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he Conservative party is in a mess. At benefited from a compensating advantage.
a time when we are confronted with The disadvantage was the widespread belief
the gravest crisis in peacetime that they were the party of the rich, by the
Thistory, we have one of the weakest rich and for the rich. The advantage: a
Prime Ministers in all history. Europe is powerful slogan - ‘the property-owning
difficult. Resolving the Brexit question would democracy.’ If you want to work hard and
have taxed the energies of a Churchill or a get on in life, if you hope that your children
Thatcher. But Theresa May is so far below will do better still: if, as a symbol of all this,
the level of events that she has not even you believe in owning your own home, the
been able to try. Nor is she alone in Tories are the party for you.
mediocrity. Unable to cope with strong Every bright young Tory MP whom I know
colleagues, Mrs May has done her best to is passionately in favour of a drive to advance
surround herself with weak ones. home ownership. This would have other
As a result, the Government appears to consequences. On the left, a destructive
have nothing to say on the issues which argument is gaining momentum. Young
concern the public, vast tracts of whom are Labour supporters - and not just Corbynistas
fed up with arguments over Europe. But - are demanding action to punish the rich
what have the Tories got to say about health, and redistribute wealth. The politics of envy
education housing in particular or living are back in fashion. Margaret Thatcher dealt
standards in general? What are they offering with this by insisting that a country in which
to that bedrock of Tory support, the no-one could become rich is one in which
aspirational classes? There is a one-word everyone is condemned to be poor. That
answer. Nothing. argument needs to be re-stated.
A government in this much of a shambles Conservatives ought to point out that
would normally be finished. It might stagger under a Corbyn government, there would
on, a pathetic political zombie, but the only be two ways of becoming prosperous.
quietus would not be long postponed. If the First, winning the lottery. Second, fleeing the
Leader of the Opposition were a young Tony country. They should also cite another
Blair, the Conservatives would be toast. statistic, and keep on repeating it until
Indeed, they would be the blackened everyone is bored. The richest one per cent
fragments at the bottom of the toaster, after of income-tax payers now contribute 27 per
someone had forgotten to switch off in time. cent of all revenue. Forty years ago, that
So why has zombie-hood been kept at figure was 11 per cent. As the country has
bay? This time, there is a two-word answer: grown richer, tax receipts have soared. If Mr
Jeremy Corbyn. He too has strong claims on Corbyn had his way, they would collapse.
zombie status. In the 1980s, a lot of ‘isms’ Britain would rapidly become an
became ‘wasms.’ The Soviet Empire impoverished and conflict-ridden society with
imploded. Intelligent socialists realised that a catastrophically weakened economy. Mr
many of their beliefs had been refuted by Corbyn would like to turn Britain into a cross
events. Jeremy Corbyn was never an between East Germany and Venezuela. In
intelligent socialist. He just ploughed on, pursuit of this, he would defy common sense
changing his mind about nothing, clinging and destroy hope. In the national interest,
to his copy of Marxism for slow learners. The the Conservatives must respond to his
world went through great events, great challenge.
changes and dramatic outcomes. Mr We in Foglet will help them to do so.
Corbyn’s response: the same old cliches. These pages, and other fora, will be open to
Fortunately for anyone who wishes the debates within the Conservative party -
Britain well, he is almost unelectable. But including leadership debates. We aim to
only almost. Although politics is a strange stimulate ideas and to rebuild morale. In the
form of nature, it too abhors a vacuum. If late 1970s, Margaret Thatcher threw herself
the Conservatives continue to be a party that into the battle of ideas and used that to
takes the ‘use’ out of uselessness, they will create electoral momentum. Forty years on,
deserve to lose. Yet those of us ready to her successors ought to do the same.
proclaim that self-evident truth should Within a few months, the battle of
contain our anger. The country absolutely Europe will be resolved. It will then be time
does not deserve a Corbyn government. to move on to the battle for Britain. We
Nor need it have one. The resources of intend to provide some of the intellectual
Conservatism are by no means exhausted. raw material necessary to win that battle.
This is a party full of bright youngsters with Over the next few months, GPFO will
interesting ideas. (Within a few months, we organise brain-storming sessions: Coffee
hope that one of them will have become the with the Conservatives - but not only them.
party ‘s Leader.) They are all ready to tackle There will also be Coffee with Labour, and
the most urgent challenge facing their party: with the new Independent grouping. These
to persuade the public that the Tories are on should be productive, and enjoyable.
their side. In modern times, the Tories have Bruce Anderson is a political
suffered under one disadvantage, but commentator based in London

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