'The average British voter doesn’t want radical social upheaval: they want cheaper housing and energy costs, greater civility and less crime, better public services, and effective border controls – and they know that the current system isn’t delivering these things.'
Another cracker Ed, thank you. Notwithstanding the case for Jenrick being strong, alas Kemi isn't up to the job and so I couldn't vote for her anyway. She was a lazy minister and hardly bothered to engage with MPs or members prior to the contest. Jenrick however spent the election campaign giving his time to other MPs fighting in marginals and mucking in. KB was nowhere to be seen. Leader of the Opposition is hard work and we need a candidate who is willing to to put in the graft.
Jenrick is alert to, and professes to want to address the fact that the British state/government has been broken and hamstrung by Blair and Brown's constitutional changes (which no one did anything about in 14 years) and the legal challenges and caselaw which undermine the will of an elected government.
As just one example of how dysfunctional the country is and how the Human Rights Act undermines common sense, my good friend is very senior officer in a large London Borough's housing department. When I meet up with him he tells me about how the Home Office fill up the local hotels in his borough (and neighbouring boroughs, and further afield) with the latest batch of illegal immigrants, then after a period of time pass the buck to the council for finding them further/future accommodation. Since earlier in the year the HO has been 'fast tracking' the decisions on the immigration status of the illegals, with most of them being given 'leave to remain' as they all claim they come from countries that are on the accepted list for refugees. As soon as they are given leave to remain over comes the rest of the family, aunts and uncles all, and it is then the Council's statutory duty to find the whole (largely economically unproductive) family accommodation. It is madness. No doubt the state's limited resources are then spent on educating the children and treating elderly relatives on the NHS too. I think we just need a leader who understands the structural and legal problems that prevent Britain from being governed in any way effectively and who wants to address those problems, rather than 'more of the same' and just trying to manage the same broken system.
Yup, agree with this. I think Badenoch will win, partly due to so many immigration-sceptic members leaving the party over the past few years, but I'd rather Jenrick got it. He seems serious about the problem and appears to have the energy to take it on.
Re: Some are young people hoodwinked by peer propaganda or the tosh they've learned at school or on campus.
Or maybe Leftwing policy really is in their self interest. In every age of the world the young al;ways have a daunting climb to supplant their elders in positions of wealth and power so any politics that helps weaken the existing order may well make their climb easier.
The new leader needs to pass the 'would an average joe enjoy going for a pint with X'. yes its silly, but it is vital for the survival of centre right politics, vibes matter, a lot.
This idea of hard talking voters does not work, it makes your brand toxic and evil looking. Take Georgia Meloni, she passes the test, you cant possibly take anyone that took part in the 'she's a nazi fascist' seriously anymore. Talk normal, deliver radical practical right wing policies.
Example - Braverman dreaming of planes taking off to deportation camps., comes across as evil and weird, Meloni creating 'return hubs' for men only explaining through the lens of keeping woman safe, far more normal and you would seem odd for opposing it.
There isn't a perfect candidate in Britain, Cleverly passes the test, is funny and likable but he is far too left of what is needed. Kemi and Jenrick are far too suspicious of the media and pick weird, pointless battles, and neither carry enough charisma to succeed.
I think Charisma + good enough policy is enough to keep you fairly popular, unfortunately i donk think the Conservative party have a clear candidate for this.
Brilliant, these things are so radically left coded in Britain I just don’t see something similar coming out of this country, baring sports or top gear agecent media I don’t see where a new figure can emerge, but there really seems to be a lack of one, Farage and Boris are our only relevant examples today, but one wonders whether they would break through if they started in todays climate
I'm American but I'm familiar with Jenrick due a contretemps that featured prominently on Twitter for a while, namely that the poor guy seems to have stated something suggesting that the English are a distinct ethnic group, which judging from the reactions seems to be a big no-no in certain circles.
Just out of curiosity, is the view that the English are not a distinct ethno-cultural group or even "do not exist" (have seen the latter many times online) actually a truly popular view in the UK, or is this just a narrow metropolitan liberal thing? As an Anglophile I was taken aback by it.
It was surrounding the issue you can see in this search result. He said "English identity" and at the time I saw a lot of people on Twitter and elsewhere talking about how the English aren't even a thing ackshually. Was strange.
I was wondering what share of the UK population actually think this. I mean, is this something that a random Brit on the street thinks? To me it seemed to be a "how many fingers am I holding up, Winston?" type situation almost.
Telling people that their ethno-linguistic group doesn't even exist strikes me as an *incredibly* aggressive, hostile, even imperialistic act.
