In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the prince laments his sense that the world is out of joint, and he must “set it right”. That sense of responsibility and frustration similarly looms over the Conservative conference in Birmingham. The party is struggling to come to terms with its worst electoral result since its foundation in 1834. The turn to market fundamentalism and away from a social conscience has prevented the emergence of a modern, progressive Conservatism. The four candidates for Conservative leader are weighed down by the party’s revered past and yearn, in different ways, to return to it.
In their arguments can be found a hankering for a smaller state and a meaner country that is indifferent to its changing social complexion. The quartet may be playing to the gallery, hoping to pick up enough votes among MPs to get into a runoff when Tory party members will have the final say. But this is limiting the party’s appeal. The future lies in what is new. Ideas for change ought to be judged in terms of their plausibility and persuasiveness, not for whether they draw reactionary applause.
