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London Calling
How British Conservatives Rose from the Dead
After Romney’s loss, American conservatives can find lessons — and solace — just across the pond.
A charismatic liberal candidate convinces voters to reject the center-right as “uncaring extremists,” and carries the election. The conservatives are confused and demoralized. The party battles internally about whether to blame the defeat on too much ideological purity, or not enough.
This may sound familiar. But I’m referring to the British Conservative Party in 2005, after the center-left Tony Blair strolled to another victory (his third) in the UK’s general election. Conservatives wondered if they’d ever win again, and some despaired for the future of their country — with power seemingly unobtainable. Yet five years later they were back in government.
For American Republicans, there are some lessons here, and they might shoot a glance or two across the pond and consider the three main ways Britain’s Conservatives recovered from their own darkest hour, their crushing defeat, and a rash of media obituaries.
First, in David Cameron, the British Conservatives finally found themselves an articulate, charismatic, voter-friendly leader of their own — a match for Tony Blair, and a vastly superior political operator to Gordon Brown. This was the single most important thing they did. The lesson they learned was to select someone to run for the top job who is at least as warm, likeable, impressive, cool, and gaffe-free as the opposing candidate. To do otherwise is to have a death wish.
I was in Boston and New York two weeks before the presidential election and was struck by the great likelihood of an Obama victory — despite Republican commentators referring to a neck-and-neck race. Romney, it seemed to my dispassionate, foreign eyes, was an earnest, hard-working candidate, but not a great one. Not one who could reach out to all levels of society. While he offered a compelling narrative about economic dilemmas, I thought he lacked the authenticity and capacity to unify and excite.
Second, on social issues, Britain’s Conservative Party stopped trying to turn the clock back to a supposedly golden age of God-fearing, two-parent families. Cameron made clear that his Conservatives “love Britain the way it is now” — open, diverse, accepting, individualistic, and multi-cultural. This made Conservative supporters uncomfortable, but most understood it was necessary. Romney never seemed to bridge this gap.
Cameron went on to frame the social debate to reflect conservative compassion, not condemnation. To huge effect, he spoke about mending those parts of the country where society was “broken” (characterized by crime, drugs, truancy, and generations living on welfare), just as Margaret Thatcher had mended Britain’s broken economy in the 1980s. As a result, Cameron started to lead, and even own, the social debate, which had traditionally been his opponents’ territory.
Finally, the British Conservatives stopped talking so loudly about issues that had obsessed them for decades yet were a turn-off for many swing voters: immigration and Britain’s relationship with the European Union. In contrast, Romney and his team had trouble focusing on the right issues.
None of this message strategy was easy for Cameron. His supporters had to be patient and determined in the run-up to the election — recognizing that while the Conservative Party might be out of fashion, Britain’s conservative instincts endure. And they had to trust that throughout, he could be counted on to remain true to his conservative principles.
Cameron’s Conservatives have proven far from perfect. Yet, despite missteps along the way, Britain has had a Conservative Prime Minister for the last two and a half years, and barring a political catastrophe, will have one until at least 2015.
Britain’s experience suggests that U.S. Republicans might take heart and have confidence that the next president could be one of their own. In the meantime, for all their sadness and anger at losing, they should be comforted that America’s soul isn’t going to be changed any time soon, just as Britain’s withstood 13 years of a Blair-Brown government more liberal than Obama’s.
The America I saw last month was the same country I’ve seen on many occasions: clean, civilized, welcoming, generous, prosperous, warm-hearted, creative, and bursting with potential.
The fundamentals don’t change, whoever occupies the White House.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (24) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Robert Taylor
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GobBluthe| 11.21.12 @ 6:43AM
Are you friggin kidding me??? Cameron is the worst example of a conservative that exists. First, Cameron won a minority government. This is the parlimentary equivalent of winning the electoral college and losing the popular vote. Secondly, Cameron is going to lose at the next election and will deserve to. Europhile, high tax rates and standing for nothing, I'd sooner vote for Michael Foot than David Cameron who has trashed everything Tories have stood for.
