Conservatives
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Boris gets a book out
It’s a tumultuous time for the Conservatives, so why not bring a book out? Boris Johnson has done just that, and it’s a big one.
Waterstones in Piccadilly, London It packs in over 700 pages, and covers most things in his life during his many iterations as a politician – and public figure – in the UK.
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Sharma now a Lord
Sir Alok Sharma, a former MP for Reading West, took his place in the House of Lords on Monday after being made a life peer by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
He’s now Lord Sharma, which is a boost for the public profile of a Conservative heavyweight. He has 14 years experience in Parliament, with senior positions under his belt.
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Is Churchill our hero?
Anti-Churchillian sentiment in the Conservative Party exists, but what is its opposite form? It’s a sense of things needing to be put right.
Is there nothing wrong at our southern coastline? Is the footage real or fake? It’s not “fake news” that counts here but a mentality that doesn’t accept facts as they are.
The facts are used by politicians and we deal in our feelings, surely?
The feeling the Left has a monopoly over speaking leaves conservatives to feel it’s only Parliament that’s left to solve problems. It’s a false feeling, of course.
The fact is only Parliament leading to government can solve a problem that is in its remit. The fact is also leftist groups oppose the normal functioning of a government. They are sometimes vociferous about it.
Those on the Conservative right feel a need to challenge such a shift in emotion as unrepresentative and a distraction from a real work of a democratic state.
These are the tugs of war – tussles in the halls of power – we see today. It plays out in neighbourhoods and it shows itself in public squares. It’s a challenge and a need for representation that’s felt.
The notion of having a Churchillian response is for a Tory government to juggle. It’s not a remedy but it’s a patch on an issue at times. The fact of a Labour government makes life more difficult for us.
It’s time to leave feeling behind and rely on our understanding, or we’ll get left behind.
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Tory leadership contest
The Conservative Party are on a hunt to find a new leader.
The nominations close tomorrow and after 2:30pm it will be possible to know who wants to lead it.
It takes over three months to declare the winner, so settle in for the ride. It’s due to be bumpy.
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The curse of conflation
The news of another PopCon conference is droll news for those tired of more of it.
The notion that conservatives can work their way out of another mess is old news. It’s really another stamp on a missive that is delivered but neither read nor cared about.
The icons of the Conservative Party are trying desperately to shore up a ship that doesn’t go away. It was due to sink under William Hague, Michael Howard, Ian Duncan Smith – and allegedly even Michael Portillo.
It’s a recourse to a defensive position that is needless.
The fact is the majority of Tory voters want the Tory party, they just don’t agree this time.
A vote for Reform UK is hardly a swing to Labour and to the left. Nigel Farage & Co. represent a brand of conservatism that is fresh, new, and exciting but in ways that have yet to be explained.
The point is not to see the future but explore – and explain – the present.
The curse of conflation is seeing conservatives conflate every known issue and to come up with solutions to its problems. The only problem I can see is the need for a new leader.
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Conservatives: Total results
The total outcome for the Conservatives this election is remarkable considering past performance.
The final tally shows a sharp drop in its number of seats in Westminster. In comparison to previous general elections, the Tories have lost at least 150 seats.
In a few past elections the tally has been so high it makes 2024 look like a washout.
Conservative Party’s seat share -
The Tory problem
The Tories have a distinct problem with big name figures. This is because if they lose it appears a bigger loss than usual. Their tenure isn’t measured it’s just calculated.
It isn’t about an office but a standpoint.
The problem reared its head this election. The Tories lost Jacob Rees-Mogg, Johnny Mercer, and Liam Fox as well as other such names.
There’s even the issue of Steve Baker having gone missing.
The gaps are noticeable but this is because of how the party is configured. In a Tory community a larger name makes more profit for the party and draws in members and attention.
It makes media sense in other words.
This election saw a lot of to and fro that didn’t sit well with a Conservative mindset. It’s better to settle down and focus than dart between issues – and people – finding fault and picking fights.
The Tories didn’t sound great and the betting scandal was lousy.
It tarnished their reputation somewhat, and the doorstep isn’t a kind place already for a Tory.
The question is how the streets can be made Tory again.
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Tories lose out in Wales
The general election of 2024 has gone down as a year of seismic changes.
Nowhere is this clearer seen than in Wales where the Conservative Party have lost all their seats. The decline of a national party from 13 seats to 0 – and the rise of Labour from 21 to 27 – is hardly unremarkable.
Such a surge in support shows that Sir Keir Starmer has an approach that works while Rishi Sunak did not.