Sunak has united conservatives but not how he hoped

Why are the Conservatives doing quite so badly? Smashed in two by-elections, dropping further in the polls, last days of the Roman Empire on the backbenches, morale and purpose visibly ebbing away.

Partly it must be because Rishi Sunak has been unveiled as a nerd rather than an authoritative national leader. Banging on about gobbledegook AI plans, ideas for reforming A-levels a decade down the line and the removal of the right to smoke via a too-clever-by-half moving age limit. Beware of geeks bearing grifts, as someone almost said. 

But I suggest there is a more fundamental reason why Tory poll ratings are down to the mid-twenties and so many habitual Conservative voters cannot be bothered turn out for the party. It is simply this: a year into the Sunak administration, there is almost no point in voting Conservative.