Every party in trouble prays for the same miracle, which is amnesia. The Conservative Party’s entire strategy for the next four years rests on the hope that the British people will misremember the last fourteen. Kemi Badenoch has said as much, remarking that it is unhelpful to churn over every incident of those years. Unhelpful to whom, one might ask. Yesterday Reform UK answered her with a website, and I want to spend a few paragraphs telling you why donotforget.co.uk matters rather more than a campaign microsite usually does.
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Samizdata quote of the day – Don’t let the Tories pretend they were not responsible for where we areJuly 8th, 2026 |
 17 comments to Samizdata quote of the day – Don’t let the Tories pretend they were not responsible for where we areLeave a Reply |
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It’s not so much a case of the whories pretending they are not responsible, it’s how many poor misguided fools might believe them!
If that is the strategy it is a mistake – only by understanding WHY ministers such as Jacob Rees-Mogg and Kemi Badenoch herself, and Prime Ministers such as Liz Truss, were defeated (and they were defeated) by the officials and experts, can there be any hope of future victory – not just for Conservatives, but also for Reform and Restore.
For example, former Prime Minister Liz Truss has important, and true, things to say about the power (the destructive power) of officials and experts – how the entire system of governance had developed in such as way that democracy has become, in large part, an illusion – with elected governments in office, but not, really, in power.
But is Kemi Badenoch listening? Indeed is Gawain Towler and Reform listening? Or are they both clinging to the false assumption that elected politicians are actually in power?
It makes little difference if the Conservatives, Reform or Restore are elected – if (if) real power remains with officials and “experts”.
We must also not assume that the right (in any form) will be elected.
For example, the Kettering area is historically right of center – and it is in the middle of England, very much “average England”.
Yet the split in voting in local council by-elections is only 55% for the right and 45% for the left – and as the left unite around one candidate (the Liberal Democrat in Burton Latimer, the Green in Hanwood Park) and the right is split between the Conservatives and Reform (with Reform actually doing badly – due to over promising in the 2025 Unitary Authority elections – they did not understand that at local, as well as national, level – elected-politicians-have-very-limited-powers), the left wins.
The left won in Burton Latimer, the left won in Hanwood Park – and if the right remains split, the left will continue to win.
In short – neither the Conservatives or the Reform Party (or Restore – the local Restore Party is based only a few hundred yards from me) will have a chance to get rid of the Bank of England and the Civil Service, and the Guardian reading judiciary – because they-will-not-win-a-General-Election.
The left will form a pact – unofficial but very real, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens will work together – locally, de facto, they already are.
So if the Conservatives, Reform and Restore continue to fight like rats in a sack – the left will win.
It is astonishing to me that the left, with their demands for even more government spending and regulations – and their vicious antisemitism (“you would be upset about that Paul” – yes I plead guilty to self interest on that one) are getting around 45% of the vote in nice places such as the Sir Ed “Genocide” Davey supporter who won in Burton Latimer – they should be getting no votes at all, but they are getting almost half the vote.
It is astonishing and horrible, but it is a fact – and it is time that the Conservatives, Reform and Restore woke up to this fact, and stopped fighting each other.
If the right remain split, the left, which is already operating a de facto pact, will win.
Reform are acutely aware why Truss failed, why Mogg failed. They know who the enemy are: the same Deep State that’s trying to destroy Reform right now. And why’s the Deep State trying to do that? Because they know that Reform knows who the enemy are, making Reform not just a different flavour of the same old same old but rather an “existential threat” (as Perry has been saying on X repeatedly).
Thomas Fairfax – I hope you (and Perry) are correct on this matter Sir.
At local government level (for example North and West Northamptonshire Unitary Authorities) you are, sadly, not correct – the big promises made last year (at the council elections) were a great mistake – and the authorities remain as controlled by officials and “independent trusts” as they were before (indeed, perhaps even more so).
Although there are a few positive signs at the Parish (the “lowest” level of local government) level – as is often pointed out to me, the only two councilors who voted against the big increase in the Parish Council (Barton Seagrave Parish) precept were myself and the sole Reform Party Councillor (an ex Conservative), I do not deny that – although the Parish level makes up a tiny proportion of the overall tax burden of local government.
However, control of Parliament would be a very different thing – at least in theory, Parliament could abolish the officials (go back to ministers hiring and firing the staff) and “independent bodies” – such as the Bank of England, or at least reduce their powers.
I shall just stop by to say that it is not five minutes ago that the Conservative Party had a HoC majority of 80-odd and did sweet FA to take back control of the country from these experts and advisors. “That nasty big boy shouted at me, Miss when I forgot my homework!” “Yes, and you’re fired. Clear your desk and be gone. This fierce looking gentleman will escort you off the premises.” It’s not difficult. Just how much of a majority do they require?
The people think – if I may pompously presume to represent them all for a few moments – that the Conservatives are not really conservative. And they are right. And therefore, Paul, this co-operation that you recommend would be a fiction, a conceit, a sleight of hand to preserve this ruinous, squirming status quo. The Left will destroy itself – as it always does – but next time the Right had better be telling the truth or I fear that there will be trouble. We’re getting bored out here!
@Paul Marks: you appear to be under the delusion the Conservative Party is a party of the Right. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only is it a Left wing party, its a Left wing party that pretends to be a Right wing party in order to gain votes by deception. As such its actually worse than the overt left wing parties. At least they do what they say on the tin. Whatever the current Tory leader may prattle on about, 14 years of Tory governments from 2010 to 2024 (of which she was a significant part) should have taught you what the true Tory ideology is.
