore is largely centred around Sir Keir Starmer and his alleged dealings with a Labour donor, but the small boats crisis continues and in spite of policy pronouncements, it hasn’t stopped.

    It isn’t particularly scientific to imagine what each of the candidates might be able to achieve if they were to have at it now, and neither is it appropriate since the party itself is trying to decide its own way forward.

  • Scottish Tories get new leader

    Conservatives in Scotland have elected a new leader. Russell Findlay MSP (West Scotland/Scottish Conservatives) beat two other candidates to take the helm of the opposition to Labour and the SNP in Scotland.

  • Profile: Baroness May of Maidenhead

    Baroness May, the former Prime Minister and now Peer in the House of Lords, grew up in Oxfordshire and went to St Hugh’s College, Oxford. She has experience in finance, having worked at the Bank of England, and in politics, having served as Maidenhead’s MP for 27 years.

    Her tenure as Prime Minister followed her appointment as Home Secretary, during which she had control over much of the policy that affected the UK state. Her entrance to Number 10 therefore was on the back of a greater understanding of the social makeup of the nation.

    It led to her agenda-setting policy initiatives while in office. She’s also particularly known for sponsoring the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It helped frame the criminal acts over the English Channel by traffickers to transport people illegally into slavery here.

    She’s known for her outspoken politics and tendency to speeches that helps to communicate her ideas and values. She believes in opportunity in particular and understands challenges as obstacles society can overcome by state-led intervention and personal initiative.

  • Tories down to four

    The Conservatives have whittled their leadership contest down to four candidates in the second MP’s ballot. Mel Stride (Central Devon/Conservatives) was knocked out yesterday having gained only 13.4% of the votes.

    Stride sat just behind James Cleverly (Braintree/Conservatives) and Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge/Conservatives) in joint third place, who both got 17.6% of the vote. In first place was Robert Jenrick (Newark/Conservatives) with 27.7% of the votes.

  • Lowe attacks Tories

    Rupert Lowe MP (Great Yarmouth/Reform UK) has given his maiden speech in the House of Commons today. He took a swing at the Conservative’s record on immigration.

    “Uncontrolled mass immigration has failed Great Yarmouth, as it has failed the entire country. Just like the majority of the rest of the country, in 2010 they voted for lower immigration. In 2015, they voted for lower immigration. In 2016, they voted for lower immigration. In 2019, they voted for lower immigration. What did the Conservatives do? They allowed immigration to soar, with no thought to the brutal consequences.”

    He also said employees are struggling in the “real” economy because of socialism. He quoted Margaret Thatcher by saying he backs “workers, not the shirkers”.

  • Is 2024 the year for conservatives?

    The UK’s two conservative parties are set to hold their annual conferences in Birmingham later this month.

    They also have issues to smooth out.

    The Conservatives have bridges to build with each other, and voters. They’re reduced to 121 MP’s and beaten into retreat by Labour.

    Reform UK says it has cause for celebration, but Nigel Farage & Co need to build the party infrastructure to give it longevity.

  • Is Tugendhat a winning formula?

    The Conservative party leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat is set on winning. He believes he can restore their fortunes as a winning party.

    “I want to be completely open about what I’m doing. I am not just running to be the next leader of the Conservative Party. I am running to be the next Conservative Prime Minister.”

    He says their problem is disunity but doesn’t say how he’ll fix it. Perhaps he believes a leader stops it happening in the first place.

  • Who is Mel Stride?

    Mel Stride is standing for the Conservative leadership on a wordy platform, that is according to his campaign website.

    He’s iterated a complete vision of a better party based along the lines of his leadership. The question is over what he can bring to the table.

    He represents Central Devon, typically a place known for old age. His experience in politics has served an ill-fitting reputation well. His ambition, however, is to lead a political party to power.

    His secular experience is in the line of work the party is known for; conferences, publishing, and business activities. It stands him well with members, but would it count towards a general election?

  • Is Badenoch up to it?

    Kemi Badenoch is a fresh figure in conservatism but relatively inexperienced as well. She, like a few of the other leadership candidates, face a problem of lack of gravity. The likes of Lord Cameron and more recently Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak loom larger.

    Her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, however, largely because she tries so hard. She has a campaign of her own – Renewal 2030 – that pledges to restore the party. It’s underpinned by a belief Starmer takes off Blair too much and Reform UK threaten to undermine the party also.

    Indeed, in an article written three days before the election she said Labour winning would “surrender” Number 10 to the enemy. These are strong terms, but Badenoch knows her territory. She even defended Nigel Farage when Natwest debanked him, so she’s cut her teeth too.

  • True blue for Cleverly

    James Cleverly is standing to be leader of the Conservative party on an eerily reminiscent platform. It’s all about unity, fighting off Labour, and delivering results.

    James Cleverly – jc24.co.uk

    However, his mini-manifesto is a bundle of contradictions. He pledges to lower taxes and raise defence spending. He promises to shrink the state and prosper a free and fair society.

    It’s not a coherent plan on the surface of it. Maybe a plunge into the deep end of politics will change things. It can shape a leader in the long term.

  • Sunak’s problem is not only his

    In a way, conservatives in general tend to come across as looking at life as being about ‘more’; more votes, more airtime, and more history-making moments.

    It isn’t true to say this is what ‘conservatism’ is about, but in the UK we see it so often we might as well say it is.

    The speech by Rishi Sunak at the steps of Number 10 took place under dreary skies, and his tone echoed tired times.

    He announced his intention to win his party another election victory, and so the nation groaned. It’s time for Tories to get more; more PM’s, more policies, and more interviews.

    In actual fact, Boris Johnson is the last elected Prime Minister on record.

    While Liz Truss took over – and Sunak stepped in shortly after – it will mean the next Prime Minister is going to be Johnson’s successor.

    The question is if anyone has the ideas good enough to prove us a way forward.

    In large part, his much-hyped Premiership didn’t get off the ground too well.

    It’s solely due to the Covid pandemic, of course, but his “levelling up” agenda fell far short of reality, and he fell through too.

    His successor has a hard task ahead of them.

    The slogan Johnson had – “Get Brexit Done” – is now replaced by, “Get The Job Done”. The public are tired of laziness, and tardiness in the way of its politics right now.

    The urgency Johnson had raised now needs to be believed on and worked through by whoever wins the next election on July 4.