He hasn't taken away the leader, and he hasn't organised a one-horse race. I think it's remarkable that a party that everyone insisted was riven with splits and completely unleadable has united so quickly behind Michael Howard, and it is rather telling that the best the Conservatives' political opponents can do is make cheap jibes (re: front page of the Mirror yesterday) or resort to the rather tatty arguments about "lack of democracy" that you have put forward.
The Conservative Party is now the most united in mainstream British politics. Labour is riven with fundamental disagreements over key policies, and the Liberal Democrats cannot agree with each other over anything (witness the grassroots reaction to Kennedy's reshuffle last month). Meanwhile, the Conservatives have drawn a watershed under the petty leadership squabbling and can move forward with a radical, coherent set of policies towards the next general election.
Bring on 2005.
The Conservative Party is now the most united in mainstream British politics. Labour is riven with fundamental disagreements over key policies, and the Liberal Democrats cannot agree with each other over anything (witness the grassroots reaction to Kennedy's reshuffle last month). Meanwhile, the Conservatives have drawn a watershed under the petty leadership squabbling and can move forward with a radical, coherent set of policies towards the next general election.
Bring on 2005.
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