How should conservatives—that is, proper, ‘small-c’ types—feel about this week’s Tory conference? The answer is surely nothing but indifferent. Because for all the talk of “change” (which Rishi Sunak mentioned 30 times in his speech—that’s around about once every two minutes), everything seems to have remained the same.
There’s certainly no cause to be excited. Top officials continue to distance themselves from hard talk on immigration (not to mention action); factions continue to quibble most passionately about GDP margins rather than pressing social issues; Tories continue to aim for carbon net zero despite Sunak’s criticism of “a political system which incentivises the easy decision, not the right one;” the prime minister also continued the old and misguided Tory trope that to be more conservative, the party needs to be more Thatcherite. Perhaps the best we got was the prime minister announcing that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman,” as if this was some sort of slam-dunk election winner.
But it is difficult to get angry, too. After all, none of this is surprising; it’s the same as has been taking place for more than a decade, just with even more at stake. In fact, Sunak might have been most on-point when he said that Britons don’t feel “anger” towards the Westminster system but “exhaustion.”
Debate over the week appeared least exhausted on the question of who will replace Sunak, which is not exactly the most convincing vote of confidence in his leadership. There was also some tough talk on the HS2 high-speed rail link, the northern line of which has been scrapped, but this wasn’t exactly inspiring; there was always a massive amount of opposition to the costly and home-wrecking project, anyway. (Less, from my experience, among those who properly support the Conservative Party.) A good deal of voters simply seem fed up that such a lot of money was thrown at it in the first place, and mainly to further bolster the South.
Sunak vowed to “fundamentally change our country,” but on the key issues of education, crime, housing, healthcare, immigration and general quality of life, there is no real indication that his party will do anything—beyond talking, and possibly tinkering around the edges—to make matters better.
Not that Sunak was the only focal point of the conference. In fact, for a lot of it, the attention was in the opposite direction. But then, the fringes of the party are equally uninspiring, even if they are more free with their talk. It is telling that one of the most well-received events was hosted by Liz Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving former prime minister, of all people.
The prime minister is right to describe Westminster as “broken,” but he gives no reason to believe that he and his party are going to fix it.
Tories Diagnose (Part of) the Cause but Leave It Untreated
How should conservatives—that is, proper, ‘small-c’ types—feel about this week’s Tory conference? The answer is surely nothing but indifferent. Because for all the talk of “change” (which Rishi Sunak mentioned 30 times in his speech—that’s around about once every two minutes), everything seems to have remained the same.
There’s certainly no cause to be excited. Top officials continue to distance themselves from hard talk on immigration (not to mention action); factions continue to quibble most passionately about GDP margins rather than pressing social issues; Tories continue to aim for carbon net zero despite Sunak’s criticism of “a political system which incentivises the easy decision, not the right one;” the prime minister also continued the old and misguided Tory trope that to be more conservative, the party needs to be more Thatcherite. Perhaps the best we got was the prime minister announcing that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman,” as if this was some sort of slam-dunk election winner.
But it is difficult to get angry, too. After all, none of this is surprising; it’s the same as has been taking place for more than a decade, just with even more at stake. In fact, Sunak might have been most on-point when he said that Britons don’t feel “anger” towards the Westminster system but “exhaustion.”
Debate over the week appeared least exhausted on the question of who will replace Sunak, which is not exactly the most convincing vote of confidence in his leadership. There was also some tough talk on the HS2 high-speed rail link, the northern line of which has been scrapped, but this wasn’t exactly inspiring; there was always a massive amount of opposition to the costly and home-wrecking project, anyway. (Less, from my experience, among those who properly support the Conservative Party.) A good deal of voters simply seem fed up that such a lot of money was thrown at it in the first place, and mainly to further bolster the South.
Sunak vowed to “fundamentally change our country,” but on the key issues of education, crime, housing, healthcare, immigration and general quality of life, there is no real indication that his party will do anything—beyond talking, and possibly tinkering around the edges—to make matters better.
Not that Sunak was the only focal point of the conference. In fact, for a lot of it, the attention was in the opposite direction. But then, the fringes of the party are equally uninspiring, even if they are more free with their talk. It is telling that one of the most well-received events was hosted by Liz Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving former prime minister, of all people.
The prime minister is right to describe Westminster as “broken,” but he gives no reason to believe that he and his party are going to fix it.
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