Alasdair Dow is an academic based in the United States.
In 1678, British conservatives came together to offer continuity in an ever-changing world – beginning with a passionate defence of the monarchy after its abolishment during the Cromwell era.
In this period, conservatives did not advocate for a return to absolute monarchy, instead sensibly seeking a constitutional monarchy which allowed the British people to elect a parliament and enjoy the stability a monarch brings.
The British Conservative Party is unique in history quite possibly in marrying tradition and reformation. The belief that change and tradition aren’t polar opposites is a uniquely British conservative ideal; it would baffle American conservatives in 2024, who have adopted a reactionary tradition.
This view can’t be accredited to the vision of any one individual; it is a natural result of a desire to beat the opposition, rather than build (to an abstract ideal) a better nation.
British conservatives believe in evolution of tradition, never its abandonment – the reverse of much but not all of the left wing reductive thinking, which is often set on destruction of the past to create the future.
Even opponents of British conservatism must marvel at its successes. The British monarchy’s survival, when in France, Germany, Russia and much of the world such ancient institutions disappeared, is testimony to it.
Conservatives believe that new ideas need not push out the old, but can instead build upon them – for example, a parliamentary democracy coexisting with a monarchy, a model so successful that it is replicated across the world.
The Conservative Party’s successes, as the goliath of British politics, has often shaped even the opposition, with Labour forced to be more pragmatic and constructive to win a hearing.
In 2024, the Tories may be in fact victims of their own success. Sir Keir Starmer’s vision, like Blairism, is in many ways a conservative-lite approach – delivering a very similar programme on many issues, but (in theory) by better means.
The conservative vision for Britain has never been rejected. Instead, our ability to deliver it has seemed lacking, so the public has turned to someone else who can do that for them: Labour.
Reform UK, on the other hand, is trying out a local tribute act to the more openly reactionary American style of conservatism. Yet however popular it might be across the Atlantic, experience suggests it backfires in office.
So now knowing this, how does British conservatism recover? Simply, it must conserve its essential spirit of continuity and reform. This very election could stave off disaster; by 2029 it could lead to a triumphant return to power.
Migration, the cost of living crisis, the National Health Service… these issues are prominent in the public mind, but each in itself isn’t central to the Conservative’s path to recovery. We have made progress on both the cost-of-living crisis and illegal crossings, via the Safety of Rwanda Act; the NHS needs reform, but that will likely be boring and technocratic, offering little to a frenzied media.
So, how does British conservatism come back? It must change the debate: a focus on crime, in particular, must be a top priority.
Shootings, stabbings and other violent crimes need to be ended as a moral obligation and our chance to reclaim the national trust, especially in London.
On the 1 March, three were injured by a hooligan on a moped in Clapham; on 28 April 2019, the Evening Standard warned that simply “London is the Acid attack hotspot of the world”. In Clapham, again, this horrific truth was hammered home in January 2024 with a notorious acid attack committed by Abdul Ezedi. But the problem extends nationwide. In May 2023, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt Corbell was gunned down at in Liverpool.
The Conservative Party’s deep conviction in the rule of law must translate into a war on violent crime, with major reforms to policing, sentencing, and the justice system.
If the Tories are to survive, let alone prosper again, they must change shift the battle onto new issues. After crime, they can focus on defence; Conservatives could also get ahead of the curve by looking at job security in the face of automation, and declining birth rates – all on a common theme of safeguarding our nation’s future and give the British people security in all aspects of life.
Whilst Nigel Farage (and the media) and scream about migration, and Labour about economic failure, Conservatives should say their priority is to make Britain safe again. There is no higher duty to the nation, and the rest pale in comparison.
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Author: Alasdair Dow
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