Mehdi Hasan

Mehdi Hasan’s polemical take on politics, economics and foreign affairs

In defence of Baroness Warsi

The Tory right has it all wrong.

By Mehdi Hasan Published 14 January 2011 16:49

I have a soft spot for Baroness Warsi. Before the Islamophobic and racist trolls arrive "below the line" to claim it's because she shares my faith or ethnicity, let me clarify: it has nothing to do with that. It's because she, like Ken Clarke, is neither a right-wing Tory headbanger nor is she a smug Notting Hill Cameroon. She's unafraid to speak her mind and, by Tory standards, is normal(-ish).

This morning, Baroness Warsi appeared on the Today programme to defend the Tories' non-campaign in Oldham East and Saddleworth and used the radio interview to lay into right-wing Tory backbenchers who've been grumbling about the party's overall approach to the by-election, where they came third.

Here's how Warsi put it:

We had many, many members of parliament turning up; we had some who made much comment about the fact that we weren't fighting a strong enough campaign but, interestingly, didn't turn up to campaign.

I would say to those who are critical: "Unless you were here, unless you were out delivering and unless you were knocking on doors, you really don't have a right to complain about us not being vigorous enough."

The response from the Tory right was instant and brutal; here's ConservativeHome's Tim Montgomerie:

She should be defending her own campaign rather than lashing out at others.

And here's James Forsyth, one of the best-connected Tory-supporting journalists, writing on the Spectator's Coffee House blog:

What to do about Warsi is quite a problem for the Tory high command. She does visibly show how the party has changed but she's also not very competent.

Hmm. "Not very competent"? As compared to who? The gaffe-prone Education Secretary, Michael Gove, who had to apologise for a series of ministerial mis-statements over the scrapping of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) last summer and, in recent weeks, has had to execute U-turns over funding for school support and free books for kids? The reckless Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, who is on the verge of wrecking the NHS with his hasty, ill-considered and expensive reorganisation?

Forsyth describes the baroness's intervention on the radio this morning as "Warsi's 'nasty party' moment". But, hold on, Theresa May, who coined that notorious phrase back in 2002, had a point: countless centrist voters across the land did indeed consider the Conservatives to be nasty, uncaring, reactionary, right-wing, etc. In fact, the problem I have with the criticisms of Warsi emanating from the Spectator, ConservativeHome et al is that they fail to recognise the rather obvious point that the failure of Cameron's Conservatives to win a majority last year wasn't because they went too far in terms of "detoxification", "modernisation" and "rebranding" -- it was because they didn't go far enough! Or does Tim Montgomerie think a more right-wing, low-tax, anti-European, anti-immigration platform would have secured Cameron his majority in 2010? Really?? Just ask William Hague and Michael Howard how that barmy approach worked out for them in 2001 and 2005 . . .

Whether Warsi is gaffe-prone is a debate for another day; attacking her for attacking the right or running a lacklustre campaign in Oldham East and Saddleworth is just silly. The Tories had no chance of winning the seat and, had the Lib Dems somehow won it from Labour, that would have actually helped the Tories by helping to stabilise the Tory-led coalition. And, lest we forget, it was the Tory right-winger Andrew Mitchell, and not Sayeeda Warsi, who, according to Gary Gibbon, "told cabinet colleagues on 21 December that they (collectively, all, both parties) should do everything they can to help the Lib Dems in Oldham East". Gibbon adds: "I hear that no one in that cabinet meeting (including the PM) dissented from this pretty blatant piece of informal pact-making."

No one? Not the right-wing standard-bearers Liam Fox or Iain Duncan Smith? So why shoot the messenger (in this case, Sayeeda Warsi)?

On a side note, you can read my interview with the Tory chair, from October 2010, here.

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Tags: Conservatives

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74 comments

Fri, 2012-04-06 23:07 — DT (not verified)

When former Lib/Dem Leader Charles Kennedy said on national TV (BBC 1’s ‘This Week’) in October 2011 that Baroness Warsi would be sacked because she was out of her depth and incompetent was he being racist?

The truth is that the cabinet should be full of many black and ethnic minority individuals but the pre-requisite is that they should be competent. This equally applies to white members but the idea that Baroness Warsi is being targeted because of her gender or race or faith is to ignore the fact that she happens to be pretty incompetent. As a Labour supporter I would urge the Tories to keep her - she is our secret weapon!

Ps – I am surprised that Mehdi is using these arguments which simply undermine the fight against ‘real’ racist abuse and leads to arguments of stifling legitimate criticism by white people! I have met numerous Muslims and non-Muslims, women and men, Asian,black and whites who say that Baroness Warsi is incompetent - maybe, just maybe, they're not being racist but simply honest?

