Über-modernisation

With those words George Osborne appeared to distance himself from those un-named individuals who believed that the leadership of the party did not need to acknowledge any traditionalist element within the Conservative Party but should pursue relentless, unflinching decontamination of the party brand.

There certainly were über-modernisers within the party hierarchy.

Some believed in imposition of candidates, for example, and wanted to suspend party democracy in order to secure implementation of the A-list of gender-balanced candidates.  A sniffy attitude to the grassroots is a key feature of some übers (eg Bruce Anderson and John Bercow).

One shadow cabinet minister became an über-moderniser because they did not believe that public perceptions could be easily shifted over the course of a parliament.  This frontbencher's conclusion was that it wasn't necessary to talk about core vote issues at all as voters would not stop believing that the Tories were the party of Euroscepticism and a tough approach to crime.   Not one press release should be issued on immigration was this über-moderniser's conclusion.  Every ounce of energy should be dedicated to modernising messages.

For an alternative definition see this related link: Six reasons why I am an über-moderniser by Daniel Finkelstein

Comments

[Sean Fear]

I, for one, am not sorry to see the back of uber-modernisation, as described by Danny Finklestein in the Times. A thoroughly cynical and second rate approach to politics.

[Editor]

Thanks Sean. I'd forgotten about DF's piece. I've now added it as a 'Related link'.

[gadfly]

Gideon is progressively becoming the lead Conservative of choice for conservatives.I suspect he is brighter and more streetwise than many of his peers .

[Ash Faulkner]

"...as voters would not stop believing that the Tories were the party of Euroscepticism and a tough approach to crime."

I'm sorry, but is that not a) what we are, and b) extremely popular with the public?

Good God, these people need to get out of the Westminster bubble.

[Tony Makara]

A political party that does not evolve in order to respond to the needs of contemporary society is doomed to extinction. David Cameron has made the Conservative party electable because he recognized that the party must reflect 21st attitudes. Those who stand still end up going backwards.

[Moral minority]

Uber-modernisation is a great term to describe the green and "liberal" fascists who contaminated our great Conservative party with their green, sexist, PC quisling agenda.

[Nick]

Moral Minority... some of your posts are extremely obscure. Are you actually Norman Tebbit?

GO hit the nail on the head when he said that we need to talk about issues like the NHS, green taxes etc but not at the expense of lower taxes smaller government.

A party that talks about more than just its core values is a party that is capable of getting elected.

Moral Minority: please refer to election results from 1997, 2001, 2005.

[Rupert Butler]

Nick and Moral Majority neatly encapsulate our Party’s current problem. MM is almost incoherent because he knows his ideals are being quite ignored. Nick is securely in the mode and feels free to scorn those who are not. “Uber-modernisation” is both modish and intrinsically meaningless.

Nick's blithe reference to the last three failed campaigns is thoughtless, proving not what he pretends.

For different reasons our leaders between 1997 and 2005 were inadequate. From Sep 92 John Major failed to hold his parliamentarians together and in 1995 those parliamentarians blew their chance to deal with the problem. Those that survived 1997 remain even now in guilty denial, so the newer Members receive no proper example from their seniors.

By abdicating the choice of leader to the voluntary party, all our parliamentarians have reserved to themselves the right not to support him. DC's political support in parliament is shallow for this reason. In fair weather he gets away with the marketing approach to policy; but most conservatives (a “moral majority” even ?) know - and the electorate may yet decide - that DC's Conservative Party has as yet no coherent policy to save our economy and to restore our good government.