Broad political consensus is something the Conservatives appear to have lost. Recent trends for other center-right parties across Europe suggest they aren’t alone.
Nico FitzRoy is a political and economic analyst. He previously
worked at the Economist Intelligence Unit and at G4S Risk Consulting.
How do you win a majority in the United Kingdom? Keep it simple and
appeal to as many people as you can — something Brexiteers managed to do
with real success.
The slogan “Take back control” had broad-based appeal. Did it mean
regaining sovereignty over borders to reduce immigration? Did it mean
regaining sovereignty from European bureaucrats to deregulate the
economy? Did it mean regaining a sense of national identity? Well, that
was up to you. The same goes for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s
2019 “Get Brexit done” electoral victory. In both cases, the contentious
details were left for another day.
The vague slogans have now run out of road, however, and they have
given way to deep divisions. Some policy arguments during former Prime
Minister Liz Truss’ recent but brief premiership are particularly
revealing of these splits, notably her reported clash over immigration with Suella Braverman, who has now been reappointed
as home secretary. Truss wanted to increase immigration to stimulate
growth; Braverman wanted to reduce immigration in line with perceived
voter demands. And regardless of the change in leadership, this is one
of several divisions that will be difficult for the Tories to reconcile.
The danger for the Conservatives is greater than just a landslide
general election defeat. Broad political consensus is something they
appear to have lost, and recent trends for other center-right parties
across Europe suggest they aren’t alone.
Following the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis, there was
well-documented disruption to the traditional left-right political
spectrum in European politics, cross-fractured by another divide based
loosely on voters’ level of antipathy toward the impact of globalization
— migration, low wages, outsourcing, supranational bodies. Several
traditional center-right parties in Western Europe have been hobbled by
these changes. ...
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