Welcome to the end of year Tory Social blog – 2017: A Year in Politics. This blog analyses some of the local, national and international political events of the past year.
We hope that you enjoy this blog and we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Tory Social.
Cllr Robert Barnard: A Tale of Two Britains
“A week is a long time in politics.” So said a not particularly distinguished and now largely forgotten Prime Minister. A year is fifty-two times longer. We started 2017 with the political establishment reeling from two votes where electors had had the effrontery to reject the liberal consensus. Many people had become cynical about voting, believing that it changed nothing. Well, having voted for Brexit in the UK and the Americans having chosen Donald Trump as President, that myth is well and truly busted! At least we can take comfort from knowing that both here and in the US, ballots can go against the ‘establishment’ and the result not be known until after the count – giving confidence that they are free and fair.
The reactions to both those unexpected results are telling. One group, for ease we will call them the ‘liberal elite’, did not understand the rejection of their received wisdom. Did not know how people could be so ‘stupid’ or ‘bigoted’ to vote in the way they had and so must have somehow been deceived – it was fake news, social media or the Russians! The second group, let us call them the ‘left-behind’, had voted for what they thought was right, not necessarily all for the same reasons but with a sense that the status quo was not working for them. The two groups also have different world views and a different set of value judgements which influence their choices. The progressive or permissive or politically correct mindset so pervasive in large sections of the media and politics is not shared by everyone, difficult though it might be for them to accept.
Another thing we have learnt since 2016 is that there is a level of dissatisfaction with the business as usual approach, that institutional inertia which usually means doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Local government is not immune and those of us who have worked in the private sector often feel frustrated by the process-driven approach whereby following the ‘correct procedure’ is seen as more important than the outcome.
When in 1917 after three years of war our forefathers looked forward to the coming year they might have started to wonder if doing things the way they had always been done was actually the best way forward. Thankfully and despite the best efforts of some doom-mongers in the media, we know that we do not face the same existential threats as we did a hundred years ago. Some challenges will arise, and not even opinion pollsters could fail to predict that, but so will opportunities. The important thing is to seize those opportunities and make the most of them but please, let us have no more “…but we have always done it this way….” as an excuse for inaction.
Christmas is the season of good will to all men but we need to accept that unless we offer innovations which will improve the lives of all men of good will then we should not be surprised if people vote for innovations which are not improvements.
Cllr. Barnard was elected to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council in 2006 representing the Penistone East ward, re-elected with an increased majority in 2010 and re-elected for a third time in 2014. Recognising that innovations are not always improvements he supports local people in their efforts to preserve the traditional character of their communities and the rural way of life. Prior to becoming a councillor he has previously held managerial positions with several local businesses. A natural sceptic, he is unwilling to embrace every passing fashion and will be amongst the first to challenge schemes which are unworkable, inefficient, un-scientific or just plain daft.
Adam Chinnery: 2017 – the start of my political journey
I have been a member of the Conservative Party since I was 14. In 2015, I joined after flirting with different ideas and coming to the conclusion that the Conservatives were the only party that valued safety as well as opportunity at the core of their ideology. It was clear to me, then and now, that this is the only party in Britain that can govern and govern boldly, honestly and openly.
So why is 2017, the start to my political journey? Well firstly, due to personal reasons, I didn’t feel ready to go out campaigning during the start of 2016 and secondly- after I desired to, it took a while for people to get in touch and the opportunities for me to get involved to arise. So I started the year, firstly as a youth representative of my county youth council by going to meet my, now former, MP Sir Eric Pickles to discuss issues that impacted young people and then- a week later- attended the AGM. Shortly afterwards, the campaigning began and I was on my way for a good few months of non stop leafleting and canvassing, in between revising for my GCSEs.
My first experience leafleting was in the most affluent part of my area, campaigning for the local elections, everyone was welcoming and I couldn’t stop, I began meeting great members of my local branch. During this time we had our selection meeting for our new candidate, Alex Burghart- who, with the other candidates proved that it takes a lot of skill and experience to become an MP. Quickly and surely, my network was expanding and I enjoyed every moment of it. A key highlight was the count at the local elections, where my local candidate- Louise McKinlay achieved well over 70% of the vote.
As the General Election campaign became tighter, the mood did dampen a bit, election day was especially tough with people looking frustrated and tired when I asked for their polling cards. The exit poll excruciating and the morning after- awful walking into school with bratty corbynistas projecting an verbal inaudible mush. But as well all can see, the world didn’t end and this Tory government lives, albeit without a majority.