I can understand why people say there's no US American ethnos, though I don't entirely agree with that. I can see saying there is no British ethos. But no English? Another addition to my mental drawer for the Totally Absurd Masquerading As Profound Thought.
I don’t know any person who, after having a relationship with someone who had continually betrayed them for 14 years in the most egregious fashion, would keep giving that person yet another chance, especially when there was a much better alternative making overtures in the wings.
If that person did give their deceitful partner yet another chance, I think most people’s reaction would be sheer incredulity and a sense that they deserve everything coming their way.
All of this is irrelevant because Jenrick will lack sufficient personal appeal to succeed. He doesn’t have the necessary charisma and comes across in a similar way to Ed Miliband/JD Vance. It’s superficial but that’s life.
I joined the Tories when I realised Truss wouldn't last so I could vote for the next leader, but left again when this election had already been called as I didn't believe Jenrick (who I would have voted for) would be able to get the parliamentary party to support him in leaving the ECHR. Now I'm not so sure - I sense movement on the crazy pursuit of Net Zero for instance.
A cracker of a post Ed, but I fear the Tories will still want to play the SW1 game of journalistic intrigue than actually want to change the country. Bring on Dominic Cummings Start Up Party
Does Mr West know who coined the term Anarcho-Tyranny? It is the second time he has cited the idea. I too was attracted by the clarity and utility of the concept, until I discovered the mind it came from. I have been a bit wary of it ever since.
I'm not one for guilt by association, an idea may stand or fall on its own merit, but there is no question that Sam Francis is undoubtedly a radical white-nationalist.
IMO the term is drama queenish. I've lived in an American city-- Baltimore-- full of crime and corruption but it was a long, long, LONG way from anarchy still. In fact, the word "entropy" is probably a better description. Likewise in the US "tyranny" is a gross exaggeration.
Good piece, but I disagree with your comment about Blue wall not wanting Brexit. Redwall were definitely Brexit positive, because they actually appreciate their culture and want it preserved. How can anyone - Conservative or otherwise - turn around this enormous globalist movement to destroy liberal democracies from within, and restore some semblance of decision making to Parliament and MPs? It doesn't seem possible. Canada is similar; America is broken (more an internal / national thing than an international push; debatable); and here in NZ, we've just got a new right wing government but the progressives are all still in power for various departments and pushing their far left agenda without fear (or media push-back); Luxon is turning out to be a globalist stooge as well. Tough to see a way through this.
Depressing and fair, as usual. I think we are going through a strange phase of social adjustment. You describe a society weakened by system failure, you can see the effects but working out the causes will take longer. The paradox is that we have all the wonders of modern IT and yet it feels that everything takes longer, if it works at all. I expect we take for granted the things that work well - the internet, Amazon - which shows up the things that don’t work. Why does the post arrive later and later when the Victorians could manage two daily deliveries in London? Maybe the modern world is too complicated? We don’t have enough clever and capable people to get things done. We have taken progress, credit, the advertisers’ promises all for granted, assuming that life will get better and better for less and less effort. We have assumed that all will have prizes and no one should come last. We have taken on a massive debt burden which is out of sight but also a weight that slows us all down. We have lost our sense of collective duty, no longer are we striving for the good of society, but for ourselves, symbolized perfectly by the new government being so keen on ‘free’ concert tickets.
Not sure where it all ends or whether any politician will be honest about where we are and that we can’t afford to pretend that we are a top dog nation. Leaving the ECHR, as with Brexit, will make no difference, we can gum our own courts with our own laws quite happily. So what happens next?
'The average British voter doesn’t want radical social upheaval: they want cheaper housing and energy costs, greater civility and less crime, better public services, and effective border controls – and they know that the current system isn’t delivering these things.'
Absolutely
Another cracker Ed, thank you. Notwithstanding the case for Jenrick being strong, alas Kemi isn't up to the job and so I couldn't vote for her anyway. She was a lazy minister and hardly bothered to engage with MPs or members prior to the contest. Jenrick however spent the election campaign giving his time to other MPs fighting in marginals and mucking in. KB was nowhere to be seen. Leader of the Opposition is hard work and we need a candidate who is willing to to put in the graft.
Jenrick is alert to, and professes to want to address the fact that the British state/government has been broken and hamstrung by Blair and Brown's constitutional changes (which no one did anything about in 14 years) and the legal challenges and caselaw which undermine the will of an elected government.
