A New Politics

Some of the few dozen remaining activists in the Deputy Conservative Party have demonstrated a grasp of reality that would do credit to the most barking quasi-UKIP publicity pimp on Daveybloke's own back benches. Understandably, many members are absolutely fizzing about the Lords reform débâcle; less understandably, they appear to think they've been stiffed without the active collaboration of their party's leadership. Some local remnants are talking about breaking up the coalition; elsewhere "at the very least they want Nick to start playing hardball", despite the inconvenient dearth of evidence that Nick has balls to play with.

There is a certain New Labour logic to the Deputy Conservatives' policy: first betray the voters, then spurn the activists, and finally put the members in their place so that the leadership can have its fun in peace and quiet. A spokesbeing sneered, with vintage Blairite contempt, at those who "would prefer to be in opposition but not get things done", although it is at least arguable that a Daveybloke minority government would be able to do considerably less damage than the Deputy Conservatives have facilitated since 2010. As an example of what the Deputy Conservatives are getting in return for abandoning everything they claimed to want, the spokesbeing dredged up some tax relief which has doubtless been more than cancelled out thanks to George the Progressively Regressive and his little orange helper. Meanwhile, a Deputy Conservative MP did his bit by noting that "strains in the coalition will only become seriously problematic if sharp differences on economic policy emerge", and pushing the party leadership's new line about constitutional reform never having mattered awfully in any case.