So what happened next. Understanding that the election disaster couldn’t happen again, we looked to expand our CF base, our newly elected MP Alex Burghart has been fantastic at supporting plans and looking to increase our membership. We have gone from two to thirty in just a matter of months and I am sure it will be sustainable, I lead this branch alongside a couple of other wonderful and bright young people and it has been an eye opener. If we can be vocal and at the same time not intimidating, I am sure that we can make a dramatic improvement in terms of our vote share among young people, a challenge, but it will be worth it. And this is where the year ends, with an upbeat expansion of our youth base in Brentwood, who will become a key part of our local branch for many years to come.
I look forward to 2018, it will be a fantastically interesting year for politics and an awesome year for our CF branches providing they are expanding and have good strong leadership. I would like to thank everyone at BOCA, wether they are MPs, staff, councillors or just advocates for welcoming me with open arms, and I look forward to helping out winning our next battles, in particular defending our gold plated council in the local elections in May.
Have a wonderful New Year, keep faith in the party and country- and together we shall succeed.
Adam is a Conservative Activist who cares for safety and opportunity. He attends Southend High School for Boys, and is currently doing AS levels (for some reason) and also sit on the Youth Essex Assembly, though he is slightly skeptical about it. He holds great ambitions to make this country a haven that values the equality of opportunities and continues the key morals, values and concepts that have kept this country great for so long.
Local politics
Cllr Abi Brown: Stoke- on-Trent – The rise of the Tories in the People’s Republic
Towards the end of the 1990s, Labour held every single council seat on Stoke-on-Trent City Council, alongside all three parliamentary seats. This was a city where Labour votes were weighed not counted, affectionately known as ‘the People’s Republic’. Conservatism was restricted, when it surfaced, to a couple of areas on the periphery of the city, and was firmly regarded as a minority viewpoint. A blip in a swathe of red.
That narrative firmly changed in the early hours of the 9 June, when Stoke-on-Trent woke up to its first Conservative MP in over 80 years. The solid red representation that had been diluted in 2015 when the Labour council fell to an Independent-Conservative coalition, had now become a growing sea of blue, concentrated around the south of the city and edging north.
The start of the year had given little indication of what was to come. Our City Council Conservative group has gained a reputation for our hardcore approach to campaigning, growing from just 2 seats in 2011 to 7 in 2015. We campaign all year round, regardless of the weather – I remember leafleting in the snow with my colleague Jack Brereton just hours after the news had broken about Stoke Central Labour MP Tristram Hunt’s resignation. A hardworking experienced local councillor, my council cabinet colleague, and group deputy leader, Jack’s ability and reputation put him in a strong position to challenge for the Stoke Central parliamentary seat, and we discussed his potential candidacy as we trudged round Park Hall lake. Things moved quickly, with a large slate of candidates from across the political spectrum emerging, whilst for us Jack was unanimously adopted. Meanwhile, a fiercesome media presence moving into the city, bringing their own ‘unique’ view of Stoke-on-Trent.
By-elections aren’t like normal elections – the nation watched every night as Stoke-on-Trent flashed on their screens, an unrelenting series of the most dismal locations and most negative stories, revolving primarily around Brexit. Most locals didn’t recognise the place they depicted, and the story they told was patronising, focused as it was on stereotyping our post-industrial city as some sort of hostile hopeless backwater where it was hardly surprising our residents would overwhelming vote ‘Leave’, as this was what we shouted at strangers who dared to enter our territory. Forgetting our rich heritage, place in the industrial revolution and iconic namesake industry – the Potteries – resurgent and transforming into advanced materials of the future, the lazy journalism of the national press did at least ensure a huge backlash of positivity about the many finer points of the city, that buoyed us onto the UK City of Culture 2017 shortlist, when they left!
The spotlight fell strongly on the perceived tussle between the eventual Labour victor and UKIP’s candidate and their respective shenanigans, meaning our result passed by relatively unremarked on, despite a small swing and a strong showing in third place, less than 100 votes behind second placed UKIP. Perhaps the standout moment of the by-election for many of us was watching the media scrum seize the UKIP candidate in their midst and roll out of the count venue like a giant snowball just after the official result announcement. Bandwagons rolled out and life returned to normal – until a snap General Election was announced in May.