A much better example of conservative ascendency is Stephen Harper in Canada. Unlike Cameron who embraces multiculturalism and socialism, Harper has rejected the post Trudeau narrative of Canadian society and what can be said and done in polite Canadian conversation. Better yet, he has gotten away with it. Cutting income and corporate taxes, tossing out the gun registry, allying with Israel and stressing Christian values, Harper's govt has a strong majority and has dealt Canada's Natural Governing Party two consecutive humiliating defeats.
Will| 11.21.12 @ 10:48PM
Cameron leads a very conservative government. Marketising the NHS, bringing in free schools, declaring war on public sector unions, massively cutting welfare, introducing welfare caps, cutting corporate taxes (by 4%), eliminating income tax for low earners, cutting income tax for the rich and instituting an annual cap on immigration. All this while allied to a centre-left party. He is also the most Eurosceptic PM since we went in in 1973.
The only area in which he has not been conservative is social policy. Cameron is a social liberal, but so is Britain. The battlecrys of guns, God, gays and abortion have absolutely no resonance in Britain (in fact they are toxic for swing voters). The current government is, in many ways, more right wing than Thatcher's, whilst operating in a country that is arguably more liberal.
c. j. acworth| 11.21.12 @ 6:55AM
So if I understand the author correctly, conservatives here in the US need only toss over some of the basic principles that animate us to regain power.....to what end? If there is no difference between R and D, who cares who is in ofice?
C. Vernon Crisler | 11.23.12 @ 12:00PM
Seems to me that Romney was the American version of David Cameron, a sellout. And now Taylor wants us to do the same thing all over again. As they say in New York forgetaboutit.
TruSkeptik| 11.21.12 @ 6:58AM
Being a "conservative" in Britain is an entirely different thing than in the US. How exactly do you suppose a conservative gets elected in Britain in the face of nationalized medicine, transit, and the innumerable, unworkable social programs which are already in place in Britain? In the US we are in fact trying to prevent the British model from being "thrust upon us". One cannot possibly compare a British conservative with an American one. British conservatism is nothing more than a "good show", while it still means something very real here in America. Following the British lead is, in fact, exactly what the left hopes we do.
Kevin Brent | 11.21.12 @ 7:46AM
Posh Dave Cameron is NOT any Conservative. He's Labour Party Light over there. Were he American, he'd more to the left than Jimmy Carter.
minktulip| 11.21.12 @ 8:04AM
Cameron is an ambitious politician with a career strewn with u turns and unfulfilled promises. His basic premise is that electors are there to be hoodwinked. Even though he positioned himself as the "heir to Blair" he failed to get a majority against a Labour government ruined and exhausted. He is a terrible example for anyone of any political opinion who has scruples and principles.
Derek Leaberry| 11.21.12 @ 9:21AM
When you elect a conservative who offers no conservative policies, why bother? Better to let the whole rotting system collapse under the weight of a degenerate welfare state.
Gary B| 11.22.12 @ 1:37PM
Derek, I'm afraid you're right. Can't stop the degenerates now. They're in a feeding frenzy. The whole thing will have to collapse of its own weight. As I've said previously, the pendulum hasn't swung far enough yet.
Just to set the author straight... there are no conservatives in government. Only power brokers and bureaucrats live in DC.
RJ| 11.21.12 @ 10:34AM
Mr. Taylor, you have said what it took for David Cameron to win election. But before we follow that path, please inform us what he has accomplished.
Von Mises Jr| 11.21.12 @ 10:44AM
Politics is driven by events. In Britain after 60 years of socialized medicine and now open borders to Islamist, the Brits are seeing firsthand how much socialism sucks. If your wife has her baby in an elevator and your police cannot control sections of the country; one figures out that while leftism sounds good and has some short-term benefits, that in the long-term not only are you dead (Keynes), but life is Short, Nasty and Brutish (Hobbes).
Perhaps 2013 may be the equivalent of decades of misery in England. If the Church does not win its Freedom of Religion and Conscience lawsuit, perhaps it would be best if they just shut down all Catholic Hospitals. Or if the Red States reject ObamaCare by Nullification, they can simply focus on those states.
We might as well get there fast than languish in a slow and miserable existence.
Cool Hand Luke| 11.21.12 @ 11:51AM
Golly, back to being Compassionate Conservatives.
Is that what the Republicans have come to?
Try to be like the Brits. Sad.
In the future, if they win, Republicans will be nothing
more than baby sitters for the State.
