Conservatives have thrown in the towel despite Sunak’s best efforts

London : The mood is “defeatist” in the corridors of political power in London. Ministers in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet confided to the BBC “nobody cares any more” in the ruling Conservative Party and that it is “in the last chance saloon”.
2022 has been one of the most bruising years in the Conservatives’ history. former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, lacking substance, full of scandals, but a great survivor, finally bit the dust in July after a three-year roller coaster ride. He was succeeded by Liz Truss, described as “a human hand-grenade”, who predicted self-destruction in 44 days, thus setting a dubious record for the shortest occupancy of 10 Downing Street.
Enter Sunak, who the Conservative rank and file had rejected in the summer in electing Truss as party leader. Only seven years in politics, of Indian origin in a predominantly white-skinned party, historically right-wing and racist. An act of desperation in an option-less organisation, albeit the elevation was decided by MPs without being referred to the grass-root membership.
Between 2010 and 2015, the Conservatives were in coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Ed Miliband, who surprisingly defeated his elder brother David to become leader of the Labour Party, was endowed with intellect, but not incisiveness. He not only failed to dislodge Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron; but the latter went on to form a single party government in his second term. Complacency and overconfidence, though, got the better of him.
Having kept Scottish nationalists at bay in a referendum vote on Scotland’s independence, he, a remainer, promised a plebiscite on whether or not Britain should exit the European Union (EU) in his 2015 election manifesto. The Conservatives were undoubtedly divided on the issue; but it is questionable if it was a deal breaker, given Cameron’s decisive position.
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