Is the Tory right broken?

Posted on February 28 2023

The video in this tweet is interesting.

Steve Baker is saying the populism that he espoused took his mental health to the brink.

He acknowledges that it was the wrong thing to do.

He says it is time to move on.

Let me be clear, that does not mean that I think that Steve Baker is now wanting to head in a direction I want to go in. He remains on the right of the Tories. But the fact that he acknowledges mistakes and says that the populism that underpinned them was wrong is welcome.

I am sorry he had to suffer mental ill health to realise that this was the case. Living a lie always has a cost.

But if this signals a decline in the power of the Tory right of which he has been a major leader then it is welcome. But the reaction of those who remain in the former factions that he led will tell us whether this is just a one-person Damascene moment or something more significant. I will wait and see on that one. I suspect 20 or moe Tory MPs will oppose the agreement has reached on Northern Ireland. But that it is likely to not be 50 is significant.

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11 Responses

  1. Pilgrim Slight Return says:
    February 28 2023 at 9:05 am

    Steve Baker has for far too long turned his representative role as an MP into one for his personal crusades.

    It is satisfying to see a change of heart, to see the acknowledgment of mistakes and dare I say it – contrition. But we are only talking about Northern Ireland. There are still long queues at Dover.

    Baker has always been a really loose cannon of a liberal – meaning that he is all too easily pushed into more extreme positions in the name of ‘freedom’ and seemed joyfully unaware of the wider consequences of his involvement by hyper-focussing on issues.

    It underlines to me still however, his unfitness for high office – something that is also far to common amongst the Tories who took over in 2010.

    It is all very well admitting mistakes when you are on £80K+ a year; it is another when you are suffering from the results of these mistakes when earning much less.

    Steve – despite the slight air of decency around you, could I have your resignation on my desk by 16:00 today please.

    Thank you.

    • Mariner says:
      February 28 2023 at 6:46 pm

      A Baker has somehow got himself a ministerial job, he’ll be earning over £110K. Big rewards for being both permanent wrong about pretty much everything and useless at the same time.

  2. TomC says:
    February 28 2023 at 10:03 am

    I think the parliamentary conservative party may have finally stared into the abyss and decided against hurling themselves into it.

  3. John S Warren says:
    February 28 2023 at 1:52 pm

    They think they can still win the election. The Damascene conversion will end on election night

  4. Allan Knowles says:
    February 28 2023 at 2:47 pm

    “There are still long queues at Dover.”

    Really? There is a distinct lack of freight going through Dover and the Tunnel. The amount on the M25 and M20 is insignificant compared to three years ago. The queues the other week were passenger vehicles, not freight.

  5. Jenw says:
    February 28 2023 at 7:34 pm

    I wonder if Sunak will be brave enough to do this.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/27/rishi-sunak-whip-boris-johnson-northern-ireland-protocol

  6. Mike Parr says:
    March 1 2023 at 7:32 am

    The comments in the Independent on Baker were vitriolic – indeed the hatred for him was palpable.
    There is more than a passing chance that he will lose his seat at the next election. Which raises an interesting question: who in their right mind would want to employ him?
    “So Mr Baker – what was your finest achievement as an MP”? – erm… I engineered the worst possible Brexit……..
    “Thank you – next candidate”.
    The speaker circuit? I’d only listen to him if I had 5 kilos of rotten tomatoes handy.
    “Buyers remorse” is common amongst tory imbeciles – they can never imagine that bad things could happen to them. There was a tory Mp who voted (and spoke) in favour of removing legal aid – for most people – a year or so later he was up in court charged with murder (he was cleared) & spent a vast amount of money defending himself. Like Baker he now sees that what he supported was stupid. All tories have empathy surgically removed – which allows them to do what they do at the time with a clear conscience – & only later repenting. They think that with repentence all will be Ok – I guess on that basis they must all be Catholics – off to the confessional & the priest makes it all better. This gormless crew & the even more gormless Liebore have to go.