Tafuna| 11.21.12 @ 2:10PM
What's the point in winning an election if your candidate espouses the same beliefs as his opponent? Would it make any difference if the American president had an -R after his name if he pushed the same policies as Obama.
I'm sick and tired of RINOs insisting that if only we blurred the difference between our party and the Democrats we would win. If we did that there would be no point in winning.
Not long ago on a TV program in the UK regarding cuts in council spending a female constitutent whined, "Who will mow my mother's yard if these cuts go through." Even the conservative politicians gave this woman's question deep respect. No one suggested that this woman get off her lazy butt and mow her own mother's yard. Conservatism in the UK has devolved into "me too" liberalism. I don't want to see that happen in America.
John Navratil| 11.21.12 @ 2:35PM
If Mr. Taylor is happy with Cameron in Britain, I'm happy for him. I would not be happy with Cameron, or anyone like him, here. If that's the best we can look forward to, it's not much. If that's a lesson, I reject it. If that's solace, I call it cold comfort.
Jane Chingo| 11.21.12 @ 5:09PM
Great Britain is a toxic cesspool of unredeemable socialism. Do you ever read any of the horror stories about the loss of liberty over there and the insane things being done at the local level by city governments and police? It doesn't matter at all who's in #10.
Bill30097| 11.21.12 @ 5:13PM
Cameron is a socialist sellout.
darcy| 11.21.12 @ 5:50PM
Hogwash. Utter and complete rubbish. Where does Amspec pick up these idiot authors? David Cameron, conservative? Surely you jest?
He's just a tad bit right of Marx and you pass him off as conservative. For shame. You can take your right-liberalism and shove it, Amspec.
ChesterBelloc| 11.21.12 @ 8:31PM
An idiot article.
robert feneron| 11.22.12 @ 9:12AM
On reading this article, I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't April Fools Day. It's hard to know where to begin in answering this gibberish. Suffice to say that Cameron's touchy-feely, big society "Conservatism" is heading for a crushing defeat at the nexxt geenral election, to a Labour Party that will run to the right of the Tories - and Robert Taylor regards this as a model to be emulated!
For the best dissection of the "Cameroons" on the market, please refer to Peter Hitchen's "The Cameron Delusion".
stmichrick| 11.22.12 @ 9:47PM
I don't know about the UK but here too much of the electorate is aware of the societal decline that is encouraged by liberal lifestyle positions. I don't think a conservative needs to hide from that.
A skillful conservative candidate can be pro-life, indifferent to who uses birth control and puzzled at why marriage needs to be redefined while making it clear that those issues are not what his campaign is about. Getting dragged into a discussion about birth control is counter-productive and stupid for someone who intends to change economic course and restore American world leadership. The media types who try and bait them should end up looking trivial and incompetent for bringing it up.
MItchell_Young| 11.23.12 @ 10:03AM
On immigration it was the Labour government who instituted a restrictionist policy before the latest election. The UK has gone to a more skills and education based criteria for admitting immigrants and has tightened up procedures (for example, to 'adjust status, a potential immigrant must now return to their home country and deal with the British officials there). If in fact Cameron talked less about this subject -- and immigration restriction is popular in Britain -- then it might be because he was outflanked.
Occam's Tool| 11.23.12 @ 10:14PM
I would prefer to see The Wild, Wild West in 2016.
Neatsfoot| 11.25.12 @ 11:30AM
"Second, on social issues, Britain's Conservative Party stopped trying to turn the clock back to a supposedly golden age of God-fearing, two-parent families. Cameron made clear that his Conservatives "love Britain the way it is now" -- open, diverse, accepting, individualistic, and multi-cultural. This made Conservative supporters uncomfortable, but most understood it was necessary. Romney never seemed to bridge this gap."
That is not going to happen here for a good while! When a GWU student pointed this out in a WSJ editorial, she was pilloried for abandoning the cause
TheGr8Goat| 11.26.12 @ 6:43AM
The difference, sir, is that your real British conservatives came to the United States to avoid the insanity of the modern UK. There is no "new world" for real conservatives to flee to now.
You see, there is simply nowhere else to go. Thus, the fight will be bloody but the real conservatives are not going to conveniently disappear as they did in England. The conflict before us will make the conflict behind us seem like milk and cookies. I look forward to every bloody second of it.