Whilst we had been cheered by our strong showing in Stoke Central the least marginal of our three parliamentary seats, the possibility of taking certainly Stoke South in a general election was much stronger – from a high point of an 18,000 Labour majority in 1997, down to just 2,500 in 2015, we had a real chance here. A strong story of successes on the local council overturned the narrative of ‘you can’t win here’, and with Jack’s already heightened profile thanks to the by-election plus lots of hard work, we snatched Stoke South by 663 votes. At the same time, we reduced the marjorities in Stoke North to 2,359 (17,000 in 1997) and – disregarding the by-election result – Stoke Central to 3,897 (19,000 in 1997), reclaiming the second place that had evaded us in that seat since 2001.
In 2007, the Government set up a Governance Commission in Stoke-on-Trent to consider future governance options and inform public debate. This was done with national cross-Party support, and I remember talking to Stephen O’Brien, then MP for Eddisbury and given the role of unofficial shadow minister for Stoke-on-Trent, about a ten year plan for the Conservatives in the city. I don’t think either of us envisaged that it would be executed quite so perfectly. No big mystery to our success, beyond hard work and perseverance.
So what lies ahead for us in 2018? Perhaps time to write another plan…
Cllr Abi Brown is leader of the Conservative group on Stoke-On-Trent City Council, and Deputy Leader of the Council, holding the finance and partnership Portfolio. A Councillor since 2010, Abi was the Chairman of Stoke-on-Trent Conservative Federation between 2008 and 2011. A keen campaigner, she has also regularly been a voluntary party agent across the North Staffordshire area since 2004, at unitary, county, parliamentary and PCC elections. A self- confessed politics nerd, Abi spends free time trying to make up to her family for all the other time spent on politics. You can follow her on Twitter at @AbiBrown1.
National politics
Cllr Michelle Lowe: General Election – Britain hears the voice of young people for the first time in June this year
The increased turnout amongst young people during the June General Election, and their preference for Jeremy Corbyn as their Prime Minister, is something that has caused a huge stir this year. The surge in support for Labour due to the Party’s commitment to abolish student tuition fees has been much discussed – but I believe the overall picture is more complex.
Young people do not watch the news or read newspapers. They gather their news from Social Media, and not from Facebook or Twitter. The Conservative Party did not focus much campaigning efforts on social media and what was done tended to be on Facebook. So a huge audience of younger voters did not see any counter arguments to those put forward by Corbyn and Momentum.
On top of that our campaign did not speak to younger voters who care passionately about the environment and animal welfare; and are concerned about their life chances knowing that they will graduate with student debt, will struggle to step onto the housing ladder and are unlikely to have a career with one company and a decent pension. All issues that previous generations took for granted.
More young people are renting than ever before. This means they don’t have a stake in society in the same way that home owners do. If Corbyn had been elected in June – they had everything to potentially gain and very little to lose.
As a party we have not been very good at addressing the concerns of younger voters. In part that is because they are very complex and simple Corbyn’s policies are not the solution. But, that does not stop younger people believing that at least he was on their side. I have heard too many Tories say that young people could easily save up a deposit for a mortgage if only they didn’t have as many holidays or stopped having lunch out during the week. The fact of the matter is that most young people live up their income levels simply by paying rent, travel and students loans.
How do we as a party start to engage with younger people and address their concerns? We need to use a bigger variety of communication channels including Snap Chat and Instagram. We need to communicate messages that they want to hear. Our party has a very proud record when it comes to the environment – and yet at the Warwick University hustings that I attended as the Conservative Candidate for Coventry South – I was laughed at when I mentioned some of them.
Michael Gove is putting that behind us. He is formulating a range of animal welfare and environmental policies that speak to the young. They are being circulated on Social Media – and I hope the party will deviate from just Twitter and Facebook. We are also starting to address the housing shortage and Jo Johnson has been very good about making the case for student tuition fees.
We need to offer young people hope. We need to address their concerns around decent jobs and pensions; housing – in particular home ownership; and student debt. If we can’t change things, we need to rebut Corbyn’s simplistic solutions and make a positive case for what we are doing. We must sound as though we are on their side and understand their concerns – as they are real. And, we need to communicate our messages where young people are likely to see them!
Michelle Lowe has been Deputy Leader of Sevenoaks District Council since 2013 and is currently the cabinet member for housing and health. She fought Coventry North East in the 2017 general election.
