Iain Murray, writing in National Review Online, examines the British Conservative Party leadership race and comes up with a strategy for victory. Certain of our fellow-bloggers may have some comments on this.
Reading it, one tactical thought comes to me: Tony Blair greatly improved his position in the Labour Party leadership race by his famous pact with then-rival Gordon Brown to give him the Number Two slot in power (the Chancellorship) in return for support, and eventually to turn the reins oveer to him. Although that pact is now fraying around the edges, it has been one of the pillars of the New Labour victory. Fox and Davis might well consider such a pact, particularly as it would serve to heal the rift between their supporters, who tend to be philosophically the same sort of people.
People interested in this topic might also want to look back at my conversation with Fox from last summer. (Scroll down to "Who Will be The British Lincoln?")
Posted by Jim Bennett at October 5, 2005 12:07 PMThis is definitely my last comment on that poxy leadership election. You can all carry on discussing it ad nauseam. But, having listened to all the leadership candidates (after a fashion) I have only one thing to say: there is no philosophy there at all. Therefore, the supporters, such as they are, cannot be philosophically the same sort of people. The news from the Conservative Party Conference is depressingly familiar: the whole campaign has degenerated into a stop Clarke one. We shall probably get someone not because he is any good, but because he is the only one who can stop Clarke. That's it guys. If Fox and Davis and whoever had spent less time giving interviews and pratting around in Washington and more time thinking of policies or just ideas, it might have been different.
Posted by: Helen at October 5, 2005 01:25 PMLiam Fox is the outsider. That fact means that he doesn't command any control over David Davis' campaign. To be honest, either of them would be entirely suitable as far as I am concerned (though Davis has more chance of winning an election IMHO).
Regardless, however, David Davis has already got enough pledges from MPs not to need to partner with anyone - the membership will vote on Davis or other.
Whether there is a rift to heal is also debateable...
Posted by: Gavin Ayling at October 5, 2005 07:19 PMThey've been trying to modernise the party continuously since 1990, and it has over and over again been an abject failure. Time to try something new!
Instead of modernizing, they should "ancientize" the party, returning to traditional Tory principles, in particular those of Lord Liverpool, which haven't been espoused since 1827, but were far more successful for Britain than any subsequent philosophy. This means a drastic cut in the size of government, a withdrawal from anything more than a free trade zone in Europe, a slamming down of the portcullis on immigration and a return of capital punishment. Such a policy would be hated by the media, but would meet with overwhelming support from the populace, being seen as a wholly new non-political approach to giving the people what they really want.
The ideal leader to do this is Lord Ancram, who would also restore the Lords veto and govern as Marquis of Lothian. Howard Flight would be Chancellor, Ian Duncan Smith Minister of Defense, William Hague Home Secretary and Norman Tebbitt Foreign Secretary.
At last a potential government team the British public could wholeheartedly support!
Posted by: Martin Hutchinson at October 6, 2005 10:32 PMAncram has given up his title and is extremely wet on most things. Absolutely hopeless on defence. Hague ought to be Chancellor. Tebbit is too old to be anything, which is a pity. Duncan Smith is now too deeply into compassionate conservatism, whish is also a pity, as he was a reasonable spokesman on defence. The talent pool is very shallow, indeed.
Posted by: Helen at October 7, 2005 11:14 AM