TRADITIONAL V. MODERN CONSERVATISM

The lockdowns have served well the political ambitions of those in power by muting channels for dissent. Of course, lockdowns have also saved many tens of thousands of lives. But, never let a crisis go to waste. There's a feeling that we are victims of a conspiracy to silence and mislead us and divert our attention towards covid and away from this PM's political agenda.

We see Boris with his 80 seat majority taking the opportunity to push people around 'for their own good', occupying us all with complex, ever-changing, incoherent covid rules, demanding our compliance, while he pushes through the reforms he personally wants to be known for.

We are not just talking about building hundreds of thousands of homes in southerners' back yards. We are talking about a one-nation Conservatism that looks to many Conservatives like Marxism for its top-down focus on "big society" at the expense of the individual - we lose our voice, our freedom, protest becomes a difficult affair, illegal even, they shut down regions, put up barricades, visit us in our homes, subject us to frequent testing. For what?

We are talking about very considerable increases in state spending, keeping interest rates near zero to dominate the "independent" central bank and market economy, with little regard to value or cost-benefits, that many Conservatives see as Big Socialist State.

We are talking about signing up to massive programs to combat climate change, where many wonder how on earth we can get such long-range programs right if we can't even get next week's weather right.

We are talking about capturing the black sheep of the red wall while taking loyal Conservatives and their needs for granted.

We are looking at, effectively, a one-party state, with Boris everywhere to be seen, taking over the commanding heights of the economy, the institutions, disregarding Parliament and law Lords, changing, menacing, the unity of the Kingdom without consent.

None of this feels like classic, traditional Conservatism.

I'm beginning to think what is happening should be seen through a different lens. Where is it going? What is it leading to?