7 May, 2005

Tories defeat

The Tories failed to win the election. Although the Conservatives regained nearly 200 seats, they ended up with their third successive defeat. Having lost the election, Michael Howard, the fourth leader in eight years, announced that he would stand down "sooner rather than later so that the party can choose someone who can", despite calls for him to stay on during a crucial time for the party.

Howard considers the result as a "significant step towards our recovery", but BBC says that it was the party's worst series of results since World War II. In addition, according to BBC, the Conservatives "will still have fewer seats in the House of Commons than the Labour Party did at its lowest point back in 1983, and their share of the vote increased by only one percentage point".

This article, which analyses the Conservative's defeat, is quite easy-to-follow and suitable for someone who knows little like me.
» BBC News | Howard's parting favour
By Nick Assinder
6 May 2005

Most Conservatives probably believed the best they could hope for from this general election was an honourable second place, and Mr Howard has delivered that.

So it was always highly likely the party would then start another process of re-evaluation.

And the question remains: where do they go from here - do they continue building or return to their old destructive ways?

Mr Howard can comfort himself with the thought that he probably achieved enough to head off any suggestions that he is personally to blame for the election failure.

Indeed, when he became the surprise successor to Iain Duncan Smith in 2004 at the age of 62, most believed his only task was to stop the Tory party destroying itself.

» BBC News | Analysis: Where now for Tories?
By Barnaby Mason
6 May 2005

It is clear that, whoever the leader, the Conservatives would not have done even as well as they have without the special factor of the Iraq war and the loss of trust in Tony Blair.

So the question is whether the Tory leadership will draw the conclusion that the party still needs fundamental reform - or that it simply has to wait until next time to get back into government.