Why it is splendid to be a Tory this weekend

As The Spectator went to press this week, the Conservative party hovered on the edge of the greatest electoral catastrophe of its history: a third consecutive election defeat and the certain prospect of 12 years in the wilderness. Nothing like this has ever happened before. It was not nearly so bad after the famous reverses of 1905 and 1945. Even the notorious split over the corn laws in 1846 was more easily remedied. The Tories were back in power (albeit briefly) under Lord Derby by 1852. To discover circumstances as intractable as today’s it is necessary to go back to the 18th century, when the Tories, tainted by treason, formed a permanent opposition for decades at a time.

This is the astonishing achievement of Tony Blair, and he knows it. Three weeks ago I smuggled myself into one of the Prime Minister’s election hustings, closed to all except party members and Downing Street-approved journalists.