Britain’s Conservatives adopt the bad habits of the Labour left
The cult of the member grips the opposition
TONY BENN died in 2014 as a socialist hero to the left. But he is remembered by his opponents within the Labour Party for a singularly bad idea: the cause of “party democracy”. Labour, Benn reckoned, was “riddled with the same aristocratic ideas as deface our national democracy”. From the 1970s on, he battled to make its MPs beholden to the wishes of its card-carrying members. To his critics, that inverted the party, placing the whims of its activists above those of the wider electorate it was bound to serve.
Explore more
How British-Nigerians quietly made their way to the top
A story of modern migration has had extraordinary results
Why on Earth would anyone go to a British party conference?
A short guide to an odd political ritual
The scourge of stolen bikes in Britain
An experiment in Liverpool shows how the police can tackle bike theft
Britain’s last coal-fired power station closes
The end of an era
Should Britons’ health be considered a national asset?
Persuading the Treasury that sickness is anti-growth