Geoffrey Wheatcroft has published a new book on the history and decline of the Tory Party. He has predicted this before but Bloody Panico (Verso, May 2024) hits the zeitgeist.
The Tories were reduced to 121 seats on July 4th with a range of well known Tory MPs losing their seats. Whatever the view on Starmer there was a cause for brief celebration on July 5th, as there was on 2nd May 1997 when Blair came to Office.
Wheatcroft’s book underlines that the Tories are the architects of their own destruction. What comes next on the right and far right of politics is concerning. The Tory Conference from 29th September in Birmingham may have pointers to how concerning.
A striking extract from Wheatcroft’s book:
Lord Salisbury, Stanley Baldwin,Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher each led the Conservatives for roughly fifteen years. In the thirty three years since the fall of Thatcher the Tories have had nine leaders including five Prime Ministers in the space of seven years..2022 will be remembered as the year of two monarchs and three prime ministers, not to mention four chancellors of the exchequer, five education secretaries and more than thirty resignations from Government.
Strong and stable it has not been
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