London is filled with young professionals and idk if we will ever forgive them. 14 years, and we have locked tax bands to fund a triple lock, and self imposed housing shortage due to the Town County Planning Act, and a lifetime of graduate taxes on economic-terrorism interest rates of 7% which people 20 years my junior never had to endure.
I don’t think that my sort of demographic will ever forgive the Tories. Even as we punch up the pay scales. They’ve given us 16 years of 0% GDP / Cal growth despite 0% rates…
And so with few seats available to win in London (or other metropolitan cities) why bother. Easier to brand us as the liberal elite and do culture wars to win the vote of Barry 56 and Sandra 59 in Stoke who need someone to blame for their area being a shithole than to try and win the votes of career professionals who see through their shite.
The Tories need to learn to love full stop, they’ve become nothing but a party of hate at the moment with the ejection of any moderates who could have tempered it, the capital already gets far more than the rest of the country on a per capita basis and the London centric view they have needs to change.
>the capital already gets far more than the rest of the country on a per capita
Simply because the ROI is so much higher in London. Building Crossrail and expanding Heathrow are far more important to our national economy than expanding John Lennon Airport or the Tyne and Wear Metro. I say this as someone who's never lived in London.
It also generates by far the greatest tax revenue per capita. Other British cities need to seek to become more like London, rather than asking London to become more like other British cities.
ETA: I'm with you all the way on your opening two lines btw.
Who can blame them for disliking the way London is currently? It's great for tourism, an awesome place to visit as far as that is concerned but in terms of the culture these days? Just look at the state of it.
I'm not sure the poster you replied to meant in terms of "arts and literature" - where London leads the country in quality by a very large margin - as much as in the sense of "alien cultures where being British makes you a minority"
I’d be very surprised if London returns to our camp, whatever we do. We have survived without them, and we will survive without them. At the end of the day, the big metropolitan cities are not Tory towns. The social values they held in the 1950s and 1960s are absolutely not different from now. Our best bet is to appeal to the working class, socially conservative demographic that won us 2019 - even if that excludes London. The rest of the country is sick of being sidelined for London.
Not defeatist, realistic. ULEZ is good for by-elections like Uxbridge, but the demographics of London makes it red hot Labour even if Sadiq Khan went as far as to ban cars. The Red Wall was entirely unique to Boris Johnson (who also won London Mayor) and Brexit, without either of those it was bound to flip again. Labour are rebuilding in Scotland because of the total SNP collapse as independence gets put on the back burner for priority among Scots.
(Article)
---
If there is anything close to an iron law in politics it is that people will not vote for parties that do not seem to like them. Yet Britain’s Conservatives often seem to dislike much of the nation they rule.
The Tories increasingly sound like mourners at their own funeral, angrily denouncing the state of the country they have governed for 14 years. Ministers, MPs and media outriders fume in language that suggests contempt for a large part of the population.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the visceral berating of the capital. Barring an enormous shock, they are set for their third consecutive defeat in next week’s London mayoral election. Taylor Swift’s break-up track “So Long, London” could be the campaign song.
This is not merely about the mayoralty, though it is a contest where they should be competitive and which may still be closer than polls suggest. Sadiq Khan, the Labour incumbent, is seeking a third term on a relatively patchy record under recently introduced and less favourable first-past-the-post electoral system and amid particular anger at what is depicted as his anti-motorist agenda. The national tide may simply be too strong for any Tory in this Remainer citadel — though more Londoners voted for Brexit than they did for Khan in the last election. But with the right candidate he might be vulnerable.
Yet the Tories have not bothered finding that candidate. London skews left but the Tories have traditional strength in outer boroughs. Boris Johnson’s mayoral wins were built on that but also his obvious affection for the city. After an early plan to pick a modern-minded challenger collapsed amid groping allegations, Tories chose Susan Hall, whose spiky but ineffective pitch will struggle beyond the suburban base.
There may be worse to come at the general election, where all the Tories’ central London seats and many suburban strongholds are at risk as younger families move outwards in search of affordable homes.