Seena Shah: 2017 has seen a political shift to the left. We must fight back in 2018
2017 marks a decade since the Credit Crunch and a decade of austerity in order to build an economically sound future without debt. It is the year we triggered Article 50, called a snap general election which saw the Conservative Party lose seats with an ill thought out manifesto. It is a combination of all of these factors that has exacerbated the out of touch image for the Conservative Party.
As a result, the British political landscape has shifted to the left. What used to be left is now the centre and what used be the dangerous extreme of the far left is now a possibility. Momentum have infiltrated and taken control of the Labour Party and young people are finding it difficult, challenging and are often embarrassed to support the Conservative Party. We must do more in 2018 to win back the youth vote and adjust our messaging to educate young people on why the Conservative Party is the only sensible choice in any future election.
2018 must be the year of better thought out policies, plans and communication. We must start using the young people within the Party to help win back popularity amongst young voters. We must embrace social media at all levels- local, regional and national. We must treat every opportunity to communicate to young voters as a chance to educate them on the dangers of a far left government and the consequences for young people after enduring a strong Labour government in the late 90s and 00s (introduction, tripling and tripling again of university tuition fees, less social mobility, soaring house prices and a significant accumulation of debt due to overspending). The Conservative Party is the only party that will secure a strong future outside of the EU.
Seena graduated with a degree in International Relations and Spanish in 2010. Following this she served as a Student Union President. After building a year in Youth Communications and Marketing, she founded Splash Creative, London. She is an active member of the Chelmsford education community as Governor for Chelmsford College and Moulsham Junior School.
Robert Winfield: 2017 – the year the Conservatives learnt how not to run a campaign
Harold Wilson once said that a week is a long time in politics . The year 2017 which is about to end most certainly has been a long time . At the start of the year , Theresa May was riding high in the opinion polls as one of the most popular Prime Ministers in history. Meanwhile Jeremy Corbyn had plunged the depths of unpopularity . After losing the confidence of 80% of Labour MPs , and suffering a number of Shadow Cabinet Resignations ( Labour MPs such as Chuka Umunna , Rachel Reeves , Chris Leslie, Yvette Cooper and my own MP Hilary Benn are on the back benches ) , Mr Corbyn seemed to be heading for oblivion .
Just after the Easter holiday , Theresa May called a snap general election , after previously maintaining that Parliament would run its course . Initially , it seemed that the Conservatives would win a landslide victory . I was looking forward to the hard left being marginalised , the bien pensant left being put back in its box and being made to realise that they are at odds with public opinion, and to many Conservative candidates whom I know personally , being elected to Parliament . I was looking forward to being glued to BBC Parliament after the general election in order to hear superb speeches from brilliant young Parliamentary candidates such as Beth Prescott, Laura Knightly , Dehenna Davison and Sophie Shrubsole , who all appeared likely or indeed certain to be elected to Parliament . Instead of the landslide , we were about to witness an object lesson in how not to fight an election campaign . Theresa May was encouraged to fight a Presidential Campaign to which she was temperamentally unsuited . This juxtaposed uneasily with her refusal to take part in head to head TV debates . Hundreds of Parliamentary Candidates described themselves as ‘Standing with Theresa May’ . It is my view that Parliamentary candidates are at their best when they are allowed to be themselves .
Instead CCHQ was allowed to micromanage local campaigns and dictated , to a far greater extent than was desirable , the message put out by local candidates . There were reports of candidates being banned from attending hustings meetings, and banned from campaigning on local issues . It Is not just a cliche , but a fact that politics is becoming increasingly local . Voters who were interested in local issues turned away from the Conservative Party, and looked elsewhere . In addition , good news about the economy and unemployment went untold . Worse was the manifesto . Considering the disastrous impact on voters of this wretched document , it is little wonder that no one appears keen to admit to writing the manifesto . It is a key rule of politics that you do not allow your opponents to define your policies , but the most prominent policy of the Conservative Manifesto became known as the Dementia Tax . Almost as bad was the promise to hold a free vote on fox hunting . Many people wished that the same emphasis had been placed on vote hunting ! Yet another disaster area was the Conservative Party’s campaigning efforts amongst younger people , or rather , the lack of these efforts .
