Best Of

'Kemi Badenoch must seize one-nation opportunity
Shedding rabble to Reform gives Conservative leader a chance to fill a gaping hole at the centre of British politics'

'..And we have the Liberal Democrats. Perhaps you’d forgotten them? Seventy-two — yes, 72 — MPs and absolutely no impact. No profile, no policies anyone can remember and no tough response to the tough problems government faces, led by a politician, Sir Ed Davey, who falls so far below the level of the leadership an insurgent centre party needs that it’s baffling he largely escapes criticism because (they say) he’s “a nice man”. Which indeed he is: more than nice, privately heroic, but political jelly.What luck, then, for the Conservatives! What an opportunity for Badenoch! Between leftish ninnies like Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves and “right-wing” clowns like Farage and his new ex-Tory best friends yawns a huge hole at the centre of British politics. It’s where tens of millions of us sit: homeless, worried, ready — even eager — to respond to a unifying message from a sensible centre-right party.

For Badenoch it’s time, now the nutters have gone, for an olive branch towards men like Kenneth Clarke, Michael Heseltine, David Gauke, Dominic Grieve … all driven away by Johnson. James Cleverly and the sensible shadow chancellor Mel Stride could be her envoys to the wilderness into which moderate conservatives feel we have been cast.The metaphor of a broad church cuts both ways, and there’s a place for loyal Conservatives of the Rees-Moggian tendency and there are bullets moderates, too, must bite. Stern, even harsh control of unlawful immigration; more for defence and less for welfare; a critical review of membership of the European Convention on Human Rights; unblinking acceptance that the European Union ship has sailed and there’s no return.

There will be gulps among former Tory moderates, though fewer gulps, I think, among the electorate. Shorn of the distractions of populist fantasy, the reunification of the centre right will still be a hard ride but it should fall to Badenoch to lead the charge.She is not naturally emollient, not a born unifier, but may be surprised at how much the old broad-church Tory party wants to like her, if only she shows herself ready to be liked.'
https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/kemi-badenoch-must-seize-one-nation-opportunity-rv6mqqxsx?gaa_at=eafs

It’s the best strategy for the Tories, and the worst for the LibDems, if presenting the risk that instead of the Tories splitting the right wing vote and letting the LDs through, they might instead split the centre vote and be letting Reform through. It all depends on the relative poll ratings, as you often point out. However, even a cursory glance at ConHome, full of frothing Tory members for whom anyone in their own party who is left of Genghis Khan is a miserable wet LibDem, shows how difficult it is going to be for the Tory party to return to moderate politics, even shorn of a few of its more extreme MPs.

Daniel Hannan
@DanielJHannan

A lot of good people are on a hook over Donald Trump. They voted for him for understandable reasons: to stop Hillary of Kamala, to prevent court-packing, to move the embassy to Jerusalem, to reduce regulations.

They rightly applauded his toughening of immigration policy. They began to feel invested in him. Sure, he was boorish and bombastic, but he was delivering most of what he was elected to do. Naturally, they bridled at criticism from people they disliked, some of which was indeed absurd.
But he has plainly now lost his mind . There is no other way of reading “I am going to threaten an ally with invasion because I didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize”.

It is impossible to exaggerate how high the stakes are. If Putin had put an agent in the White House, what would would be doing differently?
We are talking about the survival of the Western way of life, about the world order of which the United States is the chief exemplar and beneficiary. That, surely, matters more than “liberal tears”. Doesn’t it? Because if it doesn’t, we are all damned.

https://x.com/DanielJHannan/status/2013248587442930084

He's right - there's absolutely nothing in Trump's past behaviour that might have indicated that he might do something like this. /s

This kind of excuse does not wash at all. If you voted for Trump, you knew exactly what kind of individual he was, and what the risks were of doing so. Character is important when it comes to nuclear weapons and the future of the free world, and no MAGA voter should get a pass for it. Irresponsible, childish people who I wouldn't trust with anything.

I think a fairer take is that the behaviour is escalating to quite an extraordinary degree. In retrospect, it's sickening that a term like "Trump Derangement Syndrome" even exists - anyone who spouted that previously looks like a complete bellend now. Any attempt to curtail this behaviour now will be just blown away. The time to stop Trump was after January 6th, should've been stamped out then.

This is true and yet the mistake has been made long ago and we need the support of as many people as possible to deal with the consequences, so I guess we should refrain somewhat from damning people who come belatedly to the realisation that Trump is a clear and present danger. The twits.

There are two priorities.

One. Deal with the reality. Stand up to Trump. Do what needs to be done to secure British defence independent of the US.

Two. Avoid repeating the mistake. Absolutely nail Farage for his Russian connections. For his repetition of Russian talking points. For his Trump support and imitation.

We can see what a leader like Trump can do to a country's interests. We need to ensure that Britain's wannabe Trump is soundly defeated. Somehow. It would kinda help if the government was generally a bit less useless.

Daniel Hannan
@DanielJHannan

A lot of good people are on a hook over Donald Trump. They voted for him for understandable reasons: to stop Hillary of Kamala, to prevent court-packing, to move the embassy to Jerusalem, to reduce regulations.

They rightly applauded his toughening of immigration policy. They began to feel invested in him. Sure, he was boorish and bombastic, but he was delivering most of what he was elected to do. Naturally, they bridled at criticism from people they disliked, some of which was indeed absurd.
But he has plainly now lost his mind . There is no other way of reading “I am going to threaten an ally with invasion because I didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize”.

It is impossible to exaggerate how high the stakes are. If Putin had put an agent in the White House, what would would be doing differently?
We are talking about the survival of the Western way of life, about the world order of which the United States is the chief exemplar and beneficiary. That, surely, matters more than “liberal tears”. Doesn’t it? Because if it doesn’t, we are all damned.

https://x.com/DanielJHannan/status/2013248587442930084

Except the evidence for what an unbridled horror he would be if the keys to the WH were to be returned to him was there for anybody with a braincell or a shred of decency to see for years beforehand. Good people my arse.

Daniel Hannan
@DanielJHannan

A lot of good people are on a hook over Donald Trump. They voted for him for understandable reasons: to stop Hillary of Kamala, to prevent court-packing, to move the embassy to Jerusalem, to reduce regulations.

They rightly applauded his toughening of immigration policy. They began to feel invested in him. Sure, he was boorish and bombastic, but he was delivering most of what he was elected to do. Naturally, they bridled at criticism from people they disliked, some of which was indeed absurd.
But he has plainly now lost his mind . There is no other way of reading “I am going to threaten an ally with invasion because I didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize”.

It is impossible to exaggerate how high the stakes are. If Putin had put an agent in the White House, what would would be doing differently?
We are talking about the survival of the Western way of life, about the world order of which the United States is the chief exemplar and beneficiary. That, surely, matters more than “liberal tears”. Doesn’t it? Because if it doesn’t, we are all damned.

https://x.com/DanielJHannan/status/2013248587442930084

Is this the same Dan Hanaan who thought delivering Putin's wet dream of a divided Europe was such a good idea?