Saturday
(0)Each passing day seems to herald a further deterioration in the state of the British Conservative Party. [From the UK Times]
THE Conservatives have had to raise £4 million in emergency loans to keep the party afloat until the end of the year after suffering a huge drop in income from wealthy donors.Many of its biggest benefactors are understood to have become disillusioned with the party’s direction under Iain Duncan Smith, while others are dismayed by the feuding over the leadership.
So, they are languishing in the opinion polls, their leader is seen as ineffective by most of his own Party and most of the public; he is also under a Parliamentary investigation for alleged impropriety; the Party is shot through with factional in-fighting and now their financial backers are beginning to walk away from them.
If the entire Party succumbed to an outbreak of leprosy it could hardly make matters any worse.
It might make things better. The party could claim victimisation on grounds of its disability and have the voting system reasonably adjusted so that it is treated better.
Posted by Guy Herbert at October 18, 2003 07:12 AM
I think it is somehow typical of IDS that he is under investigation for something as tawdry as misappropriating funds to hire his wife. He can't even manage a proper scandal. No, steamy sex with prostitutes or arms to third world despots for him. No he is quite literally caught with his hands in the cookie jar.
I miss the old party of big characters with big personal histories that got themselves into big trouble when they went wrong.
Posted by Lorenzo at October 18, 2003 10:59 AM
One wonders if shutting down CCO might be a way to save some money. Any ancillary benefits from that might also push the party in a better direction.
Posted by Jeannie Fiona Macaulay at October 18, 2003 01:23 PM
The just-in good news for IDS - Edwina Currie has elbowed her way into the gang in the corridors of Westminster that's working on ousting him. Any cause Edwina Currie joins is guaranteed to be a laughing stock within a week. Just look at poor John Major and his big blue underpants. So the band of shadowy, anonymous, secretive rebels now have Edwina pinned to their coattails shrieking, "Over heeeeeeeeere!!!!!"
Should give him some breathing space.
And we shouldn't forget - there are only six or seven rebels (although now including Edwina, that makes around 110 in noise-power) and the Tory party membership at large, not the MPs, elects the leader. My guess - he'll prevail, especially now he has the huge advantage of Edwina briefing against him.
Posted by Verity at October 18, 2003 09:26 PM
Now May has come out against him too. It is just amazing to see CCO trying to take down the leader like this. And they used to be hated by the Constituencies... I would not be surprised if some of the shire types showed up with torches to rout the nutters out of the place.
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at October 18, 2003 11:52 PM
IDS has an article in this week's Spectator: My fight is for the British people.
I quote: "The Conservative party occupies two intellectual positions of strategic importance — positions that together dominate the landscape. The first is liberty. We represent the whole range of liberal principles — individual endeavour, enterprise, the rule of law, the freedom to choose one’s manner and mode of life, and the policies that flow from them: the small state, low taxes, choice in public services, civil liberties.
The second strategic position that we occupy is security. We are the party of the family, the neighbourhood and the nation, and the traditions that sustain them. Our policies promote stable families, local ‘little platoons’, national independence and national defence.
Given that he's been entirely successful at shutting down the arguments over Europe, and brought the Tories to a steady opinion poll lead over Labour, it seems to me incredible that he's getting so much abuse.
Shutting down CCO is a bit extreme - but I'm sure he could wipe out the half of it that doesn't include the Research department. It would be instructive to see how many of the departed actually continued the work for their own constituencies (I bet no more than 1 in 20 would).
If/when he survives "Betsygate", I think he will have no choice but to indulge in mass political executions, combined with a huge devolving of power to the constituencies, who are the ones continuing to deliver the ongoing successes at local Council election level.
Posted by Ron at October 19, 2003 02:56 AM
Oddly enough the Press Department is rather competent and helpful. In today's press it has been reported that the source of the "leak" was Teresa May & Co. Is this a surprise to anyone? Let us hope that after IDS is cleared on this bs charge, he culls CCO of the cretinous losers that inhabit the place.
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at October 19, 2003 02:42 PM
I hope the Tories don't disintegrate, because you may find a separate, small right-wing party will spring up to partly replace them, leading to decades of socialism while the two right-wing groups compete for the centre-right vote. This gloom is based on experience here in Canada, where the federal Liberals (social democrats?) have ruled the roost while the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance have split the opposition vote.
Say it won't happen in Britain... will it?
Posted by ian robertson at October 20, 2003 03:52 AM
Leprosy? you mean the disease where limbs and heads fall off?
Shhush... we've kept that one quiet! Mind you, how could they tell!
Posted by Antoine Clarke at October 21, 2003 11:56 AM
Does anyone have a link showing the conservatives' current poll ratings?
Believe the Sunday times of 12 Oct showed Conservatives as 5 points ahead of the other two.
Posted by Paul P at October 21, 2003 03:34 PM
