There will soon come a moment, if it isn’t reached already, when Conservatives fear losing an election less than they crave release from government. The shift is not always perceptible. Disheartened MPs quit quietly, letting their more pugnacious colleagues fill the airwaves, and even many defeatists put up some kind of fight out of collegiate solidarity and automatous partisanship.
In Downing Street, sustained failure generates the bunker mentality that is essential as a defence against despair. Marching resolutely towards defeat requires a dogged faith that the right policy, the right speech and a few lucky accidents can turn things around.