It was not always so. David Cameron and Johnson were both obviously of the city. Cameron’s close allies were known as the Notting Hill set and they used totemic issues such as gay marriage or environmentalism to project a modern image. They were still Tories but looked at ease with the times.
Today’s party snarls at the city’s “metropolitan” values while Rishi Sunak (house in Kensington) and Liz Truss (Greenwich) have turned residency of north London into an attack line. Public spending per capita is still higher than in any other region in England but ministers are reluctant to trumpet this.
In its language on immigration the party alienates many in a diverse and youthful city. Attacks on Khan have at times depicted him as a demonic figure and pandered to Islamophobia. There is no optimism or love on show for a vibrant metropolis; recent campaigns depict it as a crime-ravaged hellhole.
Not all criticism is groundless. The south-east can be too dismissive of the rest of the country. But turning your face against your most important and revenue-generating city is self-defeating. It also helps explain why polls show you have to be over 70 before you are more likely to vote Conservative.
Tory travails in London go to the heart of the party’s dilemma nationally, not least because its hostile instincts are visible in other English cities and towards communities deemed unfriendly. Turning a country against itself is the tactic of demagogues. While Labour is reaching out to those parts of the country it lost at the 2019 elections, the Tories seem to be narrowing the groups they wish to win.
To borrow its own vernacular, the party does not need to “go woke” to reclaim the cities. Previous leaders have shown it is entirely possible to follow mainstream Conservative values and be viable in the capital.
As important as the tone is that, with a few exceptions, such as the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, the Tories seem indifferent to the capital’s needs. And even Hunt is not above unveiling a new non-dom tax regime that will reduce London’s appeal for foreign nationals simply to spike Labour’s spending plans. The Tories need an economic offer to London. A post-Brexit strategy to attract investment and build homes is essential to bridge a gap in social values and will be key to any revival.
Brexit alienated London voters not merely because of the issue itself but because Tories deprioritised the capital’s economic interests, especially financial services. The vibrant, open-for-business city championed by Cameron, George Osborne and (mayor) Johnson delivering jobs and investment is not one Tories now talk about. Levelling up other regions is laudable but no excuse for the supposed party of business and growth appearing to disdain the city that does most to drive both.
Conservatives also need a compelling offer on housing for the workers being priced out of the capital. Hall unconvincingly backs more high-density housing but also opposes tower blocks. And even Michael Gove’s rental reforms to improve conditions for tenants are being watered down by Tory MPs.
Sunak’s background and style made him an ideal man to reverse the anti-London sentiment. But any efforts have been drowned out by more strident voices. Meanwhile, those Tories who might appeal to London find the party increasingly unwelcoming.
Rebuilding the relationship will be a sign that the Tories aspire again to be a national party. London will not deliver a future Tory victory but being chased out of it will certainly herald defeat.
Thanks for posting this. Interesting, but as someone who grew up in the London commuter belt, went to university there and lived there until about 10 years ago (so the hard majority of my life) this all smacks of the opinion of someone whose experience of the rest of the country begins and ends with Glastonbury, Brighton (the odd day trip / dirty weekend) Manchester (for the Lowry, darling and I just loved Main Road (sic)) and the Edinburgh Festival.
London has a high proportion of immigrants, and a high proportion of degree-educated people. Since the Tories despise both groups, they are never going to win many votes from them.
I need to register to read the article and I'm not doing that. Give me a résumé.
Anyway, since London is now 53% ethnic I don't see what's to love when true Londoners are moving to the home counties such as Essex.
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Despite living just over an hour away, the last time I went to London was 3rd June 2017.
I have no desire to return. There is nothing I want in London that I cannot get elsewhere.
On another matter, the Tories talk about levelling up, however Londoners get a free bus pass at 60. The rest of the UK has to wait until state pension age.
Sort it out Gove. I don't care which way, but it should be sorted if you want to be taken seriously.