As just one example of how dysfunctional the country is and how the Human Rights Act undermines common sense, my good friend is very senior officer in a large London Borough's housing department. When I meet up with him he tells me about how the Home Office fill up the local hotels in his borough (and neighbouring boroughs, and further afield) with the latest batch of illegal immigrants, then after a period of time pass the buck to the council for finding them further/future accommodation. Since earlier in the year the HO has been 'fast tracking' the decisions on the immigration status of the illegals, with most of them being given 'leave to remain' as they all claim they come from countries that are on the accepted list for refugees. As soon as they are given leave to remain over comes the rest of the family, aunts and uncles all, and it is then the Council's statutory duty to find the whole (largely economically unproductive) family accommodation. It is madness. No doubt the state's limited resources are then spent on educating the children and treating elderly relatives on the NHS too. I think we just need a leader who understands the structural and legal problems that prevent Britain from being governed in any way effectively and who wants to address those problems, rather than 'more of the same' and just trying to manage the same broken system.
See Pimilco Substack on KB. Before reading I was not unconvinced
Sorry, I'm hopeless and can't find it - please could you send a link and I will have a read.
This one maybe? https://www.pimlicojournal.co.uk/p/newsletter-1-kemi-badenoch-meltdown
Thank you Ed, quite a take down. I have subscribed to the substack too.
Yup, agree with this. I think Badenoch will win, partly due to so many immigration-sceptic members leaving the party over the past few years, but I'd rather Jenrick got it. He seems serious about the problem and appears to have the energy to take it on.
It has to be Jenrick. The only hope we have, and it isn't much, is to have a Tory leader who is happy to be despised by half of the electorate.
Yeah, I think that's right. It's interesting that his position on immigration is actually a fair bit harder than Reform's.
As is necessary
Face facts - much of the electorate is on the side of The Enemy.
Some are young people hoodwinked by peer propaganda or the tosh they've learned at school or on campus.
Others are immigrants who belong to ethnic groups who hate Britain in whole or in part.
Many in the white-collar public sector and the unis are racketeers with a vested interest in progressivism.
While many on the Right still worship Money to the exclusion of all else.
And so it goes on.
Most of these supporters of The Enemy can be restored to sanity and goodwill only by grave discomfort or outright suffering.
Which are coming fairly - perhaps very - soon, as Britain and the West melt down.
Re: Some are young people hoodwinked by peer propaganda or the tosh they've learned at school or on campus.
Or maybe Leftwing policy really is in their self interest. In every age of the world the young al;ways have a daunting climb to supplant their elders in positions of wealth and power so any politics that helps weaken the existing order may well make their climb easier.
The new leader needs to pass the 'would an average joe enjoy going for a pint with X'. yes its silly, but it is vital for the survival of centre right politics, vibes matter, a lot.
This idea of hard talking voters does not work, it makes your brand toxic and evil looking. Take Georgia Meloni, she passes the test, you cant possibly take anyone that took part in the 'she's a nazi fascist' seriously anymore. Talk normal, deliver radical practical right wing policies.
Example - Braverman dreaming of planes taking off to deportation camps., comes across as evil and weird, Meloni creating 'return hubs' for men only explaining through the lens of keeping woman safe, far more normal and you would seem odd for opposing it.
There isn't a perfect candidate in Britain, Cleverly passes the test, is funny and likable but he is far too left of what is needed. Kemi and Jenrick are far too suspicious of the media and pick weird, pointless battles, and neither carry enough charisma to succeed.
I think Charisma + good enough policy is enough to keep you fairly popular, unfortunately i donk think the Conservative party have a clear candidate for this.
Meloni also used to take part in Lord of the Rings themed weekends - some might say the ideal woman.
Brilliant, these things are so radically left coded in Britain I just don’t see something similar coming out of this country, baring sports or top gear agecent media I don’t see where a new figure can emerge, but there really seems to be a lack of one, Farage and Boris are our only relevant examples today, but one wonders whether they would break through if they started in todays climate
I'm American but I'm familiar with Jenrick due a contretemps that featured prominently on Twitter for a while, namely that the poor guy seems to have stated something suggesting that the English are a distinct ethnic group, which judging from the reactions seems to be a big no-no in certain circles.
Just out of curiosity, is the view that the English are not a distinct ethno-cultural group or even "do not exist" (have seen the latter many times online) actually a truly popular view in the UK, or is this just a narrow metropolitan liberal thing? As an Anglophile I was taken aback by it.
I don't remember that.
no, it's not popular. Yes, it's obviously untrue. Yes, it's become widespread through to pressure and public shaming.
It was surrounding the issue you can see in this search result. He said "English identity" and at the time I saw a lot of people on Twitter and elsewhere talking about how the English aren't even a thing ackshually. Was strange.
https://www.google.com/search?q=jenrick+english+identity
I was wondering what share of the UK population actually think this. I mean, is this something that a random Brit on the street thinks? To me it seemed to be a "how many fingers am I holding up, Winston?" type situation almost.