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:18 — Axmed

Sparky - homophobe? Is it in this article? I hope you understand the difference between the relevant from the irrelevant responses. What you write (here) is not relevant to this blog. Cheers,

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:19 — Matt Hurst (not verified)

Sadly I have to agree with Sparky, your writing is usually spot on Mehdi but this Baroness has proven to be rotten whenever homosexuality comes into discussion.

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:21 — Dan (not verified)

I find her extremely annoying, as she's one of the ConDemolition's worst offenders in terms of telling flat-out lies about Labour's economic record (witness her appearance on Question Time last year, when she tried to excuse the Tories' broken promise on child benefit by saying "we had no idea how bad the deficit was") - but I do think some people are underrating her value to the Coalition, as she's one of the few cabinet ministers who has even a remote hope of being able to carry off the "we're all in this together" motif. People aren't going to take lectures in austerity from People's Toff Cameron, Kloses-holidaying Osborne, thousand-pair-of-kitten-heel-owning May, tax-avoiding Hammond or multi-million-pound-divorce-settlement Huhne - but Warsi is one of the few who can do down-to-earth working-class folksiness.

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:23 — Dave C (not verified)

I too have a soft spot for Baroness Warsi.

It's a peat bog in Ireland.

Tue, 2011-07-19 08:13 — Galilea

People are faced with confusion as to which of the two devils to vote for. Die hard Tories will always vote for the cons, but Liberals are a different breed, they used to feel safe until Clegg betrayed them. http://www.dentaljournal.org/

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:27 — Des Demona (not verified)

@ Matt and Sparky

Careful chaps, or you'll be accused of homophobicphobia !!!
Mehdi likes to bany the phobia word about.

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:33 — James (not verified)

The wider point you make about the general incompetence of the government is more interesting. Warsi is rubbish, and not very amiable, whatever her views on things!

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:35 — Sparky (not verified)

@Axmed and it's not relevent? If someone was glossing over a complete and utter racist and saying how much of a soft spot they had for them, would it be irrelevent to bring up what was so pointedly being ignored?

I wonder if Mehdi would think it not worth mentioning then?

@Des Demona, aye of course. In Mehdi's world, objecting to homophobia is a phobic thing to do!

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:36 — Arturo Bandini (not verified)

Come on Mehdi, she's a complete bam.

Believe me, I've no desire to see the Tories perform competently. For that reason, long may she reign!

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:47 — Naveed (not verified)

How is it considered a 'gaffe' when a chairman is being open and honest with the voters about the need for discipline, reflection in her party's shortcomings?

Its often easy to criticise from the sidelines without active participation which is seen in many organisations.

Journalists need to be reminded that the majority of the public ask for honesty and openness from our politicians and constructive criticism between party members is welcome, even if it upsets some people on conservative websites

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:55 — writeoff (not verified)

There's no defending Barons or Baronesses full stop, and I think being anti-European would be a vote winner Mehdi only that it's no longer compatible with being right wing. Please don't repeat this fairytale that Clarke is a fart with a heart. The EU is becoming an ever more dangerous, anti democratic right wing corporate monolith, and a few like Ken Clarke have copped on to that. I happen to think Warsi gets a pasting because she doesn't fit the pearls and twinset Tory ideal, but it's her choice to ally herself with those people so screw her.

Fri, 2011-01-14 17:55 — Bill (not verified)

Agree with Mehdi insofar as the Tories need more people like Warsi rather than fewer. I doubt she's correct that the Tories campaigned whole-heartedly though and it seems to me that they took the cowardly option in fielding a candidate and ostensibly campaigning for him (to appease the head-banging right) without actually doing so with any enthusiasm (to appease the Lib Dems). In my view Cameron should have had the guts to withdraw his candidate altogether and really gone to war with the nutters.

Fri, 2011-01-14 18:03 — Mel Davis (not verified)

She's horrible. She says that she doesn't want to see more Muslims in Parliament because: 'They have no morals or principles'. What a bizarre thing to say about your own people. The tories are basically using her to show they're not racist and that's about it really, she is merely a nod to tokenism. She couldn't even get elected in her own consitituency. Seems like Mehdi is the only one who likes her.

Fri, 2011-01-14 18:08 — Freeman2

Dan - 'she tried to excuse the Tories' broken promise on child benefit by saying "we had no idea how bad the deficit was"'.

But they all do that. The Blessed Shirley Williams used this as an excuse for the tuition fees turnaround.

Tue, 2011-01-18 15:05 — Amsterdammer (not verified)

Warsi is the British Condoleeza Rice. A sell out to her people, and a traitor. She's a deficit hawk, a liar and a homophobe. Mehdi, I like your work. But surely this is double standards on your part? How can you have a 'soft sport' for this beast of a woman? She is the very essence of Conservatism, and through that she is an enemy to ther working/progressive man/woman (ie the majority in this country)

Fri, 2011-01-14 18:41 — swatantra

Warsi gets a bad press because many people tink she shouldn't be in the Lords but should have slogged it ut a bit more in the parliamentaries. She is after all Daves token bme muslim Cabinet woman member just to prove that the Tories are a progressive party and she is after all Chair of the Party so has a lot to say on various things. She does not exude warmth but is frosty and not many people take to her.

