Penners
The old ones are the best ones. Just as Old Labour got dished from the
right (via the SDP), now the Conservatives are getting those vague
warnings of a breakaway. No Gang of Three/Four yet, but look out.
=====
Duncan Smith win 'could prompt defections'
Lucy Ward, political correspondent
Thursday August 16, 2001
The Guardian
The former Tory party chairman Sir Jeremy Hanley yesterday launched a
bitter attack on the leadership candidate Iain Duncan
Smith, saying in a letter to the Daily Telegraph that the defence
spokseman had been disloyal in fighting John Major over the
Maastricht treaty.
"Should we seriously consider rewarding with the leadership a man who
showed more loyalty to a rebellious group in parliament
than to his own party, just when he needed it?" he wrote.
Moderate Conservatives are giving Mr Duncan Smith six months to distance
himself from rightwing allies or risk a walkout under
his leadership, according to a senior Tory.
Senior figures, primarily those who backed Michael Portillo and who
believe the party needs to embrace radical change to recover
electorally, argue that Mr Duncan Smith must swiftly break with
high-profile backers such as Lady Thatcher, Lord Tebbit, Lady
Young and the "compassionate conservatism" of George Bush's Republicans.
One said: "There is no talk of a breakaway party yet and we will wait
and see whether Iain is going to follow a more inclusive
agenda if he wins the contest. But if he doesn't do this, we may have a
case where people will have no choice but to leave [after]
six months."
Lord Tebbit gave Mr Duncan Smith strong endorsement when he announced
his candidacy and Mr Duncan Smith is also
understood to be the favourite of Lady Thatcher.
Talk of resignations came as his rival for the leadership, the former
chancellor Kenneth Clarke, likewise stepped up the effort
yesterday to insist he could unite the party.
Following an early assault from Duncan Smith supporter Michael Ancram,
himself a failed candidate, warning that a Clarke
victory risked "tearing the party apart" over Europe, the Clarke camp
declared that only their candidate could win a general
election.
"Winning is the best glue there is for the party," said one of Mr
Clarke's supporter. "Unity will only come now with success."
As Clarke aides sought to dispel suggestions that he was flagging badly
behind Mr Duncan Smith among the 320,000 party
members voting in the leadership ballot, the Clarke campaign team
published a list of 100 chairmen of Conservative associations
backing his candidacy.
Full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,537563,00.html
Michael Keaney
Mercuria Business School
Martinlaaksontie 36
01620 Vantaa
Finland
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