The Conservative Party had emasculated Conservative Future as an over reaction to the Mark Clarke affair in the months following the 2015 General Election . It was not surprising that our campaigning efforts amongst young people suffered . We easily lost the social media battle with the Labour Party . Young people , who were receiving the Labour Party’s message but not the Conservative Party’s message inevitably voted for the former . We also failed to make the case against Labour policies such as scrapping tuition fees , and nationalisation . It is hard to disagree with one comment which I heard at a Conference , that the Conservative Party’s strategy for young people was to hope that they would not vote . In fact , they voted in greater numbers than ever and almost certainly cost the Conservative Party its House of Commons Majority . It is reputed that the Conservative Party paid consultants £4 million for this disastrous apology for an election campaign . Many Conservative members run businesses . I have no doubt that they would be intolerant of such poor value for money . Remarkably , the Conservative Party did not ask for their money back . Meanwhile , Jeremy Corbyn increased in popularity and even assumed cult status amongst sections of the electorate . Whilst Theresa May seemed to have been separated from voters ( the fact that she regularly canvasses voters in her constituency on Saturdays even though her security advisors are unhappy with this seemed to have been forgotten ) , Jeremy Corbyn regularly addressed gatherings of members of the public and came across as authentic , the dangers of his policies being unnoticed .
Following the General Election , the Conservative Party was faced with the task of recovering from this catalogue of errors, with the prospect of a hard left Labour government if they should fail to do this . Unfortunately , Theresa May’s Party Conference speech was , as is well known, undermined by her cough as well as by biased media coverage from journalists who obviously had difficulty recognising that even the Prime Minister can suffer from ill health . More generally , it has become fashionable in the media to predict Theresa May’s downfall . These predictions remind me of Mother Shipton’s predictions of the end of the world . When the world fails to end on the predicted date , the date on which the world is supposed to end is moved on by a few years . Meanwhile , outside the Westminster bubble , I believe that there is a recognition amongst voters that the Prime Minister is a fundamentally decent woman who is working hard and doing her very best to improve the lives of everyone in the UK . Theresa May’s decency and resilience against a set of difficult circumstances is admired even by political opponents .
There is much work still to be done to convince voters of the merits of the Conservative Party , but the Conservatives are more or less level with Labour in most opinion polls . The confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP , though unpopular in some circles , was in my view politically necessary . The government is unwilling to do anything which antagonises the DUP . I fear that it has even undermined the Conservative Party in Northern Ireland ; something about which I am deeply unhappy . I have no crystal ball to predict what 2018 will bring , but firm views as to how the Conservative Party can improve its fortunes.
International politics
Anna Welsh: French presidential election – France rejects populism and adopts centralism
As someone who has a great interest in international politics, I followed the French election earlier this year with great anticipation.
Being an admirer of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, I was saddened that he was not selected as the presidential candidate for Les Républicains (formerly UMP). He was a proactive President, he had great spirit, flair and finesse. He brought France back to the international stage. Although he had a wealthy upbringing, he had to fight for what he wanted in life and in politics. He was a very welcome a breath of fresh air.
However, after the final results of the selection, and as a conservative, I was rooting for François Fillon (formerly Prime Minster under Sarkozy) to enter the Élysée . After five years of a socialist government run by François Hollande, who at the end of his term had the lowest approval rating of any French President, I was hoping that France would get that ever so needed injection of centre-right conservatism. Fillon and his team ran an excellent campaign and he was the favourite until allegations of financing his wife to work (or not, as the case may be) in his office emerged.
After the first round of elections, both the centre-right and centre-left candidates were knocked out. Now the people of France had to decide between Macron- a former Minister of the Economy in Hollande’s socialist cabinet, who had rebranded himself as being completely in the centre, launching a new party, En Marche! and Marine Le Pen, leader of the far right National Front, who was almost eclipsed by the shadow of her father’s extreme right views and policies of the past.
In contrast to Le Pen’s approach, Marcon branded himself as the alternative candidate who was not your ‘typical politician’. It is worth noting that Macron attended Sciences Po and École nationale d’administration, of which many French officials and future politicians attended and do attend (including François Hollande and Jacques Chiraq). He then became an Investment Banker, joining the Socialist party in 2006 and rising quickly amongst the political ranks, becoming Minister of the Economy in 2014. An odd definition of alternative.
After defeating Le Pen in the second round of the Presidential election on 7th May, he was inaugurated at the President of France on 14th May.