Tue, 2011-01-18 15:57 — Gissing (not verified)

I don't dislike Sayeeda Warsi, but her appointment to a senior role was sheer tokenism after the Tories failed to find her a safe seat.

Fri, 2011-01-14 19:16 — matthew fox (not verified)

Warsi's spat with Montgomerie is the " battle of the lightweights "

Pundits are wondering which one will burst into tears first.

Fri, 2011-01-14 19:20 — Dorian (not verified)

No Conservative is a good Conservative, it's like arguing that Goebbels wasn't the worst member of the Nazi party. She still backs the complete destruction of this country, and belongs to a party that has no care for Democracy or the People.

Fri, 2011-01-14 19:24 — Tanino (not verified)

So ... she's not a hard right winger?

Are you sure? Go back and listen to some of the stuff she used to say, sounds straight out of the Norman Tebbit school if you ask me.

Also; to answer the following question

""Not very competent"? As compared to who? The gaffe-prone Education Secretary, Michael Gove? [...] The reckless Health Secretary, Anderew Lansley?"

Yes. She is not very competent compared with Michael Gove and Andrew Lansley.

The day the Coalition was formed, Mr Hasan, you moaned on question time about the lack of women and ethnic minorities in Cabinet. Miss Warsi exists to silence such complaints and to appease people like you. And it seems to be working, here you are praising her.

She's there to tix a few PC boxes and nothing more.

Sun, 2011-01-16 16:28 — Sarah (not verified)

Sparky - you beat me to it (in noting that DC voted to keep section 28). There are more homophobic people than Warsi though, to be fair, and (that issue aside) I find her more engaging than the average Tory. But I would not want to vote for someone with such (socially) conservative views even if she belonged to a party I could support.

Tue, 2011-01-18 17:23 — maxinemf

I am shocked but unsurprised that Mehdi Hassan has a soft spot for Baroness Warsi. His support is patronising as well as racist. I see in him another NS journalist who will sell out in the end. Warsi is symptomatic of that working class Tory element in the Conservative Party who is plain nasty as well as being completely contemptuous of everyone who disagrees with her. And if she is so wonderful and has so much support in the community, how come she never won the parliamentary seat she contested. The truth is that she has virtual little or no support within the Asian community. Instead of offering informed political debate all she does is offer vindictive platitudes and venomous spite. We have this strand of thought running throughout the Tory Party beginning with David Cameron who referred to Ed Miliband as a nothing man thus implying that the Labour Party does not have a legitimate right to express concerns about Government policy. Cast you rmind back to the time when Ed Miliband was elected and instead of congratulating him asked when he was going to apologise for the economic mess that the Labour Party left behind. That the Conservative are able to get away with such comments is because to date is because Labour has failed to develop a credible political narrative on the management of the economy.

Fri, 2011-01-14 19:25 — EnragedBrit (not verified)

Perhaps Mehdi aggrees with her that Muslim voting scams lost the Tory's a working majority.

Tue, 2011-01-18 17:36 — maxinemf

It is true that her performance on Question Time was woeful. She is completely out of her depthwhen it comes to articulating political debate. No surprise then that the audience reaction to her was lukewarm and unreceptive.

Fri, 2011-01-14 19:28 — Tanino (not verified)

And your assertion that the Tories didn't get a majority in the last election because they hadn't changed enough is pure fallacy. Shame.

Sun, 2011-01-23 19:35 — NOT IMPORTANT (not verified)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYBsDwjezQI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgI1aph7AsE&feature=related

can someone please answer after watching those videos, What the Jews think of themselves & WHAT they are TEACHING their CHILDREN about about their fellow humans!!

Why the British & US foreign policy always blindly support Israel even if they kill the innocent civilians in Palestain on a DAILY basis??? WHY ?? Why our governments support that terrorist state BLINDLY?

If the US & UK could stop their blind support and could overcome the very strong Jewish influence to go to war & their always kill people attitude; then today we woldn't even come to the point of suicide bombing and worldwide terrorism.

These terrorist are always having their home-made recruits here in UK & In US & i think they themselves were born because of the injustice that's been happening to some group of innocent people around the world.

Killing innocent people regardless of their religion (Jew, Christan, Hindu Muslim and so on) is ofcourse wrong and I know it is prohibited in all the major religious books. Doesn't matter what the tiny number of sick terrorist bastard comes up with their sick explanation of killing innocent people; they clearly going against their own religion. Also those sick bastard politicians who lied to the public and went into illegal wars; now killing nearly millions of civilians; by which again the terrorist are having easy recruits!

