by ‘Good morning, good morning!’ said the General
When we met him last week on our way to the line …
“It’s an old card,” Harry told Jack
As they trudge up to Áras with rifle and pack.
But he made them both at his plan of attack.
Conservative candidates talking about their constituencies in the last few days of the campaign could be forgiven for remembering Siegfried Sassoon’s wonderfully short and bitter poem. As they line up in the trenches next Thursday, waiting for the event, they know in their hearts that not many of them will be returning to Parliament in a week’s time. And, as happened in 1917, it is the leadership that has done it for them with their plan of attack.
Six weeks ago, when the election was called, I urged Tory voters to return to the colours. I did not know then, of course, that we were about to run a political campaign that would be the equivalent of the first day of the Somme. Strong Conservatives, MPs who stood up for Brexit and conservative values, dedicated party workers, are all being pushed out in a campaign that could never succeed, fought on the wrong ground, based on the wrong issues, was made and passed improperly. They will pay the price.
Because it is important not to engage in self-indulgence, the aggressive sin of the Tory party in recent months. At best we face a disaster like 1997 – an outcome that would now be seen as a victory against the treaties – and it could easily be much worse.
Almost everyone will be saying this in a week. But no one will listen then. The focus will shift to Labour. That’s why I say it now. After all, a fairly grim and honest prognosis might still encourage some disgruntled Conservatives to hold their noses and come out and vote for us to limit the disaster. Don’t give Labor a super majority – or the “we’re beaten, but please don’t make sense” strategy, as some have described it.
So let’s hope we can avoid the worst yet. But it will be bad – and it is important to place responsibility in the right place.
Yes, Nigel Farage and Reform UK have split our vote. But the Conservative Party has not been given a right to take over British politics. The reformer is entitled to stand against us if he wishes. It is not up to them to look after the institutional future of the Conservative Party. That’s our job. The only reason Reform is hurting us is because we have been poor representatives of serious conservative politics.
Which brings us to where the responsibility really is – on the leadership of the party, their advisers, and their supporters ministers, outmanoeuvred, surrounded by yes-men, not to mention public opinion, blind to the consequences of their decisions.
Since the reset of the harvest and the disastrous mistake of returning to Cameronism (including the return of the man himself), since the continued failure of what was necessary to control the small boat problem, disaster is inevitable. The only question that remained was when our troops would be asked to go overboard into the machine guns.
A bad campaign has been added to the terrible betting scandal and its confusing handling. I admit, as it took effect, I seriously considered cutting up my party card. If, as it seemed, the first reaction of some Conservatives to an election campaign was to think of making a quick buck, perhaps some in the party were really just as venal and unconcerned about the national interest as our opponents said.
My sense of disgust has dissipated, but my sense of anger has not. A majority of 80 has been wasted, with the only real achievement being the outcome of the 2016 referendum. We are facing years of self-righteous hectoring, ruling, damaging Labor government, and there is nothing we can do about it.
Well, almost anything. We can come out and vote for the Conservatives on the 4th of July. And then, starting on July 5, we must rebuild. The Conservative Party as we know it could be severely damaged or largely eliminated. So to revive conservative ideas, to bring true conservatives together after the cataclysm, we may have to create a new movement, one of “reformed conservationism”, to coin a phrase.
It is not a new party, but a movement to revive Conservatism based on conservative ideas, and to reach out to everyone who wants to succeed one day again.
This movement cannot include people who should be in parties on our Left. The people responsible for the strategy that will lead to the current disaster certainly cannot count. The amount can take into account all those who want to rebuild serious conservatism again – wherever they sit now. And he can start work on a new conservative program with real national appeal that will finally be able to offer the British people a real choice that they didn’t have in this election.
So vote wisely on July 4th. And let’s start rebuilding the day after.
