We now have the worst of the old and new

✒ THE Conservative Party once proudly asserted that it combined “the best of the old with the best of the new”.

Is the “best of the new” the dominance of private money used to manipulate British politics? Under Johnson, as reported by City AM, there was a 14-strong advisory council of the super-rich who obtained a seat in this secret cabinet by donating at least £250,000. So millionaire profit with no transparency; new or old Tory values?

That the use of money to manipulate elections is also an essential value is shown by Mr Gove’s recent raising of the limit on party election spending by 80%. Throwing money to attract votes seems the only way the May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak Party might yet win next time round.

And given this number of recent PMS, adolescent leadership quarrels is clearly a “value” as is being “economical with the truth”. Take Ms Badenock’s “triumph” in tieing the UK into the CPTPP trade bloc (April ‘23). Ms B tells us that the agreement was “worth” £12 trillion. A meaningless statement and one that underlines the apparent “value” of self-harm since this deal followed our quitting of the EU where we had an agreement “worth” £14.5trn.

The Government’s own figures show that over 10 years the CPTPP accord will increase our national wealth by only 0.08%. So economic responsibility and honesty fly-tipped.

And let’s not forget the decision to allow the likes of Shell to grab sections of the Rosebank fossil fuel field which the Tories have presented as guaranteeing energy supplies for our citizens. No, the oil will be sold on the world market with no direct link to British needs. And do major companies contribute to Tory funds – any values here?

Probably the most striking “value” now exemplified by the self-styled “party of Government” is an apparent tolerance of racism.

The individual who has given the largest ever donation to party funds said that when he saw MP Diane Abbott on TV “he wanted to hate all black women” and that “she should be shot”. He has now insisted that what he said “has nothing to do with her gender or the colour of her skin”.

PM Sunak took hours to decide to criticise this statement and has no intention, at present, of giving back this tainted money.

So the “best of the new” includes condemning outrageously racist and misogynist language, not because it represents a shattering immorality, but only because of media pressure. Ethical leadership or the baseness of the “worst of the new”?

And for Central Devon, the enormously shocking sight of our MP, Mel Stride, stating that Mr Hester’s insults were “neither gender or race based”. Voters “valued” as dunces who will believe anything?

So at a local and national level we have the worst of the old and the new. Can anyone believe that there is no need for change?

Jeremy Hall

Exeter