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There have been times when Conservative leaders have appeared almost sensible superficially – and alternate phases where they have sounded completely unhinged, yet continued to be cherished by their base. This is not either of those times. Kemi Badenoch left the crowd unmoved when she presented to her conference, despite she presented the divisive talking points of anti-immigration sentiment she believed they wanted.

It’s not so much that they’d all woken up with a renewed sense of humanity; instead they lacked faith she’d ever be able to implement it. It was, fake vegan meat. Tories hate that. A veteran Tory was said to label it a “New Orleans funeral”: noisy, animated, but ultimately a goodbye.

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Some are having renewed consideration at one contender, who was a firm rejection at the beginning – but as things conclude, and everyone else has departed. Some are fostering a excitement around a newer MP, a young parliamentarian of the newest members, who looks like a Shires Tory while wallpapering her social media with immigration-critical posts.

Could she be the standard-bearer to beat back Reform, now surpassing the Conservatives by 20 points? Is there a word for defeating opponents by adopting their policies? Moreover, should one not exist, perhaps we might borrow one from fighting disciplines?

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It isn't necessary to look at the US to understand this, nor read Daniel Ziblatt’s groundbreaking study, Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy: every one of your synapses is screaming it. The mainstream right is the crucial barrier resisting the far right.

His research conclusion is that political systems endure by appeasing the “wealthy and influential” happy. I’m not wild about it as an organising principle. It feels as though we’ve been catering to the privileged groups for decades, at the cost of other citizens, and they never seem sufficiently content to stop wanting to reduce support out of social welfare.

But his analysis is not speculation, it’s an archival deep dive into the pre-Nazi German National People’s Party during the interwar Germany (in parallel to the UK Tories in that historical context). Once centrist parties loses its confidence, if it commences to chase the buzzwords and superficial stances of the far right, it transfers the direction.

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Boris Johnson aligning with a controversial strategist was a notable instance – but far-right flirtation has become so obvious now as to overshadow all remaining Tory talking points. Where are the old-school Conservatives, who treasure predictability, conservation, legal frameworks, the national prestige on the international platform?

Where did they go the modernisers, who described the country in terms of powerhouses, not volatile situations? Don’t get me wrong, I had reservations regarding both groups either, but the contrast is dramatic how those worldviews – the inclusive conservative, the reformist element – have been marginalized, replaced by constant vilification: of newcomers, religious groups, benefit claimants and activists.

Appear at Podiums to Melodies Evoking the Theme Tune to Game of Thrones

And talk about issues they reject. They characterize rallies by elderly peace activists as “festivals of animosity” and use flags – British flags, Saint George’s flags, any item featuring a bold patriotic hues – as an direct confrontation to anyone who doesn’t think that being British through and through is the highest ideal a individual might attain.

There doesn’t seem to be any built-in restraint, where they check back in with fundamental beliefs, their historical context, their stated objectives. Each incentive the Reform leader presents to them, they’ll chase. So, absolutely not, it isn't enjoyable to watch them implode. They are dragging social cohesion along in their decline.