Republicans can only dream of experiencing the success of winning four consecutive national elections, holding both executive and legislative power for over a decade. Franklin Roosevelt, who unfortunately passed away during his fourth term, achieved this feat. He utilized his tenure to build the foundation of the modern welfare state. So, what could conservatives accomplish with a similar opportunity? Look no further than Britain’s Conservative Party to see the mistakes they made since 2010. After more than a decade of dominance by the Labour Party, the Conservatives returned to power that year with the assistance of the Liberal Democrats. However, their coalition only became a majority Conservative government in 2015. Although the party suffered a legislative plurality after the 2017 election, their most recent victory in 2019 resulted in a commanding parliamentary margin of nearly 50 seats. The Conservatives even won the largest percentage of the popular vote since Margaret Thatcher’s election in 1979. Despite these successes, the Conservatives now anticipate losing the next election, and many of them accept that they deserve to. The root of the party’s problems can be traced back to the beginning of their current reign. Former Prime Minister David Cameron failed to align the party’s goals with the desires of their voters. The voters wanted Brexit, but Cameron, an economically globalist and socially liberal leader, campaigned to remain in the European Union. His dream was to establish a socially liberal Conservative Party, giving socially liberal voters the option to choose between three parties while leaving social conservatives with none. Cameron hoped to appeal to young voters and urban professionals, an area where the GOP also needs improvement. However, his attempt to outshine the competition with the legalization of same-sex marriage backfired as it repelled the same group he sought to attract. While Britain has fewer social conservatives than America, it was a mistake for Cameron’s party to disregard them. Moreover, the Conservatives reluctantly attempted to fulfill the demands of economic nationalists. Cameron resigned after the Brexit referendum, only to be replaced by another anti-Brexit leader, Theresa May. It wasn’t until Boris Johnson took over and wholeheartedly embraced Brexit that the party finally reaped the electoral benefits of being on the popular side of the issue. Johnson successfully delivered Brexit and secured a landslide victory in the 2019 election. However, beyond Brexit and Johnson’s charismatic personality, the Conservatives lacked additional populist cards to play. Without Brexit, Johnson’s leadership resembled that of Cameron- socially liberal and more focused on green regulations than blue-collar jobs. Following the COVID scandal, the party lost its direction under Johnson’s leadership. The brief reign of Liz Truss as prime minister failed to revive the party as she lacked the social conservatism, populism, economic nationalism, or successful policies to rally support. Rishi Sunak is the current Conservative prime minister, not because he aligns with a strong right-of-center philosophy, but because he lacks one. He simply manages to appease enough factions within the party. Consequently, the party’s future seems destined to be the second choice for voters in the next election, allowing Labour to regain power not due to their own merits, but because the Tories lack a clear vision and have achieved very little. The GOP faces similar challenges, and unless they learn from the Conservative Party’s mistakes, they may suffer the same fate. However, there is a slight difference. Some personally liberal Republicans, like Donald Trump, possess the intelligence to deliver on socially conservative voters’ desires. However, Republicans, including Trump, must be cautious not to fall into the same trap as Boris Johnson, reacting solely to populism and nationalism without charting a future beyond present discontent. The Tories treated Brexit as if it were the end of the story when, in reality, it was only the beginning. Today, social conservatism and a form of populism serve as the foundation for right-leaning politics. This does not mean disregarding the successes of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher or ignoring future demographics. Conservatives must prioritize fulfilling the responsibilities they were elected for and then go above and beyond. Daniel McCarthy serves as the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review.
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