I think I'd like to add a comment, directed particularly at the ordinary, decent Tory voter who may feel has been pitchforked into a ditch by the anti tory opprobrium floating around now, of which on NSC I have contributed, with some vim.
It must be very disappointing and uncomfortable to watch the evident weaponizing of immigration to the point of lunacy by an element in the (parliamentary) party. I am sure that a good proportion of tories are not happy with it, any more than I am happy with elements in the Labour party who struggle to hide their anti-Israel prejudices and class war imperatives.
I also sympathize with such tories who are no speaking out against this trope. I understand that speaking out is not the Tory Way, and loyalty to the leadership is a pivotal part of the mindset. In many respects this is commendable. And true feelings are better revealed by actions, such as the defenestration of both Johnson and Lizzy, rather than grumbling in public and bleating to the press.
My only word of warning is this. You will lose votes if there is no visible opposition within the party to the series of wheezes, tin pot schemes, tub thumping and gaslighting that have come to the fore in the last 10 years. Yes, having visible division in the Labour party probably lost it a shit load of votes. However it makes Labour's subsequent marginalization of the loony left credible, and Starmer's leadership more reassuring. With Sunak, it is hard to know what he thinks about his shower element.
A visible 'realignment' under Sunak is unlikely to happen so all I can do is wish decent tories (the majority) all the best, and hope that you can find a way to drain the swamp without conspicuous fuss, because two strong parties is better for us all.
Perhaps the great leader who can gently nudge the tories back into moderation is, in fact, Sunak. The problem is that the Tory way of operating means that it is impossible to tell: Call me Dave, May, Johnson, Lizzy and Sunak all sounded and sound exactly the same in terms of their unwavering support for whatever policies they have adopted, present and past, without any apparent recognition of having made any mistake or indeed made any change of direction, even when they jettisoned Johnson and Lizzy.
There are numerous reasons why the tories have never tempted me personally, but this apparent lack of any recognition of changes in approach let alone acceptance of mistakes and a need to make amends is something really offputting.
Only one Tory leader has come out and made credible criticism of the core direction of the previous incarnation of the party a central plank of their policy, and she won three general elections. I hated her, but she did seem to have her statements, her apparent beliefs, and her actions all aligned. I have no Idea what Sunak really stands for. Yet.
Anyway, thought I'd say something (largely) nice to mainstream tory supporters, Best wishes
It must be very disappointing and uncomfortable to watch the evident weaponizing of immigration to the point of lunacy by an element in the (parliamentary) party. I am sure that a good proportion of tories are not happy with it, any more than I am happy with elements in the Labour party who struggle to hide their anti-Israel prejudices and class war imperatives.
I also sympathize with such tories who are no speaking out against this trope. I understand that speaking out is not the Tory Way, and loyalty to the leadership is a pivotal part of the mindset. In many respects this is commendable. And true feelings are better revealed by actions, such as the defenestration of both Johnson and Lizzy, rather than grumbling in public and bleating to the press.
My only word of warning is this. You will lose votes if there is no visible opposition within the party to the series of wheezes, tin pot schemes, tub thumping and gaslighting that have come to the fore in the last 10 years. Yes, having visible division in the Labour party probably lost it a shit load of votes. However it makes Labour's subsequent marginalization of the loony left credible, and Starmer's leadership more reassuring. With Sunak, it is hard to know what he thinks about his shower element.
A visible 'realignment' under Sunak is unlikely to happen so all I can do is wish decent tories (the majority) all the best, and hope that you can find a way to drain the swamp without conspicuous fuss, because two strong parties is better for us all.
Perhaps the great leader who can gently nudge the tories back into moderation is, in fact, Sunak. The problem is that the Tory way of operating means that it is impossible to tell: Call me Dave, May, Johnson, Lizzy and Sunak all sounded and sound exactly the same in terms of their unwavering support for whatever policies they have adopted, present and past, without any apparent recognition of having made any mistake or indeed made any change of direction, even when they jettisoned Johnson and Lizzy.
There are numerous reasons why the tories have never tempted me personally, but this apparent lack of any recognition of changes in approach let alone acceptance of mistakes and a need to make amends is something really offputting.
Only one Tory leader has come out and made credible criticism of the core direction of the previous incarnation of the party a central plank of their policy, and she won three general elections. I hated her, but she did seem to have her statements, her apparent beliefs, and her actions all aligned. I have no Idea what Sunak really stands for. Yet.
Anyway, thought I'd say something (largely) nice to mainstream tory supporters, Best wishes