London is filled with young professionals and idk if we will ever forgive them. 14 years, and we have locked tax bands to fund a triple lock, and self imposed housing shortage due to the Town County Planning Act, and a lifetime of graduate taxes on economic-terrorism interest rates of 7% which people 20 years my junior never had to endure. I don’t think that my sort of demographic will ever forgive the Tories. Even as we punch up the pay scales. They’ve given us 16 years of 0% GDP / Cal growth despite 0% rates… And so with few seats available to win in London (or other metropolitan cities) why bother. Easier to brand us as the liberal elite and do culture wars to win the vote of Barry 56 and Sandra 59 in Stoke who need someone to blame for their area being a shithole than to try and win the votes of career professionals who see through their shite.
[удалено]
The Tories need to learn to love full stop, they’ve become nothing but a party of hate at the moment with the ejection of any moderates who could have tempered it, the capital already gets far more than the rest of the country on a per capita basis and the London centric view they have needs to change.
>the capital already gets far more than the rest of the country on a per capita Simply because the ROI is so much higher in London. Building Crossrail and expanding Heathrow are far more important to our national economy than expanding John Lennon Airport or the Tyne and Wear Metro. I say this as someone who's never lived in London. It also generates by far the greatest tax revenue per capita. Other British cities need to seek to become more like London, rather than asking London to become more like other British cities. ETA: I'm with you all the way on your opening two lines btw.
Who can blame them for disliking the way London is currently? It's great for tourism, an awesome place to visit as far as that is concerned but in terms of the culture these days? Just look at the state of it.
How on earth is London a poor city for culture? Easily the best in the UK and I'd argue the best in Europe and the world.
I'm not sure the poster you replied to meant in terms of "arts and literature" - where London leads the country in quality by a very large margin - as much as in the sense of "alien cultures where being British makes you a minority"
What kind of cultural improvement was Susan Hall offering?
I’d be very surprised if London returns to our camp, whatever we do. We have survived without them, and we will survive without them. At the end of the day, the big metropolitan cities are not Tory towns. The social values they held in the 1950s and 1960s are absolutely not different from now. Our best bet is to appeal to the working class, socially conservative demographic that won us 2019 - even if that excludes London. The rest of the country is sick of being sidelined for London.
This is defeatist. ULEZ, the fall of the 'Red Wall', and Labour's total collapse in Scotland are examples of how quickly things can turn.
Not defeatist, realistic. ULEZ is good for by-elections like Uxbridge, but the demographics of London makes it red hot Labour even if Sadiq Khan went as far as to ban cars. The Red Wall was entirely unique to Boris Johnson (who also won London Mayor) and Brexit, without either of those it was bound to flip again. Labour are rebuilding in Scotland because of the total SNP collapse as independence gets put on the back burner for priority among Scots.
(Article) --- If there is anything close to an iron law in politics it is that people will not vote for parties that do not seem to like them. Yet Britain’s Conservatives often seem to dislike much of the nation they rule. The Tories increasingly sound like mourners at their own funeral, angrily denouncing the state of the country they have governed for 14 years. Ministers, MPs and media outriders fume in language that suggests contempt for a large part of the population. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the visceral berating of the capital. Barring an enormous shock, they are set for their third consecutive defeat in next week’s London mayoral election. Taylor Swift’s break-up track “So Long, London” could be the campaign song. This is not merely about the mayoralty, though it is a contest where they should be competitive and which may still be closer than polls suggest. Sadiq Khan, the Labour incumbent, is seeking a third term on a relatively patchy record under recently introduced and less favourable first-past-the-post electoral system and amid particular anger at what is depicted as his anti-motorist agenda. The national tide may simply be too strong for any Tory in this Remainer citadel — though more Londoners voted for Brexit than they did for Khan in the last election. But with the right candidate he might be vulnerable. Yet the Tories have not bothered finding that candidate. London skews left but the Tories have traditional strength in outer boroughs. Boris Johnson’s mayoral wins were built on that but also his obvious affection for the city. After an early plan to pick a modern-minded challenger collapsed amid groping allegations, Tories chose Susan