The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Behind the Britannia Unchained Tories

The Guardian has taken a look at the influential Tories behind next month's Britannia Unchained

By Alex Hern Published 23 August 2012 11:35

Britannia Chained. Photograph: Getty Images

The Guardian has followed up on the unfavourable reaction to the extracts the Evening Standard published from Britannia Unchained, the new book by a group of five 2010 intake Tories which aims to present ways to radically overhaul Britain for the 21st century, lest we face "an inevitable slide into mediocrity".

Andy Beckett speaks to Dominic Raab, one of the book's authors, about the leaked passages, which revealed the authors think the British are "among the worst idlers in the world." Beckett writes:

When I speak to Raab again after the Evening Standard extract, he says it gave "a skewed and inaccurate reflection of what is in the book".

(For what it's worth, the passage – which goes on to state that "we work among the lowest hours, we retire early and our productivity is poor" – gives a "skewed and inaccurate reflection" of the British work ethic itself, as Chris Dillow pointed out in a response. Hopefully the rest of the book uses actual figures.)

Tim Montgomerie, the editor of Conservative Home, tells Beckett that these five MPs, and the Free Enterprise Group of libertarian Tories whose thinking they epitomise, are the best hope of the party:

"It's a pretty depressing time for the Conservative party, but the thing that gives me hope is the [parliamentary] class of 2010, and all the groups they've formed. Of those groups, the Free Enterprise Group is the group. They're quite spiky in their opinions, but well respected by the Conservative leadership. They are George Osborne's favourites. He has spoken to them. In some ways, it helps him to have them, so he can say, 'I'm not the [government's rightwing] outrider.'"

The whole piece is a thoughtful examination of a certain tendency in the Tory party which is growing in importance daily; until the embargo is lifted on the book itself, it may be the best place to go to understand them.

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5 comments

Mon, 2012-08-27 21:44 — Iany (not verified)

It seems the centre right in this country is disintegrating with each election and like the US Republicans heading for a one way ticket to crazy town.
One nation Tories like Ken Clarke are looking like a relic from a bygone age as the Conservatives morph into a fringe neo-liberal nationalist party (as they have already done in the European Parliament).

Thu, 2012-08-23 17:15 — Herbert (not verified)

These people are absoute scum. aren't they? In the past one can imagine them hitching their cart to Mussolini or Franco, bright young things with a taste for kicking what they see as 'the losers'.

Thu, 2012-08-23 14:46 — Davidaslindsay (not verified)

There was a huge turnover of MPs in 2010.

On the Labour side, that brought in numerous of the sort of quietly impressive people who would normally have come second in the selection process, beaten by the Westminster Village golden boys and their girlfriends. But that lot decided to sit out this Parliament, since Opposition was beneath them. Well, they are going to be sitting out for a very long time, then.

On the Conservative side, however, it brought in Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore and Elizabeth Truss, to name but a few. People who believe that rail fares could be cut by cutting benefits and by introducing third class tickets for standing only. That the British are unemployable idlers. And that Boris Johnson should be Prime Minister. Among so very much else besides. All in the same Blairite, Murdoch vein.

Thu, 2012-08-23 14:35 — trevor21

I'm very happy that these Tory nutcases have broke cover,the longer the sheer maddness of this coalition goes on the bigger the landslide that will be Labour's whenever the G.E. comes. Keep talking boys,your digging your own graves.

Thu, 2012-08-23 12:07 — mike cobley (not verified)

I dont know which is more risible, the obvious message of these far-right gigglers or the excitement evinced by certain journos. I think I'll have to go with the former as its more fun.

I freely confess to not having read their book (although it will be in my hands very soon) but extracts read merely confirm that far from being brash, hot, young, envelope-pushing yoofsters they are just peddling the same old, creaking, obsolete wornout snakeoil that their party has hawked for the last 50 years, summed up in 3 phrases: cut taxes, deregulate business, privatise public services. And that is it, repeated over and over, ruthlessly and relentlessly since the days of Thatch, it is a message echoing on and on like a heartless, dead-eyed mantra sucking all the hope out of politics and the life of the nation.

Nice of them to break cover and offer up such easy targets.