Star comment: Division was never far away
Theresa May talked in her conference speech about realising the British dream for a new generation.
On the subject of dreams, the dream for her party would have been an uneventful conference ending on a note of triumph and with demonstrable unity in the ranks.
It was a dream disappointed. Her speech did not go to plan, through reasons beyond her control. And Tories will have left Manchester amid an atmosphere of nervousness for the political future.
There is a veneer of unity, but not far underneath there is division.
The element of fear has been injected by a Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn, where high morale and confidence contrasts with the Tories’ worries.
In this he is surely right. What matters for Britain in the negotiations is getting the best possible deal for Britain and if they are instead used for showboating and grandstanding by potential leadership contenders, that will be a distraction and could be damaging for Britain’s prospects.Mr Pritchard, who opposed Brexit, says that “egos riding on the back of Brexit are doing great harm.”
Talk of egos and the image of Boris Johnson immediately pops up. He can well be imagined as a political beauty contestant, with his blond locks and engaging style wowing the judges.
He dominated the Tory party conference, despite mostly saying the right things and pledging public support for Theresa May. This is because, rightly or wrongly, he is locked into a media storyline that he is plotting to be the next leader of the party.
Who are the other beauty contestants? David Davis inevitably takes his place on the political catwalk, the Brexit talks keeping the spotlight on him for the next 18 months at least and allowing him to strut his stuff.
Mr Pritchard also says it is arrogant to suggest that Jeremy Corbyn is unelectable. The Tories learned from the experience of the last General Election that they cannot assume that people will treat him as a joke, and vote accordingly.
Mr Corbyn has engaged young voters, capturing their hearts and minds, in a way in which the Tories have failed, and have work to do to catch up. There was plenty of youth-friendly material in Mrs May’s speech. With the next election not due for nearly five years, on the face of it the Tories have plenty of time to sort themselves out. But recent experience shows that in modern politics, you must expect the unexpected.