In my opinion, Hezbollah, Hamas & organisations like them wouldn't even exist in this world, if we (the world) could stop the UNJUSTICE & killing of innocent people on a DAILY basis which has been happening for the last 60 years by Terrorist country Israel.

Sun, 2011-01-16 18:17 — alex (not verified)

Sparky
its interesting the way you interpret what I wrote:
'..I would rather chew my own arm off than vote Tory...'
'..I dont agree with their policies on virtually anything...'
thats what you call 'praising' them?
perhaps the only thing this quite appalling government has done which I agree with is their moves to tackle anti-gay bullying in schools.
Secondly you seem to think the issue of who people's friends are is irrelevant, Blair may have been best buddies with Mandelson he also chose to go on holiday with Silvio Berlusconi, he didnt need to, he chose to, thats the same Berlusconi that is in government with a bunch of unreconstructed fascists. It may be true that in terms of legislation the Blair government equalised the law for transexuals, probably the only thing Blair did, aside from the Northern Ireland peace process I saluted him for, but I think in Blair's case who he chose to go on holiday with mattered.
Third I answered uour point about who is appointed to 'high office' by noting one or two figures like Boff, former leader of Hillingdon council, although there is at least one Under Secretary of State who is openly gay.
Let me make this absolutely clear so you dont misinterpret me again, I do not agree or praise this government for anything they've yet done or represent except for their moves towards tackling anti-gay bullying in schools, something long overdue that neither the gay friendly Blair or Brown had the guts to do, as they were no doubt worried about what that strange beast 'middle England' would think

Fri, 2011-01-14 20:16 — Reginald-Fah-fah

I agree! Baroness Warsi is doing a fantastic job as the chairman of the Conservative Party.

As a Tory, I have received regular updates of her impressive hard work on behalf of the Conservative Party.

Fri, 2011-01-14 20:35 — matthew fox (not verified)

I too get updates on Warsi's efforts. Her services to help re-elect a Labour Government are appreciated.

Fri, 2011-01-14 20:46 — Reginald-Fah-fah

My good chap! Baroness Warsi will only get David Cameron's Conservative Party re-elected!

Nick Clegg will be honoured as a full Tory before the next General Election. He only got an assoicate membership card at the momemt!

David Cameron is the Greatest Prime Minister in British Political History!!! He should be the President of Great Britain!

Fri, 2011-01-14 20:49 — matthew fox (not verified)

David Cameron should be King of England.

The only problem will be the crown, I think it will be too small for his big head.

Fri, 2011-01-14 20:57 — triedeinsursE

I've no idea who she is, but I must say she looks kinda cute to me.

Fri, 2011-01-14 20:58 — Reginald-Fah-fah

How marvellous! David Cameron should be King!

We can also have Blair's head, Brown's head, Miliband's head on sticks in the Tower of London!!!

What a perfect world that would be!

Fri, 2011-01-14 21:02 — matthew fox (not verified)

Is that Matchsticks or Fiddlesticks Reginald.

Fri, 2011-01-14 21:08 — Dominic Lynch O...

Grand win by our woman in the Labour Party!

My mates up in Oldham East say she is the 'Asian Token' of the Tories!

What do they mean?

Fri, 2011-01-14 21:14 — Reginald-Fah-fah

It's the broomsticks my good chap!

Fri, 2011-01-14 21:22 — Reginald-Fah-fah

@ Lynch of Construction

I say...your comment should be removed! You make me so angry!

This is not the Conservative way!She an outstanding Chairman!!! Doing her best for Great Britain!!!

Fri, 2011-01-14 21:27 — matthew fox (not verified)

Is that with bedknobs Reginald?

Fri, 2011-01-14 21:41 — Reginald-Fah-fah

'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' is a marvellous motion picture!

Turn the bedknobs on the bed and Labour will fly away! Fantastic!

Fri, 2011-01-14 21:49 — imranp

Her elocution lessons haven't worked too well!

Fri, 2011-01-14 21:58 — Nick (not verified)

The bombastic baroness is contemptible Medhi. It baffles me how you can have a soft spot for her, she talks utter drivel and will protect whatever the Tories do at any price. It's the Tories who play the racist card by using her, it aids their despicable profile.

Fri, 2011-01-14 22:01 — Reginald-Fah-fah

Beckham, Prescott needs elocution lessons!

Nonsense! Baroness Warsi speaks very well and very clear in public!

I'm very proud to have Baroness as our chairman!

Fri, 2011-01-14 22:08 — matthew fox (not verified)

Well said Reginald, Labour flew to victory and are sky high in the polls.

I think Warsi has been grounded.