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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
John Crace

Finding Labour a bit dull? Fear not, the Tory fun factory is gearing up again

James Cleverly
First out of the blocks was Jimmy Dimly, a joke candidate in a comedy contest. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

Go on. Admit it. There’s a small part of you that’s missed the psychodramas. Not necessarily the existential angst of lying in bed each night wondering what fresh hell the government was going to unleash on us the following day. But certainly the infighting. For the last five years or so, watching the Tories implode with little help from the opposition parties had become one of the country’s favourite spectator sports.

The general election had put an end to that. Most of us had forgotten what serious government looked like. Ministers going about their business in a calm and capable manner. No major crises. No meltdowns. Even seven Labour MPs losing the whip over the two-child benefit cap blew over in a matter of 24 hours. Hardly a ripple.

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