From Mr Brian fernier Sir: A few weeks ago I
went to a black-tie dinner hosted by a residents' association on the Hyde Park Estate in London — a bastion of Tory tribalism. During the dinner I understood from the conversation that Dame Shirley Porter was entirely innocent. On a separate issue, I learnt that it was not right to serve the community unless there was money to be made by doing so. Then one speaker made a reference to 'the problem of asylum-seekers'. which drew attention to the fact that there were no community leaders from the large local Arabic population at the dinner. Then the leader of Westminster Council got up to dismiss congestion charging and suggest a few pathetic alternatives of his own. Finally a guest speaker treated us to an interminable series of jokes about Welsh shepherds.
Moral bankruptcy, a perverted sense of duty, closed minds, a lack of political imagination and plain bad manners — these are the things that inhibit the regeneration of the Conservative party. Only by recruiting new members with refreshing values can they ever hope to be a political force again.
Brian Jenner
London W2
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