As the election campaign gathers momentum with the convential launch of manifestos and yet more moderately tedious television debates, the Conservative Party has executed a jarring reverse turn. Abandoning their once sunny vision of a utopian future filled with National Service, a fortified pension triple lock, and generous tax cuts, they have resorted to a shrill cry of ‘Labour must be stopped!’
This stems from a quiet coup by veteran campaigners who have shifted to a strategy based on anticipating defeat before the polls. Tory Central Office has declared Tories underdogs and made the PM beg for D-Day forgiveness - two searing humiliations for the poor man. The Daily Mail, ever the loyal sentinel, echoes this sentiment, warning of a looming ‘one-party socialist state.’ Can you hear Jeremy Corbyn scoffing in London, N1?
The scent of anguished panic is unmistakable, signalling an internal coup within Tory ranks where low-key field organisers have usurped the frisky young team around the PM. Power has ebbed away from Sunak, the COO PM, and moved to the professional campaigners of Conservative Central Office.
Worse, rumours abound that our beleaguered Prime Minister might find himself unceremoniously discarded before polling day. Surely this isn’t possible but who know these days?
Their volte-face, driven by Farage’s shadow, stagnant polls, and the crushing weight of electoral pressure, marks a desperate gambit for the Conservative.
In stark contrast, Labour plods along with the monotony of a well-oiled machine. Their campaign, devoid of thrills or spills, remains steadfast. While their polling numbers suggest a plateau and hint at a minor dip, there is no indication of a seismic shift that might necessitate a deviation from their cautious playbook.
Sunak’s sparse appearances in non-Tory-held constituencies underscore his campaign’s defensive posture, focused solely on shoring up the once-faithful. Even here, there is jeopardy. The revised rhetoric betrays an anxiety that even these minimal electoral goals are slipping away.
Worse still, the spectre of Farage looms larger, threatening to reconfigure the entire right-wing landscape post-election, potentially casting him as the gravitational centre of British conservatism. This prospective calamity, where Farage ascends as the de facto leader of the right, haunts the Tory strategists, forcing them to concede a battle seemingly lost to Labour.
Sun Tzu wisely stated, “He who defends everything defends nothing.” Sunak’s strategy spread Tory resources thin and exposed their vulnerabilities. After his frantic bid to stave off Labour and Farage simultaneously, the grey suits within Sunak’s party have intervened to defend their base.
Ironically, the ‘we’ve already lost’ strategy may actually give the Tories a poll boost they need. We are British after all, we like an underdog. Ed Davey knows this too, which is why he going to be shot out of a cannon the day before the election - anything to make an impact, right?
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