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Samizdata quote of the day The Tories are skilled marketers of the “freedom” side in that equation. Thus, we find Truss promising to “liberalise” planning laws and Sunak urging the need for more post-Brexit “deregulation”. But the main populist element in the Conservative government’s mandate cannot be ignored: “take back control”. That means securing the nation’s porous borders, having a zero-tolerance policy for any indulgent woke guff which distracts vital public services from fulfilling their true purpose, repatriating our laws and courts, presiding over infrastructure projects which serve the common good, and rediscovering that whackiest of reactionary notions: that the police exist to suppress crime.
The police in modern Britain may be the best example of control and freedom being abused in equal measure. Soft on actual crime, they take a serious interest whenever a law-abiding person strays from the shackles of political correctness. They will sooner quiz a TERF than catch a thief.
– Harrison Pitt
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Unfortunately, by and large yes they can be ignored. Most Conservative Party members would love to see any of that. Apart from times like this though, their tribal loyalty will overcome their disappointment at the actual results and they will continue to work for re-election of that shower to Parliament.
No Barbarus – I have been involved in every election since 1979 and I can tell you that if the Conservative Party does not deliver, “our voters” (they do NOT belong to us) do not turn out, they stay at home or register a protest vote.
The highest level of taxes in 70 years, and government spending even higher, is not delivering for voters – which is why the Chancellor responsible for that will not, I hope, be the next leader of the Conservative Party.
Fighting against Frankfurt School Marxist (“Critical Theory” or “Woke”) indoctrination is also a matter of freedom (liberty) – elected ministers must fight back against an education system, bureaucracy and institutions that are saturated with “Critical Theory” on race, sexuality, and much else. Freedom of Speech must be restored and, yes, traditional Civil Society must be restored – a Conservative Party that just accepts the destruction (the murder) of the Civil Society upon which free enterprise (indeed all liberty) depends, would not be Conservative at all.
As for control of the borders. Some libertarians maintain that this is wrong – that “free migration” should be the policy. Well in the United Kingdom we had “free migration” – my own Great Grandfather came from the Russian Empire (“we knew it – you are an AGENT OF PUTIN!” say people who think Britain should be “decolonised” and the coming of the Indo Europeans to these islands in the Bronze Age was some sort of “Russian plot” – no doubt involving time machines, so British institutions should be “decolonised”, the evil white people exterminated, even though BEFORE the Indo Europeans arrived people in the British Isles were-already-white – they had the same genetics as the Sardinians do today). But things were rather different then.
What government welfare was there then? The WORKHOUSE – that was it. No free medical care, no government housing, no benefits of any kind. Just the Workhouse. And no “anti discrimination laws” either – if people did not want to employ Jews, or rent housing to Jews that-was-that, no government made people trade with Jews.
Now if that state of affairs was restored then we might talk (talk) about “free migration” – but I do not think that getting rid of all government benefits and services is something that is likely to gain widespread support.
So “free migration” is an insane policy – it would lead to both economic and social breakdown.
If officials and JUDGES insist on the “rights of migrants” then they must be reminded that Parliament can-and-must over ride international “rights” treaties, that do NOT protect the rights of British people – as the Covid lockdowns so graphically show.
Barbarus (July 28, 2022 at 6:48 am) says that Tory party “tribal loyalty will overcome their disappointment”. We were fortunate that May’s endless extensions of article 50 meant the late-May 2019 European Parliament elections gave both Tory and red wall voters a safe way to signal that (reversing Barbarus) disappointment will overcome tribal loyalty. The subsequent UK election gave the red wall voters a real way to show disappointment overcoming tribal loyalty. Since then, they have been very disappointed to see that Boris’ populism on Brexit is not matched by his populism in other areas.
The last paragraph of the OP link is:
If the warning is not heeded, will it prove true? I’d far rather find out that it will than that it won’t, but at the moment I’m still closer to the OP link author, who is trying to persuade the Tory parliamentary party not to find out.
I do not deny that there was a 90 population replacement in the British Isles with the coming of the Indo Europeans (whose ancestors emerged in what is now Russia and the Ukraine – and went east as well as west), what I do deny is that the population of these islands was “black” before the Indo Europeans arrived (the genetics of the people here in the neolithic period seem to have been much like Sardinians today), and I further deny that even if the population of the British Isles was “black” it would justify population replacement today. To call people whose ancestors have lived in Europe for thousands of years “colonisers” (“agents of Putin” or whatever) is quite mad, and demands for “decolonisation” are also quite mad.
