The Conservative Right

[rhythmaning]

I can't quite get my head around the Conservatives' right-wing and their "alternative Queen's speech".

If they persuade their leadership to dump the coalition agreement, what do they hope to achieve?

Are they really seeing signs of a desire of the electorate for a shift to the right? That would explain why the Conservatives were trounced in the local elections by the Labour Party.

Or perhaps they are hoping to piss the LibDems off so much by going back on their agreed agenda that the coalition will fall. Leading to a general election. Which, on current views, Labour would walk.

Do they actually want to be in power?!

Comments

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

It had occurred to me that actually Cameron might be moving to the LibDems rather than the other way around - his conference speech about gay marriage, for instance, seemed very surprising coming from the mouth of a Conservative prime minister.

And you are right - the Tory backbenchers clearly don't feel they are in power: because they are having to vote for all these LibDem policies! The joys of coalition...!

BTW if you haven't seen this, it might amuse you (http://markreckons.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/coalition-negotiations-2015-play.html).

And this: Play the Tory Blame Game (http://liberalconspiracy.org/2012/05/08/play-the-tory-right-blame-game/).

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

Yes that did amuse me and I enjoyed the Tory Blame Game also. Commentators there are right. It needs a few more options. I’d maybe go d20 and mix it up a bit. Make the Today programme earn its keep by second guessing the bullshit.

Part of what’s going on with Cameron is I think generational. He’s the same age as MLW so I’m not surprised that he’s more progressive on issues like gender and sexuality. Perhaps not so much progressive as progressed.

Also, perhaps he is not entirely mad of Evil (sorry Gramps, I’ll say ten Clause 4’s and a Jerusalem before bed by way of penance.)

I think the Tory right are feeling impotent because the wings of their party have suddenly become much broader and the internal rules much more complex. Before coalition governments the Tory Right could threaten to unseat any leader they wanted to. Even a serving Prime Minister and it was formally an internal Conservative Party matter. Thatcher leaves, Major arrives. They might have a tussle with the Tory left but they would recognise the opposition as Tories and the number of people who would throw up their hands in disgust and say “I can’t work with this guy!” was small.

This time round the process to sack Cameron is more complex. It involves people for whom many members of the Tory Right are persona non grata as Leader of the Conservatives and ex officio Prime Minister. Effectively those who have a vote (or a veto) on the Tory leader include some left-wing Lib Dems who left the Labour Party because it became too right wing.

The risk isn’t just an ugly internal fight gets leaked to the public. The risk is the government falls.

So the Tory Right have limited credible options. They know their favoured candidate for Leader won’t be acceptable to the Lib Dems. Some of them may have accepted that they would get badly beaten at a general election in August. One of their few option is to dial up the volume.

It’s why toddlers have tantrums, they have so few other levers to pull.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

I think if I felt that impotent I would shut the fuck up because the risk of a tantrum would make it that much more apparent...!

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

I don't think they can afford not to be seen doing something. Silence might be seen as complicity.

So with no influence short of defecting to UKIP and no option to stay silent a tantrum is all that's left.