The political depravity of Boris Johnson has hit new depths; if that was remotely imaginable. After trashing the Conservative brand, the constitution and giving us the Edward Munchian horror of Liz Truss, whose Brexit negotiations were once described by an official as a ‘mad woman running through the streets with a gun’, we hear that he is on manoeuvres. In reality he is just on reconnaissance to see if there is likelihood of the ball coming out of the scrum.
There is probably only one cure for the collective madness that has gripped the Conservative Party since David Cameron resigned and that is to insist that every single one of them watches Ground Hog Day on a loop for a month. Perhaps then they might get an inkling what needs to be done. They must atone for their selfish venality before they can be listened to. Before they can become serious. Instant fixes just won’t work. Reams of policy documents which haven’t been thought through will back fire. The good ideas will be snapped up by the government and the bad ones destroyed by the Treasury. I have almost given up telling the the swivel eyed Kemi-must-goers that Margaret Thatcher spent the first three years building bridges and didn’t issue a serious set of policies until Chris Patten’s Right Approach to the economy. The first two years of an opposition leader has to me mood music.
But the Tory party membership are in a hurry. They want instant results. Three knock out blows a week from the leader. Chasing headlines. Screaming into the wind. It will keep them happy but the millions of people who really want to vote Conservative just can’t while we are in his awful divisive echo chamber. I had a depressing conversation a couple of weeks ago with a senior back bencher who told me that he thought Jenrick was pretty useless but that he would vote for him because he is vocal. And that it is what we have come to. And the conservatives want to get elected?
All the political parties are just terrified of Farage. Reform is just another host body for him. Without him Reform is nothing. Without him Reform will wither and die. There really is nobody who has the communication skills, the charm and the political antennae to match him. Anywhere. But his problems are just beginning. He is way ahead in the polls and there will be senior defections from Tories and Labour. It is just a matter of time before Suella Braverman joins up. Then God help him. It’s bad enough having that thoroughly nasty piece of work, ‘make them live in tents’ Andrea Jenkyns. But she is small fry. If you really want to find out about the breathtaking delusional ambition about this personification of malignancy read Tim Shipman’s OUT, or Simon Hart’s Ungovernable. If Nigel thinks Rupert Lowe is a problem just wait until Suella’s cloven hoofs trot into Reform. And don’t forget that Reform control a number of local authorities. The media can’t wait for the horror stories to emerge. And they will.
If Starmer thinks that he is safe with a massive majority he is delusional too. Number 10 must be furious with Angel Rayner for pretending to rule out running for the leadership. Worse, she omitted to say how much supported Starmer, rather it was ‘I am a hundred percent behind our Cabinet’. Most commentators see that the green shoots of dissent are begging to emerge.
So Kemi has everything to play for. But there is a nasty smell of treachery in the air. Senior former UKIPPERS like David Campbell Bannerman are feeding on the collective madness. And the membership? Well, they gave us Liz Truss.
The Conservative Party is on life support. If they are mad enough to get rid of Kemi it will be the end. Oh, and if anyone is mad enough to believe that Farage will do a deal they don’t know him. He was shafted by the Tories once before. He will neither forgive nor forget. He wants to take back control of his old party. The depressing thing is that many want him to.