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On various occasions when Conservative leaders have seemed reasonably coherent superficially – and different periods where they have come across as wildly irrational, yet continued to be cherished by their party. This is not that situation. Kemi Badenoch left the crowd unmoved when she spoke at her conference, while she offered the provocative rhetoric of anti-immigration sentiment she assumed they wanted.

It’s not so much that they’d all woken up with a fresh awareness of humanity; rather they were skeptical she’d ever be in a position to implement it. Effectively, an imitation. The party dislikes such approaches. One senior Conservative was said to label it a “themed procession”: loud, vigorous, but ultimately a parting.

Coming Developments for this Party Having Strong Arguments to Make for Itself as the Most Accomplished Governing Force in the World?

Certain members are taking renewed consideration at one contender, who was a hard “no” at the beginning – but as things conclude, and other candidates has left. Some are fostering a interest around a newer MP, a young parliamentarian of the latest cohort, who presents as a traditional Conservative while wallpapering her online profiles with border-control messaging.

Might she become the leader to counter opposition forces, now leading the Tories by 20 points? Is there a word for beating your rivals by becoming exactly like them? Moreover, should one not exist, surely we could use an expression from combat sports?

If You’re Enjoying These Developments, in a Schadenfreude Way, in a Consequence-Based Way, That Is Understandable – Yet Totally Misguided

You don’t even have to consider overseas examples to understand this, or reference a prominent academic's groundbreaking study, Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy: all your cognitive processes is shouting it. Moderate conservatism is the key defense preventing the extremist factions.

The central argument is that democracies survive by keeping the “wealthy and influential” happy. Personally, I question this as an guiding tenet. It feels as though we’ve been keeping the privileged groups for decades, at the expense of other citizens, and they don't typically become quite happy enough to stop wanting to reduce support out of disability benefits.

Yet his research goes beyond conjecture, it’s an thorough historical examination into the pre-Nazi German National People’s Party during the interwar Germany (combined with the England's ruling party around the early 1900s). Once centrist parties becomes uncertain, as it begins to adopt the rhetoric and symbolic politics of the extremist elements, it cedes the steering wheel.

There Were Examples Comparable Behavior In the Referendum Aftermath

A key figure aligning with Steve Bannon was one particularly egregious example – but extremist sympathies has become so pronounced now as to overshadow all remaining Conservative messages. Where are the old-school Conservatives, who treasure predictability, tradition, legal frameworks, the pride of Britain on the world stage?

What happened to the reformers, who portrayed the country in terms of powerhouses, not powder kegs? To be clear, I wasn’t wild about either faction either, but it's remarkably noticeable how those worldviews – the inclusive conservative, the modernizing wing – have been eliminated, superseded by constant vilification: of newcomers, religious groups, welfare recipients and protesters.

Appear at Podiums to Music That Sounds Like the Opening Credits to the Television Drama

Emphasizing positions they oppose. They portray rallies by older demonstrators as “carnivals of hatred” and use flags – union flags, patriotic icons, any item featuring a vibrant national tones – as an clear provocation to anyone who doesn’t think that total cultural alignment is the highest ideal a human can aspire to.

There appears to be no any inherent moderation, encouraging reassessment with their own values, their traditional foundations, their own plan. Each incentive the Reform leader offers them, they pursue. Therefore, no, there's no pleasure to watch them implode. They’re taking democratic norms down with them.