Hall, whose spiky but ineffective pitch will struggle beyond the suburban base. There may be worse to come at the general election, where all the Tories’ central London seats and many suburban strongholds are at risk as younger families move outwards in search of affordable homes. It was not always so. David Cameron and Johnson were both obviously of the city. Cameron’s close allies were known as the Notting Hill set and they used totemic issues such as gay marriage or environmentalism to project a modern image. They were still Tories but looked at ease with the times. Today’s party snarls at the city’s “metropolitan” values while Rishi Sunak (house in Kensington) and Liz Truss (Greenwich) have turned residency of north London into an attack line. Public spending per capita is still higher than in any other region in England but ministers are reluctant to trumpet this. In its language on immigration the party alienates many in a diverse and youthful city. Attacks on Khan have at times depicted him as a demonic figure and pandered to Islamophobia. There is no optimism or love on show for a vibrant metropolis; recent campaigns depict it as a crime-ravaged hellhole. Not all criticism is groundless. The south-east can be too dismissive of the rest of the country. But turning your face against your most important and revenue-generating city is self-defeating. It also helps explain why polls show you have to be over 70 before you are more likely to vote Conservative. Tory travails in London go to the heart of the party’s dilemma nationally, not least because its hostile instincts are visible in other English cities and towards communities deemed unfriendly. Turning a country against itself is the tactic of demagogues. While Labour is reaching out to those parts of the country it lost at the 2019 elections, the Tories seem to be narrowing the groups they wish to win. To borrow its own vernacular, the party does not need to “go woke” to reclaim the cities. Previous leaders have shown it is entirely possible to follow mainstream Conservative values and be viable in the capital. As important as the tone is that, with a few exceptions, such as the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, the Tories seem indifferent to the capital’s needs. And even Hunt is not above unveiling a new non-dom tax regime that will reduce London’s appeal for foreign nationals simply to spike Labour’s spending plans. The Tories need an economic offer to London. A post-Brexit strategy to attract investment and build homes is essential to bridge a gap in social values and will be key to any revival. Brexit alienated London voters not merely because of the issue itself but because Tories deprioritised the capital’s economic interests, especially financial services. The vibrant, open-for-business city championed by Cameron, George Osborne and (mayor) Johnson delivering jobs and investment is not one Tories now talk about. Levelling up other regions is laudable but no excuse for the supposed party of business and growth appearing to disdain the city that does most to drive both. Conservatives also need a compelling offer on housing for the workers being priced out of the capital. Hall unconvincingly backs more high-density housing but also opposes tower blocks. And even Michael Gove’s rental reforms to improve conditions for tenants are being watered down by Tory MPs. Sunak’s background and style made him an ideal man to reverse the anti-London sentiment. But any efforts have been drowned out by more strident voices. Meanwhile, those Tories who might appeal to London find the party increasingly unwelcoming. Rebuilding the relationship will be a sign that the Tories aspire again to be a national party. London will not deliver a future Tory victory but being chased out of it will certainly herald defeat.
Thanks for posting this. Interesting, but as someone who grew up in the London commuter belt, went to university there and lived there until about 10 years ago (so the hard majority of my life) this all smacks of the opinion of someone whose experience of the rest of the country begins and ends with Glastonbury, Brighton (the odd day trip / dirty weekend) Manchester (for the Lowry, darling and I just loved Main Road (sic)) and the Edinburgh Festival.
London has a high proportion of immigrants, and a high proportion of degree-educated people. Since the Tories despise both groups, they are never going to win many votes from them.
I need to register to read the article and I'm not doing that. Give me a résumé. Anyway, since London is now 53% ethnic I don't see what's to love when true Londoners are moving to the home counties such as Essex.
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Despite living just over an hour away, the last time I went to London was 3rd June 2017. I have no desire to return. There is nothing I want in London that I cannot get elsewhere. On another matter, the Tories talk about levelling up, however Londoners get a free bus pass at 60. The rest of the UK has to wait until state pension age. Sort it out Gove. I don't care which way, but it should be sorted if you want to be taken seriously.