Welcome to the world of ‘what I meant was’
Giles Dilnot
What would be ideal, for all politicians including Farage, Burnham and Badenoch, is that what they say is what they meant, and in all honesty could be taken as meaning what they said. Honesty is becoming an increasingly valuable political commodity. Long may it remain so.
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The latest seats up for grabs for wannabe Tory candidates
Oliver Dean
It’s that time again. A few days defined by stress, ambition or frustration. I am, of course, referring to the latest tranche of seats that are to be contested.
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My verdict on Tory Party Conference is not, perhaps, what you’re expecting
David Gauke
Rebuilding support from affluent voters makes political sense. For it to succeed, however, greater emphasis on economic and fiscal credibility is needed which will require some political bravery on issues like the triple lock and EU relations. The party conference was a good start, but there is still a very long way to go.
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Andrew Gilligan
The lesson is clear: a little like the armed forces, you can survive in politics only as a team, not as individuals. Mercer and Francois, despite both having served in the Army, forgot this. The importance of discipline does, thankfully, appear to have been learned by the diminished remnants of the parliamentary party.
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Why is Burnham re-opening the Brexit debate?
Bob Seely
So, yes, of course we need to be mindful of disinformation campaigns from Russia and other states, especially given the centrality of its role in modern conflict. But we also need to be mindful of the lies peddled by our own government and other European leaders.
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Why won’t Khan speak out against the Government’s anti London cash grab?
Susan Hall
In fact, the Mayor has publicly backed the High Value Council Tax Surcharge, claiming it will mean “those with the broadest shoulders carrying the greatest burden”.
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Badenoch persuades Biggar and Tombs to contend that the British Empire was by no means all bad
Andrew Gimson
What a craving for certainty we have, how cheaply we can seem to attain this by imposing a simplistic and anachronistic morality (it was all bad, it was all good), and how deluded we are if we suppose that blinded by self-righteousness, we are able to see, let alone understand, the vast mosaic that was the British Empire.
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Kemi’s ‘Britannia Shield’ has a hole in it
Ted Jeffery
Kemi’s shield is optimistic, but sadly, at this stage it is little more than an undefined aspiration. A good headline and soundbite, but it leaves analysts with more questions than answers. Britain does need a shield. But the Tories need to tell us what it covers, who mans it and how they’ll pay for it.
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What does Ed Sheeran teach us about cancel culture?
Leonardo Fennell
But there is hope in the fact that this is not ultimately a problem belonging to the left or the right. If cancel culture grows from our tendency to see ourselves as morally righteous and our opponents as morally corrupt, then the corrective is available to everyone.
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No, the Young Conservatives do not have a woman problem
Amberley Thay
To assume that the Young Conservatives have a women problem is highly inaccurate. Come to a YC event, come to a hustings, come to a campaign day: us young women are everywhere, you just have to open your eyes.