Being a Conservative in favour of the UK leaving the EU (though I was initially in favour of remaining in), my views naturally clash with those of Macron. I remember watching with disbelief an interview between Macron and Andrew Marr in 2016. Marr implied that critics made many comparisons between Macron and Tony Blair, to which Macron replied “thanks for the compliment.”
Macron, who once claimed in the run- up to the election that he and his wife are both Anglophiles, has seemingly now turned a different corner. Now that his feet are firmly placed at the Élysée, he has been extremely vocal about the terms of Britain leaving the EU, particularly regarding slapping the UK with an eye watering exit bill.
Macron has recently been shifting his weight behind the EU. He is regarded by some as a snake in the grass who wants to topple Angela Merkle and steal her crown as one of the most powerful figures at the head of the EU. It is beginning to look much less likely that the people of France will be allowed to decide if they want Frexit.
The poster boy for France is now the poster boy for the EU. It is time for the UK to fight back. I for one am counting down the days until conservatism makes a come back in France.
Anna is a graduate, the Founder of Tory Social and a member of the Conservative party. She is particularly interested in international politics, having previously taken part in work experience at the European Parliament in Brussels. Anna has a strong interest in languages and is currently learning Russian and Greek. You can follow her on Twitter at @AnnaLauraWelsh.
Saud Aziz: 2017 – The rebirth of the Commonwealth
2017 has been a remarkable year, one that has heralded some truly historic events such as the Election of trump and the resurgence of Russia. The mainstream media’s obsession with Brexit has however overlooked the resurgence of allegiance to the Commonwealth among Conservatives.
The Commonwealth under the Conservative government has long been neglected. David Cameron during his tenure never attended a Commonwealth Service of Observance despite it being located at Westminster Abbey. Leaving Her Majesty to conduct the service alone. It has in fact been reported by Peter Osborne that in 2013 despite there being a meeting of Commonwealth Finance Ministers in New York, George Osbourne despite being in the same city did not attend- neither for that matter did any other British Minister.
However, 2017 appears to have breathed life back into the Commonwealth, at least within the Conservative party. This year the Conservative Friends of the Commonwealth (CFOC) was launched. CFOC describes itself as a “new initiative for Conservatives who support an outward-looking Britain.” It contrasts itself with the Conservative-affiliated organisation the ‘Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council’ by being younger, more socially adept, grassroots form of movement. CFOC has gained significant traction on social media, partly due the significant support it has received, attracting to the conference notable speakers such as the rising ex-military star James Cleverly MP, Syed Kamall MEP – leader of the European Conservatives, Minister for Overseas Territories Lord Ahmad as well as the High Commissioners of both Singapore and Australia.
There is no denying the Conservatives have long been the party of the Commonwealth. However, this rejuvenation is undoubtedly due to the consequences of Brexit. It has been recognised that the Commonwealth now, in the words of Andrew Rosindell MP “needs to be leveraged and strengthened now that the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union.” Post-Brexit the UK must look it its allies and friends across the seas. The Commonwealth happens to be a British led organisation compromising of some of the largest economies in the world with the highest levels of growth. If Britain is to truly thrive post-Brexit it needs to strike trade deals with these very countries. This is where CFOC comes in, building bridges between the respective Commonwealth governments and raising the profile of the Commonwealth in national politics. When contacted for comment CFOC stated Brexit had “refocussed the minds of Conservative Party members and reminded a lot of us that the links we have with our Commonwealth Partners will be crucial moving forward. The Commonwealth is a readymade network of like-minded nations that we need to re-engage with.” Clearly, CFOC sees itself as the vehicle for this great reconnect.
By all accounts, this revival appears to be in full swing. the Australian High Commissioner during the CFOC Conference is quoted to have said of a trade deal that Australia is “ready for a trade deal when you are.” Going on to even say that post-Brexit the British people should “understand how strong the people to people relationship is; that’s at the heart.”
Though ignored for decades in favour of the European Union, it appears that in our time of need the Commonwealth stands ready to aid Britain as it begins, once more, its adventure into the world. 2017 has brought with it a grassroots-led revival of a beloved institution within the Conservative Party but this appears to be the only the start. Perhaps 2018, bringing with it the largest ever meeting of Commonwealth Heads of State in London can truly launch the Golden Age of the Commonwealth.
Saud is a Law student at the University of Warwick. He is originally from Manchester or what is now known as the ‘Northern Powerhouse’. Saud is socially and fiscally Conservative, pro-Brexit, a believer in Thatcherism and a supporter of Jacob Rees Mogg.
