Conservatives

Saturday, December 15th., Cadogan Square, London.

I lunched with two statesmen at my political club. One of them told a story about a man who had seen a suicide hanging. The man was asked by my first political friend: "But why didn't you cut him down?" The reply was: "Because he wasn't dead." My first political friend applied this story as a parable to the Tory Party. He said he didn't want to cut it down until it was dead. My second political friend agreed with much fervour. I remarked to both of them that they might have to wait quite some time.

I did not go so far as to tell them that in my opinion the Tory Party will easily survive all other parties in this cautious and compromising country. All political parties in all countries disappear sooner or later, except the Conservative, and the Conservative is immortal because it is never for long divided against itself. The first and most powerful instinct of Tories is self-preservation. They do not really want anything but the status quo, and who can blame them when they transparently do so well out of it. They are deeply aware that united they stand, but not otherwise. And every Briton is at heart a Tory - especially every British Liberal.

Occasionally a faction will appear in the party which espouses some policy which, for them, becomes a matter of 'principle'. Usually it comes down to one or two individuals who have sufficient charisma, or influence, to carry a bunch of others along. Inevitably they will appeal to patriotism (by which they mean nationalism) and will generate heat for a while. In our political system it is not difficult for well-placed persons who focus on one issue to capture the agenda for a time; they will never be in power so they have no need to consider the practicalities of their project. Then attention will move elsewhere, or they will be bought off with a title or a place in the Lords, and the party settles with a sigh of relief to promoting its own best interests once again.