The enemies of conservatism are characterised by Braverman, the ERG, Nigel Farage and those like Matt Goodwin more bothered about where someone went to school than whether they do their job well
Were you not in a recent post, praising Margaret Thatcher, who most would consider a radical?
And when the current policies (and the largest number of potential candidates to be put in charge) themselves radical, what use is sustaining the status quo?
We have at least three truly radical sets of events and policies happening in the last few years and ongoing in lockdowns and the COVID response, the push for net zero, and the significant demographic changes to the country. If you outright support these things then fine, but if not, then tinkering with which person runs some quango doesn't seem very effectual.
Great article. Completely agree re: effective adminstration and reversal of Blair era changes (though as you suggest, these started with Thatcher - the extent to which Thatcherism led to the increase of civil service power over elected officials and others perhaps underestimated because of the rhetoric? Union power was many things, but it was accountable to people not employed by the unions). Grey areas about reversing changes, though - not a sharp dividing line between doing so with the EU in 2016 and with the Nolan Principles now.
The commentary here (re whether Margaret Thatcher was a liberal, a conservative or a radical) will I think find this post sheds some light: https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/mrs-thatcher-and-the-good-life
Were you not in a recent post, praising Margaret Thatcher, who most would consider a radical?
And when the current policies (and the largest number of potential candidates to be put in charge) themselves radical, what use is sustaining the status quo?
We have at least three truly radical sets of events and policies happening in the last few years and ongoing in lockdowns and the COVID response, the push for net zero, and the significant demographic changes to the country. If you outright support these things then fine, but if not, then tinkering with which person runs some quango doesn't seem very effectual.
Great article. Completely agree re: effective adminstration and reversal of Blair era changes (though as you suggest, these started with Thatcher - the extent to which Thatcherism led to the increase of civil service power over elected officials and others perhaps underestimated because of the rhetoric? Union power was many things, but it was accountable to people not employed by the unions). Grey areas about reversing changes, though - not a sharp dividing line between doing so with the EU in 2016 and with the Nolan Principles now.
David Cameron and (thank goodness) an ever-decreasing share of the electorate.
I agree that substantive personnel change on the right will be wonderful when it eventually comes.