Thomas Hughes: The G20 Summit
So the G20 summit in Hamburg this year ended a while ago but in my opinion it had some serious implications. Only three major events stuck out in my opinion, during the summit, the anti-capitalist protests. Trump and Putin meeting for the first time and the likely free trade deal between the UK and US post Brexit.
Firstly the protests. Being from Britain I’ve almost grown accustomed to riots and protests this past year. However what stuck out in this protest was the sheer ignorance shown by the protesters. More recently there were also protests in London, against the Conservatives deal with DUP due to socially Conservative politics. Which by the way, won’t be implemented just because there in a confidence and supply deal. But I digress there was an image of a protester holding a gay pride flag wearing a Che Guevara who was known to be extremely homophobic. Proving that before protesting its morally unjust to be against something that you don’t even have any knowledge about. Now don’t get my wrong, I hold freedom of speech and assembly very close to my heart. So any peaceful protest, no matter its reasoning I would at least respect.
The main focus point of the ignorance shown was that most of the protesters were recording the protests on their Iphone’s. One of the most successful By-products of the capitalist machine. By promoting the success of capitalism, its debasing their entire argument. But I suspect they haven’t realized that, as if they had any modicum of intelligence, they would at least try to achieve there aims through our democratic society, for it to prove any legitimacy and at the least gain knowledge about a subject before protesting, is that too much to ask?
Secondly there was the highly anticipated meeting between Trump and Putin. However, this was largely set up as a basis to debunk the alleged Russian hacking within the US election. That point is now moot, after this week it was revealed that Donald Trump Jr has had links to Russia before the election. When he organised a meeting with a Russian lawyer to gather information that could prove damaging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. After the meeting between Trump and Putin many including myself began to believe that Trump would be able to shake off the Russian collusion allegation, including Trump’s minor success with his healthcare bill and part of his immigration act passing, I began to believe for a short period that the tides had turned for the Trump administration. However, this new story due to Trump’s son reopens the investigation further. If this allegation is deemed true, I feel disappointed not just the fact that I have stood by Donald Trump since he was elected, and he has debased the democratic process by colluding with the Russian. But secondly there is the fact that 63 million US voters endorsed him to bring real reform to America and trusted him with that power when he was elected to office. But he wasted his time being wrapped up with the Russian allegation. I sincerely hope that this allegation is proved false and that Donald Trump can truly “Make America Great Again.”
Thirdly there was Theresa May and Donald Trump meeting to work out the basis of a free trade deal between the US and Britain post brexit. Many in the EU see Trump as an Anglophile, which explains why he is so on-board with a trade deal. But this has been debunked by Australia, Canada, India who have also expressed real determination to work out a free trade deal with Britain. I’m not saying that Trump isn’t an Anglophile, what this again proves is Britain will make a success of Brexit, case and point which I just highlighted. More importantly is with Donald Trump expressing this position, it shows the EU is traversing some rocky times. As after the British election when Labour did much better than many experts and pollsters indicated, even after the polls began to tighten in the last few weeks. The EU gained some confidence that Theresa May would have a tough time negotiating in this weaker position, which I’m not denying is a weaker position, but it can be done.
This EU is unaware there in for a tough time too. With many of its eastern European states beginning to rebel against the real boss of the EU, Germany over the proposed scheme which would allow more refugees into their countries. Another failure for the EU after the proposed Japanese-EU trade deal is under threat and is unlikely to occur. This was marked as a great success for the EU as it proved that staying in the EU leads to higher economic cooperation. While the EU was unable to determine a trade deal with Japan, brexit Britain has a queue of countries to begin our to formulate our new trading relationships. What is suspect is highly likely in the next 2 years of negotiating is that the EU isn’t going to give us an easy ride, but neither is it going to be plain sailing for the EU. Moreover, it shows that Europe were never our friends, considering the way they have been to us since we voted to leave.
Thomas is a Conservative party member and activist. He joined the Conservative party 9 months ago. But has been supportive of the Conservative party for a number of years. During the 2017 General Election he campaigned on behalf of Jade Marsden in the constituency of Sefton Central in Merseyside. At the moment he is still active within Sefton Central, Southport and city of Liverpool Conservative Future. Currently he is studying Politics at the University of Liverpool and wants to progress into politics, whether that be a political researcher or hopefully into an elected Political field.
torysocial 