Just a thought. If both Labour and Tories are run by the Deep State [and I will not argue the truth of that or that we don’t have our own version], there is the matter of your administrative censorship decrees and imprisonment without trial. Both Potemkin sides will cooperate in a) shutting down the dontforget.co.uk site and b) locking up those connected with it if they are making inroads against them.
I have been watching brit podcasts of late and one consistent point made and stated is, “I can’t say that or I will be put in jail.”. It even turns up in podcasts covering the brit tourists here for the World Cup and their encounters and surprise about aspects of everyday American life. Their surprise and shock at the differences between reality and what they are told at home are amusing from our side. It does not sound like a free country under the rule of laws made with the consent of the governed. YMMV
Remember, we do have freedom of expression here.
Browns constitution act 2010 was utter bs. Our civil service is highly biased. Any government can create a law that gives them the power to sack permanent secretaries or other civil service staff.
I dont think normal employment rights should apply to certain civil servants. It doesn’t to MPs or governments. Governments need the civil service to enact democratic decisions. If they fail to do so, they need to go. The clue is in their title. “Servants”.
I dont hold to the shrugging by many who appear to think elected governments are powerless. Apologists for the Not Conservative party.
Jim – I was talking about individuals not parties, in Britain we vote for individual candidates.
And I have seen no evidence that Reform Party people are more on the right that Conservative Party people – indeed the Conservatives who went over to Reform in Northamptonshire were not particularly right wing, they went over to save-their-seats. Certainly there has been no real change in policy – other than taking down the Ukrainian flag from public buildings.
Stuart Noyes – in theory Parliament can indeed repeal any statute – but it rarely does, as Parliament is controlled by the government of the day – and what ministers see and hear, indeed the world they live in, is totally controlled by officials and “experts”.
“Apologists for the Conservative Party” – it would be news to Central Office that I am an “apologist”, they have a rather different opinion of me (to put the matter lightly).
Where is your evidence that Nigel Farage or Richard Tice would follow different policies – many of their public statements indicate that they accept the establishment line on key matters, such as demographic change. Although the establishment hates them anyway – in spite of this acceptance that we “must not alienate the Islamic community” and so on. We are certainly not dealing with Tommy Robinson or Rupert Lowe here.
Indeed where is the evidence that you, or any other hopeful person here, has been involved in public life at all? What is your own record of getting things done – of changing policy, if it is so easy to do – why have you not done it, at least at the level of your local council.
Sitting in an arm chair and saying that it would have been so easy, for example, Jacob Rees-Mogg to get things done – and the fact that he did not proves he and others are the “Not Conservative Party”, is one thing.
But have you done anything else apart from being an arm chair critic?
A genuine question – as perhaps you have reduced the Council Tax or whatever.
What makes you think you could do better than, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Liz Truss and the rest?
Reform aren’t nobbled from the start by people who are happy for the civil service to remain in power. It’s not that Reform people are better, heavens no, it’s that Reform aren’t culturally predisposed to preventing real change.
The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected.
– G. K. Chesterton
Yes Perry – G.K. Chesterton had a point (to some extent), as Evelyn Waugh put it (when asked why he did not vote) “the Conservative Party has never put a clock back by a second” – a bit unfair, but with some truth in it.
As a Conservative academic put it to me (opposing my “reactionary” opinions – which meant that I would not be awarded a doctorate, although I was not failed either – just left-in-limbo-for-life – perfectly lawful, as personally decided by Lord Irvine – Lord Chancellor of England and Wales at the time, so much for the Court of Chancery being abolished in 1875), “history has no reverse gear”.
“History has no reverse gear” – and may everyone who says that, with approval, burn-in-Hell.
“Where is your evidence that Nigel Farage or Richard Tice would follow different policies”
We have none other than their saying that they will.
We have 30 odd years of hard evidence of tory treachery and deceit.
The choice is not that difficult!
That reform – or whoever (Restore even) – may have to do a deal with the cancerous tory sewer is a distinct possibility. Not a pleasant thought but a likely necessity.
Paul Marks – “What makes you think you could do better than, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Liz Truss and the rest?”
An HoC majority of 80, Paul. We voted for it. That’s what we did. And you lot did nothing. Again! I know that it is upsetting but the Conservative Party has been part of the problem since Maggie frightened them by trying and they put Major in charge. It was like something out of Dad’s Army. The bloody Cones Hotline!?
Alas, now, even you, Sir, are part of the problem. You say that you are powerless. OK. We’ll look for somebody who doesn’t think that and who will at least try.
And btw, in a small way, I have worked in the public sector and I have got rid of obstructive wastrels. A few. Too few. And some time ago now. But it is possible.
mongoose – you have not answered my question.
But I praise what you have personally done – that can not have been easy.
As for “look for somebody who does not think that” – so what are you suggesting Sir, that, for example, I do not just vote against an increase in the Council Tax precept in the Parish, but, instead, go in with a firearm and threaten people?
As for Unitary Authority level – both North and West Northamptonshire have followed your advice and “looked for someone else” – and the Council Tax has gone up just-the-same.
I have already pointed this out (multiple times) – but you persist with the delusion that voting for some other political party (say the Reform Party) will change things.
How will it change things? Where is the evidence that they have done anything other than take down Ukrainian flags?
Council spending on Adult Social Care and Children’s Services continues to rise under the Reform Party – so the Council Tax continues to rise at the maximum permitted rate.
And it is much the same at national government level.
Your idea of “well I will vote for someone else” just does not work, it ignores the reality of a society in decline, systematic (system) decline.
Unless the basic system, structure, is changed – life will continue to decline.