“Get Brexit Done”? Now Voters Just Want To “Get Britain Working”.
Liz Truss used her first speech as Conservative leader to describe the party as “the greatest political party on Earth”. Founded in 1834, the Conservatives maintain a firm hold on power thanks in part, into the survival instincts of its parliamentarians and its almost freakish ability to regenerate its political identity. The party’s knack for reinvention stems from an ability to fuse the illusion of pragmatism with an apparent ideological purity. This enables the party to continue to claim it has an instinct for fiscal prudence, despite having overspent by £167bn in 2020/21. But having elected four leaders in six years, the Conservatives are clearly exhausted, disorientated and running out of ideas, slogans and excuses for the country’s many woes.
In Britain, we tend to think our political leaders fall into one of two categories: management politicians and conviction politicians. The management politician offers stability and continuity. The conviction politician can also offer radical reform. Management politicians often excel during crises but struggle to explain their mission beyond mere political survival. Although conviction politicians are usually effective communicators with a clear objective, overly ambitious promises, combined with a general disinterest in detail, risk a failure in policy delivery and subsequently, a decline in public trust in politics. Until now, Liz Truss has succeeded in convincing Conservative members that she can be both. Instagram posts of the new prime minister flying around the world signing trade deals plays into the competent management side, as well as her promise to “deliver, deliver and deliver” for Britain. The pussy-bow cosplay of Margaret Thatcher on the other hand, is a clear signal of her neoliberal heritage and apparently unshakable political convictions — unless they’re about Brexit.
Liz Truss succeeds a Conservative leader with no management skills, nor an ideological drive beyond his own self-advancement. The recent leadership election saw two deeply ideological candidates compete, with the loser posing as a pragmatist and the latter as an ideologue. So far, Liz Truss has sought to stabilize the Tory ship with an unrelenting drive for a Thatcherite revival that is familiar to Conservative members. But as another recession looms, the wider public won’t have much time for the new prime minister’s ideological pet projects. If the last prime minister could intervene and pay for furlough, why can’t our new prime minister get involved too?
At a time when Conservatives are pre-occupying themselves with culture wars and commemorative fancy dress, the progressive centre-left must put forward three tangible, clear and interconnected goals for Britain. It is important not to overcomplicate this. If for example, Labour and/or the Liberal Democrats set out to end poverty, fix the rental market, clean up the rivers and beaches or replenish council housing stock, then Liz Truss’ endlessly recycled phrase “aspiration nation” suddenly looks rather hollow. Elections do not have to be a choice between the management politician and the conviction politician. Winning parties have a combination of both. Liz Truss has branded her way to the driving seat of a governing party tired of branding its way out of multiple crises. It is now the Conservative Party’s turn to be inward-looking and self-destructive. The opposition must seize this moment. Keir Starmer’s Union Jack’s and Ed Davey’s blue mallet are important symbols, but tangible and simple, yet achievable policy promises are key to blocking a fifth Conservative election victory.
In 2019, the Conservatives won with the promise to “Get Brexit Done”. Now, voters just want to “Get Britain Working”.
Tom Parkin (@tompjparkin) is a foreign affairs commentator, former Liberal Democrat candidate and incoming PhD researcher at the School of Journalism, Media and Communication at The University of Sheffield.
