To the almost certain horror of the hard-right, libertarian wing of the Conservative Party, moderates have taken back control. The grown-ups are back in charge for now and the sense of relief is palpable.
Liz Truss’s 38 day experiment comprising unfunded tax cuts and libertarian factionalism prolonged only by the death of the Queen, is over. Truss is a busted flush. Her agenda has gone. This morning, incredibly, Jeremy Hunt reversed nearly all aspects of the mini budget. She now offers nothing, not even able communication skills, and will be gone within weeks, possibly even days.
Jeremy Hunt takes charge…
The beneficiaries? Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt. Putting Brexit to one side, they are moderates, representing the centre/centre-left of the Party. Believers in sound finances, social liberalism, competent government, any one of them would govern by making appointments from all sides of the Party based on merit.
It is time for the Conservative Party to stop divisively thinking of politics in terms of North versus South, blue versus red walls, establishment versus radicals, experts versus who? It is time for competence over ideology and country before Party.
So far, so good but there are still two very large threats facing the Tories. One potentially self-inflicted, one outside their control.
Taking the first, it is still the same underlying Party as it was, with much of its membership very right-wing, and unpleasant ideologues lurking in the wings. Members were seemingly happy with the chaos which came before Truss under Johnson. And they voted in Truss despite all the warning signs. If, in an inevitable change of leader, another election contest is held (that in itself would finish the Tories) with the drift to the Right reconfirmed or heaven forbid, there is a re-coronation of Johnson, then it is game over. No moderate will want anything to do with them. The Party would finally split and lose the next General Election very, very heavily indeed.
Second, it is probably too late for the Tories, anyway. The public is heartedly sick of their pantomime approach to government. Their arrogance, sense of entitlement, treating government as one big experiment. It has caused real damage to the fabric of society, the institutions they are meant to revere, to international relations.
However dull Starmer is and to whatever extent some extremes still lurk in corners of the Labour Party, it is time for a change. For the health of democracy. For the health of the Tory Party.
Inside Right Politics 
Excellent analysis Julian. But how have the fat right managed to create such a.terrible situation for themselves and the country? As a Labour supporter, I feel Starmer is not the leader we need either. He has failed to put across the enormity of the situation on numerous occasions. Now, more than ever, the country needs an effective opposition. If we had had that, things may not have come this far.
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