UK Conservative Party finances are reeling with the revelation that at least five key Tory donors have defected to UKIP, their rival to the right, over Prime Minister David Cameron’s nonsensical obsession with gay politics.
The grass-roots of the Conservatives are becoming increasingly alarmed at Cameron’s relentless drive on the issue and the party is beginning to noticeably hemorrhage inside support, especially since their 3rd place finish in the recent Eastleigh by-election where they were beaten by UKIP who finished an impressive 2nd.
Edmund Costelloe, formerly chair of the Somerton & Frome Constituency Conservative Association said “David Cameron and a group of colleagues have utterly lost touch with the grassroots of the Conservative Party, the majority of whom are outraged by this attack on natural and historic family values.”
Outrage is one thing, money is essential and the Conservatives are losing key financial backers at an alarming rate. A number of Conservative donors who once paid £50,000-a-year, to dine with David Cameron and Cabinet ministers as members of the ‘leaders group’, have defected to UKIP. Despite this there appears to be no concern, overtly anyway, from the central party leadership.
Adrian Buckley, who runs a jewelry business, joined the leaders group in 2010 and stated the following about one of the meetings he attended. “I recall having supper with him (Cameron) one evening in 2010 at the home of a hedge-fund manager ... in spite of many serious questions from around the table the most illuminating insight we were able to secure was that he favoured Wagner to win The X Factor. (his) obsession with gay politics is a nonsense, (they) govern for their own benefit. I was attracted to UKIP because Nigel Farage clearly outlined his desire for a much smaller State involvement in our lives and an immediate withdrawal from Europe.”
Another donor on the move is children’s author Graham Taylor, author of the ‘Shadowmancer’ novels. Having met the Prime Minister at a drinks reception he said “We are living in very difficult times and we need a leader in this country who’s got a backbone and got a bit of grit about him and sadly he doesn’t.” Of UKIP he said “(they’re) very honest, straightforward people”.
Three months ago Lord Ashcroft, the biggest Tory donor, said he would no longer be contributing to the Conservative Party. He said he was still a Conservative, but wondered whether David Cameron was. A friend of his told a journalist that “He thinks Cameron is too easily distracted by fringe issues which only the metropolitan elite care about, such as gay marriage.”
All of this tells us a lot about David Cameron. Perspective is an important quality in a leader and clearly it is something that the Prime Minister lacks. A sensible advocate for an issue that does not garner great support within one’s own party moves forward cautiously, seeking to win hearts and minds before pledges and votes. Cameron moves forward like a train on the wrong tracks caring nothing about the dissent from his own passengers.
The same thing could be seen this week with President Obama. Squeezed in-between the far more important terror bombings and subsequent manhunt in Boston; along with the high profile funeral of Mrs. Thatcher (which he clearly couldn’t care less about); he expended political capital scolding Congress for not passing his gun-control legislation which all political watchers knew didn’t stand a chance of success.
It is no wonder that Obama and Cameron hit it off so well. They both exhibit narcissistic tendencies and heck, full on control issues. Important in this line of thinking is not just that Cameron thinks he is right about any given issue but that accomplishing it becomes an obsession. Within this emotionally unhealthy leadership style, absolute loyalty is required from party members and he likely sees defectors as people who just need to get out of the way.
The problem for the Prime Minister will be when his party reaches the place he is trying to steer the country away from – that they run out of money. Grassroots dissatisfaction may become great enough to mandate a change of direction or leadership! If not the scaling down of all political operations for the Tories for lack of money – leading to election defeats – will see the Cameron train run out of track to run on and go right over the cliff.
