Since Thatcher’s election victory in 1979, the Conservatives have been in power for the last 31 out of 44 years, returning seven different prime ministers in this time. But with the current woes facing them, is their time in office coming to an end? And more importantly, do they ever have the chance to form a government again?
Falling Down – The Conservative Party and The Decline of Tory Britain takes us through the leaderships of the five Conservative Prime Ministers from 1979 to 2019 – Margaret Thatcher, John Major, David Cameron, Theresa May & Boris Johnson. It details the ideals and targets of each of these leaders, how their time in office went, and ultimately, what ousted each of them (besides Boris Johnson). But it also digs deeper, exploring how the voter demographics are changing, and the very real consequences that may soon materialise for the Conservatives.
This book is an interesting read. It breaks down the Conservative governments and explains what each intended, and what resulted, from policies including Section 28, austerity & Brexit, whilst also commenting on how voting behaviours are changing among the British population. The book also comments on the intermediary period ruled by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, entrenching Tory policy laid down by their predecessors. The author’s self-declared political standpoint does occasionally get in the way of the recount, but this is minimal.
The book was published in 2021, but the final sentence got a particular chuckle from me – “Save an event that can fundamentally shift the country and quickly dissolve the roots of their support in the country’s political economy, a fifth election victory is within the Conservative Party’s reach”. Written before the Truss & Sunak periods, the author might just have been onto something!
This book is a deep dive into the history and future of the Conservatives and worth reading if you want to understand where this party may be going in the next few decades.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Falling Down – The Conservative Party & The Decline of Tory Britain (ISBN: 978-1-83976-036-5) was published in 2021