And yes this includes “cultural decolonisation” – for example whatever one thinks of Milton and so on, the works of British literature and other aspects of British culture do NOT become worthless because the creators of this culture had “evil” pale skin.
It would be just as mad (equally mad) to say that the works of Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams and-so-on were worthless because the skin of their creators was dark.
One must NOT judge any cultural or scientific work by the skin tone of its creator – there is no such thing as a morally “evil” skin tone.
Niall – as I have already pointed out, Barbarus is mistaken.
If the Conservative party does not deliver on a smaller state (controlling government spending, reducing taxes, regulations and so on) and deliver on real-national-independence (no more submission to judges – or to the World Economic Forum, international “rights” treaties, United Nations and-so-on) then “our voters” will not come out and vote for us.
You guys need to be voting for whatever the next version of UKIP is.
At the moment every western democracy is stuck in the situation where the ‘conservative party’ is not conservative at all and just has power (if it does) because the left is completely insane on social and cultural issues and completely absent on economic issues, unless it’s some kind of crackhead Stalinist fantasy that scares the crap out of everyone and has them voting for those centre left ‘conservatives’ who’s policy is basically selling off the family china, to China, while slowly adopting all the social positions that spew out of the leftist narcissism that is the expression of the managerial class’s repressed religious instinct.
Steve – in a first-past-the-post election system what you are really saying is THE LABOUR PARTY SHOULD RULE FOR EVER.
If pro freedom people can not win a Conservative Party Leadership campaign, or a Republican Primary contest – we have no chance at all of winning a General Election.
“…the “conservative party”…has power (if it does) because the left is completely insane on social and cultural issues and completely absent on economic issues…”
This.
The Tories may be useless (they are) and may do all sorts of wrong and awful things after promising not to (they do), but the other lot(s) would do equally awful and stupid things with enthusiasm and vigour, and be proud to have done so. Oh, and the SNP.
So a lot of us hold our noses and vote, again, with regret, for the “conservative” party.
The “Elephant in the room” is the Credit Money monetary and financial system – not just in the United Kingdom, but in the West generally.
It is astonishing that this utterly insane (and it is utterly insane) system has lasted as long at it has – but it is entering its death agony, people in the Western World are going to get very poor – at least for a period of time. How long recovery takes depends on whether actual money and real savings are restored – if this is “not going to happen Paul” then there will be no recovery, and the Western world will fall, no civilisation has a right to exist if it insists on being irrational.
Steve Baker M.P. (the leading spokesman for free market ideas in Parliament) argues that, in the very hard times that are to come, a revival of Christian fellowship is the way by which people will help each other survive – indeed thrive. I do not know about that – there may be other ways, I just do not know.
The “silver lining” is that matters, such as mass migration and cultural conflict, may become rather less important in the future. Why migrant if the other place is POOR? And arguments over whether Milton (and so on) are evil because they had “white” skin, are unlikely in a situation where people are more concerned with how to put food on the table.
In Alabama in the 1930s the State could not afford to pay academics – so, for example, Professors of Ancient Greek taught farmers in return for food.
Whether the farmers were really interested in such subjects as Ancient Greek or were pretending interest in order to feed proud men who would rather have starved than accept handouts, is something that we can draw a veil over.
Such times are going to come again (that is inevitable now) – the question is how do people respond to them.
Do people respond to hard times by tearing each other apart, or do people respond to hard times by voluntarily helping each other? This is the great question – the question by which the Western world (Western Civilisation) will stand or fall.
Peter Macfarlane – “a lot of us” is not enough to win a General Election.
If the Conservative Party does not deliver on controlling government spending, reducing taxation and deregulation (all of which will be even more needed when the international Credit Bubble economy crashes), and deliver on restoring national independence (no more international “rights” treaties preventing the borders being secured – and so on). Then the Conservative Party will lose the election.
Paul is right about the defection from the Tories if they don’t get their act together. I live in a very tory area and there is much discontent. You hear it in the pubs, in the shops, on the street. It isn’t just the “culture war” stuff either. Or even the economy. Though those all play a big role. The Tories have just been in too long.
You guys need to be voting for whatever the next version of UKIP is.
It would help enormously if UKIP, Reform and Reclaim would get together and provide, initially at least, a feasible protest vote destination for the centre right. If they achieve this with sufficient dignity they may even tempt a few defectors from the better class of conservative MPs. This will of course require the adults in each party to step forward and avoid a “Peoples Liberation Front of Judea” scenario.
