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There have been times when party chiefs have seemed reasonably coherent superficially – and different periods where they have sounded animal crackers, yet remained popular by party loyalists. We are not in that situation. One prominent Conservative left the crowd unmoved when she addressed her conference, despite she presented the red meat of border-focused rhetoric she assumed they wanted.

The issue wasn't that they’d all arisen with a revived feeling of humanity; instead they lacked faith she’d ever be equipped to follow through. Effectively, a substitute. Conservatives despise that. A veteran Tory reportedly described it as a “themed procession”: boisterous, vigorous, but still a farewell.

Coming Developments for this Party That Can Reasonably Claim to Make for Itself as the Most Accomplished Political Organization in Modern Times?

Some are having a fresh look at a particular MP, who was a firm rejection at the start of the night – but as things conclude, and rivals has left. Another group is generating a excitement around a newer MP, a 34-year-old MP of the newest members, who presents as a traditional Conservative while saturating her social media with immigration-critical posts.

Could she be the standard-bearer to counter the rival party, now outpolling the Tories by a significant margin? Does a term exist for beating your rivals by mirroring their stance? Moreover, assuming no phrase fits, maybe we can borrow one from combat sports?

When Finding Satisfaction In These Developments, in a Schadenfreude Way, in a Just-Deserts Way, It's Comprehensible – But Completely Irrational

It isn't necessary to look at the US to understand this, or consult Daniel Ziblatt’s influential work, his analysis of political systems: your entire mental framework is screaming it. Centrist right-wing parties is the key defense against the far right.

The central argument is that representative governments persist by satisfying the “elite classes” happy. I have reservations as an fundamental rule. It feels as though we’ve been indulging the affluent and connected for decades, at the detriment of other citizens, and they don't typically become sufficiently content to cease desiring to reduce support out of social welfare.

Yet his research is not speculation, it’s an archival deep dive into the pre-Nazi German National People’s Party during the pre-war period (combined with the British Conservatives circa 1906). When the mainstream right falters in conviction, as it begins to pursue the terminology and symbolic politics of the far right, it hands them the control.

There Were Examples Some of This Throughout the EU Exit Process

A key figure associating with an influential advisor was a clear case – but extremist sympathies has become so pronounced now as to overshadow all remaining party narratives. Where are the established party members, who value predictability, conservation, the constitution, the pride of Britain on the international platform?

What happened to the modernisers, who described the nation in terms of powerhouses, not volatile situations? Don’t get me wrong, I didn't particularly support any of them either, but it’s absolutely striking how these ideologies – the broad-church approach, the modernizing wing – have been erased, superseded by ongoing scapegoating: of immigrants, religious groups, welfare recipients and activists.

Appear at Podiums to Music That Sounds Like the Theme Tune to Game of Thrones

While discussing issues they reject. They describe rallies by elderly peace activists as “carnivals of hatred” and use flags – British flags, Saint George’s flags, anything with a splash of matadorial colour – as an clear provocation to anyone who doesn’t think that complete national identity is the ultimate achievement a human can aspire to.

We observe an absence of any natural braking system, that prompts reflection with fundamental beliefs, their own hinterland, their stated objectives. Whatever provocation the political figure throws for them, they follow. Consequently, no, there's no pleasure to observe their collapse. They are pulling social cohesion into the abyss.