Telling people that their ethno-linguistic group doesn't even exist strikes me as an *incredibly* aggressive, hostile, even imperialistic act.
I can understand why people say there's no US American ethnos, though I don't entirely agree with that. I can see saying there is no British ethos. But no English? Another addition to my mental drawer for the Totally Absurd Masquerading As Profound Thought.
I don’t know any person who, after having a relationship with someone who had continually betrayed them for 14 years in the most egregious fashion, would keep giving that person yet another chance, especially when there was a much better alternative making overtures in the wings.
If that person did give their deceitful partner yet another chance, I think most people’s reaction would be sheer incredulity and a sense that they deserve everything coming their way.
All of this is irrelevant because Jenrick will lack sufficient personal appeal to succeed. He doesn’t have the necessary charisma and comes across in a similar way to Ed Miliband/JD Vance. It’s superficial but that’s life.
Did you know Serbia of all places is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe right now?!:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a6AB_5E1TQk&t=491s&pp=2AHrA5ACAcoFFlNlcmJpYSBlY29ub21pYy5ncm93dGg%3D
The old Slavic brothers with Russia principle that helped spread World War I beyond the Balkans is alive and mutually beneficial today.
and didn't that turn out great for everyone ;)
I joined the Tories when I realised Truss wouldn't last so I could vote for the next leader, but left again when this election had already been called as I didn't believe Jenrick (who I would have voted for) would be able to get the parliamentary party to support him in leaving the ECHR. Now I'm not so sure - I sense movement on the crazy pursuit of Net Zero for instance.
A cracker of a post Ed, but I fear the Tories will still want to play the SW1 game of journalistic intrigue than actually want to change the country. Bring on Dominic Cummings Start Up Party
Does Mr West know who coined the term Anarcho-Tyranny? It is the second time he has cited the idea. I too was attracted by the clarity and utility of the concept, until I discovered the mind it came from. I have been a bit wary of it ever since.
I think it was Sam Francis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Francis_(writer)
Yes, indeed.
I'm not one for guilt by association, an idea may stand or fall on its own merit, but there is no question that Sam Francis is undoubtedly a radical white-nationalist.
IMO the term is drama queenish. I've lived in an American city-- Baltimore-- full of crime and corruption but it was a long, long, LONG way from anarchy still. In fact, the word "entropy" is probably a better description. Likewise in the US "tyranny" is a gross exaggeration.
Good piece, but I disagree with your comment about Blue wall not wanting Brexit. Redwall were definitely Brexit positive, because they actually appreciate their culture and want it preserved. How can anyone - Conservative or otherwise - turn around this enormous globalist movement to destroy liberal democracies from within, and restore some semblance of decision making to Parliament and MPs? It doesn't seem possible. Canada is similar; America is broken (more an internal / national thing than an international push; debatable); and here in NZ, we've just got a new right wing government but the progressives are all still in power for various departments and pushing their far left agenda without fear (or media push-back); Luxon is turning out to be a globalist stooge as well. Tough to see a way through this.
Depressing and fair, as usual. I think we are going through a strange phase of social adjustment. You describe a society weakened by system failure, you can see the effects but working out the causes will take longer. The paradox is that we have all the wonders of modern IT and yet it feels that everything takes longer, if it works at all. I expect we take for granted the things that work well - the internet, Amazon - which shows up the things that don’t work. Why does the post arrive later and later when the Victorians could manage two daily deliveries in London? Maybe the modern world is too complicated? We don’t have enough clever and capable people to get things done. We have taken progress, credit, the advertisers’ promises all for granted, assuming that life will get better and better for less and less effort. We have assumed that all will have prizes and no one should come last. We have taken on a massive debt burden which is out of sight but also a weight that slows us all down. We have lost our sense of collective duty, no longer are we striving for the good of society, but for ourselves, symbolized perfectly by the new government being so keen on ‘free’ concert tickets.
Not sure where it all ends or whether any politician will be honest about where we are and that we can’t afford to pretend that we are a top dog nation. Leaving the ECHR, as with Brexit, will make no difference, we can gum our own courts with our own laws quite happily. So what happens next?
'In many cases, they lack the social permission to vote for Right-leaning parties'
Nowadays I find I hate lots of people, including people who are too timid to vote for the party that best represents their views.
'people’s voting choices often don’t match their worldview'
How peculiar. Are they confused about what the different parties stand for? Are they confused about what they themselves want?