There will be more by-elections in the next 12-24 months which are likely to represent extremely low-hanging fruit for a properly organised alternative.
John it would help enormously if the people active in UKIP, Reform and Reclaim would join their local Conservative Association and actively choose candidates for Members of Parliament.
Giving seats to the Labour Party does not do liberty any good (and that is what happens if people go off to vote for splinter parties) – those who think that it is too difficult to influence their local Conservative Association, do not grasp that it is much MORE difficult to win a general election.
Seats, “!ow hanging fruit” or not, that are not won by the Conservative Party will be won by the Labour Party or the Liberal Democrats (or the so called Nationalists in Scotland and Wales). If people think their local Conservative candidate is no good – they should join your local Association and get a better candidate.
I repeat – if anyone thinks it is too difficult to influence your local Conservative Association then you have no idea how difficult it is to win a general election.
There is a bit of Gentleman and Players at work here – sometimes I get the impression that I am the only person round here who has actually worked in election campaigns, or stood for election. I could be WRONG about that – but that is the impression I get from the level of some discussions.
It is much the same with American Politics – “that horrible person is a RINO, they do not care about fighting the left”.
Did you campaign in the Republican Primary?
“Err no…”.
Dis you even vote in the Republican Primary?
“Err no…”.
To someone who has worked in this trade (and trade it is), these sort of answers indicate people who like complaining – but do not like doing anything.
For example, one of the most despicably dishonest people in American politics (and that is really low standard), “Liz” Cheney, is up for the vote in the Republican Primary in Wyoming – the vote is in a few days.
Get out there and campaign to get rid of Cheney – it can be done.
Ditto Conservative Candidates you do not like in the United Kingdom – but you do have to join the Association to have a vote, and you have to do such things as turn up at selection meetings.
Paul Marks (July 28, 2022 at 6:16 pm), you have a point about ‘Gentlemen and Players’ but I suggest the Brexit party vote in the mid-2019 European Parliament elections had an effect that impacted the Tory party more than quite a few of them joining their local conservative constituencies could have had. Bye-elections won by Reform (+Reclaim+UKIP or else swamping them in the public’s awareness, as Brexit swamped UKIP in 2019) could both replicate a bit of that effect and (if they happened in the right, i.e. left seats) establish that Labour was not the only alternative. Votes in constituency associations are something, but the fear of God (vox populi, vox dei) is also something. It seems to me from e.g. Kemi’s double-digit lead there, that the public (non-parliamentary) party are not the weak link might be slightly less in need of reinforcement than the parliamentary party and central office are of the fright they had in 2019.
You are indeed more connected and may see things I do not.
Paul: there is something i don’t understand.
In your first comment here, you wrote:
Later on, you wrote (inter alia)
But, according to your first comment, giving seats to Labour is what is going to happen ANYWAY “if the Conservative Party does not deliver”.
So why not vote for “splinter parties” if and when the “Conservatives” do not deliver??
Vote for the most conservative viable candidate that runs, and spend the next interregnum working to find and recruit even better candidates, because the squishiest con is likely better than the mildest prog, and even if not, serves to at least facially keep the progs out of power.
If you are faced with voting for a squishy con, remember that it was part of your mission to find better cons to run, and so you failed as much as did the “leaders.” If you are faced with voting for squishy cons repeatedly, remember that “your” party leadership is also open to replacement by you and yours.
Yeah, it’s hard work. But it generates better results than whining.
(Oops. English blog. Whinging.)
Paul, you wrote:
“The highest level of taxes in 70 years, and government spending even higher, is not delivering for voters”
and later,
“it would help enormously if the people active in UKIP, Reform and Reclaim would join their local Conservative Association and actively choose candidates for Members of Parliament.”
I’m afraid that there you have, precisely, my original point. Until the Parliamentary Conservative Party are afraid that they will lose the support of the grass roots members they can continue to ignore their views. For the rest of us, with no such built in loyalty, one of those fringe parties is an entirely viable choice. Working to make it more than that might be the best use of our time, too.
bobby b (July 28, 2022 at 10:27 pm), you guys have primaries; we don’t exactly have those.
By all means Paul, or whoever else has been involved in the selection of Tory parliamentary candidates, expand on this if they wish.
But those are my words of wisdom for general elections. We have some primaries, and some caucuses, and some candidates are chosen in town meetings, and I’d have different words of wisdom for each of those venues.
I’m mostly saying that, if you’re left casting a protest vote in a general, you’ve already failed, and need to do better next time. Declare your protests intramurally, before the general.