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Whatever happens next in the Boris Johnson story, it seems,
the outcome will be lose-lose for the Conservative Party. Either the Prime Minister limps on, in which case
the populist knee-jerking designed to keep him in power will continue at the
expense of coherent conservative policy, or he will go and replaced by someone
else from the cast of nonentities apparently waiting in the wings. Declaring an interest, I had better admit
that my judgement in predicting the worth of recent Prime Ministerial
candidates has been hopelessly wrong – how could I have imagined May as a
unifying force or that Johnson would lead us to the sunlit uplands of
post-Brexit opportunity? Fortunately,
the cast have little to recommend themselves so, unless someone with the
apparent good sense of Lord Frost can be persuaded to join the race, I will
refrain from trying to pick a winner. What
on earth could any of them change that would reverse the fortunes of a demoralised
membership? Indeed, the winning candidate will turn out to be a loser since it
will be a case of suicide for the Conservative party, replace Johnson or not.
Whilst,
as I say, I won’t venture an opinion on any of the candidate’s potential for
success, I will point out why one of them, in particular should be disqualified
at the starting gate. I refer of course
to Tom Tugendhat and his violent studs showing challenge on Roger Scruton when the
great philosopher was grossly wronged and misrepresented by George Eaton of the New Statesman. Conduct
unbecoming of an Officer and a Gentleman.
