There was a time when John Strafford practically was the Conservative Party - such was his knowledge of the constituency party and the ‘mood’ of the membership. He worked closely with many Conservative leaders over the last three or more decades.
But he has noticed - like many others in the party - a power-grab by CCHQ (Conservative Campaign Headquarters). The result is the Conservative parliamentary party of today - one that has become enervated and isolated from the grassroots. Boris Johnson’s adoption of globalism, wokeism and the “climate emergency” agenda is evidence of ideological drift, he argues. As John outlines in this conversation, the party is now dominated by former SPADs (special advisors) and a complement of MPs bereft of talent or conviction or both (with a very small number of exceptions).
John has been campaigning for a restoration of Conservative values in the party for many years. But he argues that if the membership and constituencies continue to be ignored the Conservatives will suffer a horrific defeat at the next general election - especially if Boris Johnson is still at the helm. He makes clear that if Johnson doesn’t make way for a small-state Conservative leader, willing to restore party democracy, then the future will be bleak.
This video is very much worth a watch in full. John provides a historical overview of how the Conservative Party has arrived at its current sorry state of populism and woke, focus-group-driven policy agendas. But redemption is possible.
Woke Sycophants