James Forsyth James Forsyth

How the pursuit of happiness could lead Britain to the right

How the pursuit of happiness could lead Britain to the right

issue 18 December 2010

How the pursuit of happiness could lead Britain to the right

The political mantra that the Young Turks in the Tory party live by is ‘in opposition you move to the centre, in government you move the centre’. Before the last election, they would
use the line — often a bit defensively — to justify their passive acceptance of Labour policies. But now that the Tories are in power, albeit in coalition, it has become a cry of
triumph.

After seven months in government, the Conservatives can justifiably claim to have moved the political centre ground. The coalition with the Liberal Democrats has ended the prospect of a
Labour-Liberal realignment for a generation. The Lib Dems who are serving in government have come to hate Labour with a passion. It is not political anymore — it’s personal. One senior
Tory recently became confused when a Lib Dem colleague kept saying angrily, ‘it’s what the animals want us to do’.

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