Right now feels like an excellent time for any British citizen who cares about the direction of the UK to join the Conservative Party.
Wait, don’t go, I know how that sounds, considering “right now” is April 2024, and everybody in the UK hates Tories and wishes they’d go away.
And yes, it feels very important to spell out that this is April 2024, because this take will date very fast and won’t apply in a year’s time at most. This is a “right now” thing.
After the next election, whenever that is, there won’t be a Conservative government. There may hardly be a Conservative parliamentary party. There could be a Conservative bloodbath.
There won’t be a Conservative direction, or Conservative policies to speak of.
BUT There will be a Conservative party, and it will come back from the dead somehow, because it always does.
There’s no point joining Labour, because it wouldn’t make any difference if you did. A party on the upswing already has its direction, for good or for bad. There may be arguments, but it won’t change anything if you get involved.
If you have ideas about what would make the country better, the smoking scorched earth of the Conservative party feels like the most fertile ground there could be, fertilised with years of prime manure, but swept free for new notions, possibly. If you hold your nose.
I’d do it myself if I could bear the idea of belonging to a party at all.