The meltdown of Britain's Tory party

The emperor has no clothes. Labour is now wearing them instead

Gazing with our hands over our ears at the agonising meltdown of Britain’s Tory party feels a bit like being in a pantomime audience that shouts in unison at the hapless hero occupying the front of the stage, “Look behiiiiind you!!”

For coming up right behind the Tories, who are oblivious to everything but the trap into which they have walked themselves and in which they are now fruitlessly writhing, is the Labour party dressed in conservative costume — while the Conservative party, like the fabled emperor, is actually wearing no clothes at all.

For it is Labour — yes, anti-Brexit, universalist, socially libertarian Labour — that is now passing itself off as a conservative party.  And as such — unless the Tories realise why this  has happened, rapidly ditch their torn political fig-leaves and snatch their clothes back (no chance) — Labour is on course to win the next general election hands down.

For those unfamiliar with British politics, or the state of conservatism on both sides of the Atlantic, or who think there is a (to coin a phrase) binary choice between left and right, big and small state, universalists and patriots, let’s get a few key things straight. 

Neither Britain’s Conservative party nor America’s Republican party is currently conservative. Purporting to be so, they are actually both split between “free-market liberals” (or economic libertarians) and redistributive universalists who coyly (and deniably) cling to the coat-tails of the left. 

These are Conservatives or Republicans In Name Only. That is to say, they don’t conserve; instead, they destroy.