The Centre for Policy Studies hosted a party for Robin Harris earlier this evening, in honour of the publication of his one volume history of the Conservatives. Andrew Gimson reviewed the book in a recent issue of the Spectator and described it as ‘a marvel of concision, lucidity and scholarship’, plenty of eminent Tories agree. The CPS’ cramped offices were graced by Lord Lamont, Spectator select committee chairman of the year and Thatcher’s one time PPS John Whittingdale, and rising backbencher Jesse Norman — to name but a few. A smattering of ministers and government aides had also braved the thickening night to attend Harris’ shin-dig. One wonders what these luminaries thought of the guest of honour’s remarks on his book and the state of the nation. Certainly, their loyal faces gave nothing away.
Harris believes that the Conservative party’s survival into the modern era is “remarkable”. Thus, he is unsparing of the party’s nadirs, just as he celebrates its triumphs. The key, Harris says, is leadership. The Tory leadership “is not unlike an elective dictatorship…bring the party to power and a leader will thrive”; but woe betide the man (or woman on one occasion) who impedes the presumed route to undiluted power — none are indispensible. Knowing sniggers broke at this utterance.
Harris believes there have been three particularly disastrous leaders of the Conservative party: Edward Heath, Robert Peel and Arthur Balfour. He concentrated on the latter, who famously led the party to catastrophe in 1906 over the indecision about free trade. “There are some parallels with the situation in Europe today,” Harris said. He then went on to quote a contemporary Liberal MP, who had himself been adapting the Vicar of Bray — a witty couplet or two about being resolved against conviction. The earlier sniggers matured into guffaws.
Finally, Harris mused on the history of the Conservatives in coalition. This is a happy story in which the Tories invariably consume their partner. Maybe it will be so this time. Harris contrasted Lloyd George’s coalition with Cameron’s. “Lloyd George,” he said, “was a dangerous man.” While Nick Clegg, on the other hand, might be “irritating…but he stands for nothing.” The laughter was uproarious by this stage, and not altogether ‘nice’.
There is a famous truism that the formation of political dining clubs is a Tory leader’s first sign of trouble in the Westminster party. Tonight’s attendees did not go on to that sort of dinner, but many of them relished the aperitif.
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