Sir Winston Churchill left a legacy of outright defiance against the most evil form of tyranny. His leadership of the free world against Hitler secured the victory for everyone. He was unwavering in his defeat not just of armies but of ideas also.
If his generation is seen as racist, it’s by those without a fight to give. Churchill and his peers defeated a force heavy in modern understanding and a tirelessness in its pursuit of vainglory.
Churchill is said to have possessed an obsessive attention to detail. He made sure all the terms used during the Second World War were free of error and that any ideas from Hitler’s ideology were rejected out of hand. He didn’t allow them to stay on record, in other words.
The outreach on social networks is indicative of a sway of digital technology and marketing in our modern era. It’s not a slick presentation about old values that gets attention. Neither is it a constant appeal to old heroes or better days.
The new status of a party is who it’s got and why. The allure of a charismatic figure draws ire, but so does a bore. The way to connect with voters has gotten a lot more technical.
There’s little room for manoeuvre at the top. If you’ve got it the best way is to keep it. Any drop in notoriety of being a decent leader is a statistic they build omens on. The trick is in the trade.
The narrative of the recent past of the Conservative party is set against a backdrop of extreme elements of the UK press that don’t assume innocence but look for guilt. It’s clear to those that follow it closely but also for those who take a position at the back.
However, there are always flaws inherent in the plan. In isolation, each Tory Prime Minister since 2010 has faced a reckoning, and some have tried to make an apology as a result. The fact is a lot is demanded of politicians these days and disappointment is a risk.
Take for example David Cameron, who is believed to have let down pro-independence Scottish nationalists and equally pro-European Remain voters. It was a torrid time for him to be in office, albeit he wasn’t to blame for the outcome of two referendums.
Fast forward, and Rishi Sunak emerges as Prime Minister after just 50 days of Liz Truss in office. It didn’t lead to much happiness in the party. Sunak’s legacy is overshadowed by claims of wastefulness. His ill-fated Rwanda plan is seen as a costly error of judgment.
The torrent of accusations against Sir Keir Starmer MP (Holborn and St Pancras/Labour) remind us that life is short in a daily news cycle. It makes sense to pundits to suggest the axe should fall. More credible observers see that substantial reasons lead to a quick exit.
The first three Tory leaders since and including Cameron left by their own accord, finding events catching up with their ambition. The next year or so led to the demise of two Prime Minister’s and the election of a new leader. It’s a tale worthy of a rhyme to rival Henry 8.
Lord Cameron was born in Marylebone, London, in 1966. After he studied at Eton and Oxford he worked for the Conservative Party, in media, as well as other roles.
His political career began as MP for Witney, Oxfordshire, in 2001. He became a member of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee the same year.
He held other positions including Shadow Education Secretary before he was elected in 2005 as leader of his party. He became Prime Minister in 2010 after the resignation of Gordon Brown, leader of the Labour party.
He was re-elected in 2015 and held a referendum of the UK’s membership of the European Union in June 2016. He campaigned for the Remain side. He resigned as Prime Minister following the Leave result.
He’s since written a memoir, acted as advisor to a number of overseas companies, and spoken at events across the world. In 2023 he became Foreign Secretary as well as made a peer in Rishi Sunak’s government.
Nigel Farage is a politician in his 60’s and has just been elected to Parliament. He represents the constituency of Clacton which is in the East of South England. He’s not a member of the Conservative Party but is the leader of Reform UK, an insurgent conservative political party that seeks to uphold similar values but with a different support base and representation in Parliament.
He’s previously cited Margaret Thatcher and even Winston Churchill as influences from “the past” but takes inspiration from living figures and the movements of the present. It’s often a feature of his speeches that he refers to contemporary events and figures such as Donald Trump, former President of the US.
In times past he’s also been leader of UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) which fought hard for a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU and won in June 2016. While he was leader of UKIP and also an MEP he also stood in various Parliamentary elections in the UK but without success each time.
Nigel Farage is mostly self-taught but counts those he meets as his political education. He couldn’t expect a good deal of support from either of the fledgling parties he’s led but he took personal advice given in confidence and continues to seek the counsel of those close to him whom he knows well.
Outside of politics he hosts a television show on a new television channel called GB News in the UK and is a regular speaker at public events as well as a speaker overseas at other political events. He sees his media and in person work as part of his outreach to “evangelise” the masses on what it means to be a conservative.
