Today, MHN editor Sam Smith, having met both candidates, voted for Rishi Sunak in the Conservative Party leadership election. It was a decision on a narrow balance, and should not be seen as disparagement of the other side, but here are the reasons why.
MHN Editor met Rishi Sunak at an event organised by Grant Shapps MP, in the beautiful grounds of Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. Picture shows Rishi speaking to party members.
Firstly, kudos to Welwyn-Hatfield MP and Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps. Thanks to him, local Conservative party members have had the chance to meet both candidates for leader – Liz Truss at the Christmas Party and, at a lunchtime event on Tuesday, Rishi Sunak. Sunak spoke to members in a room in beautiful Brocket Hall and afterwards spoke to members in the grounds. Kudos also to both candidates for meeting members.
The beautiful grounds of Brocket Hall in summer. Auberge-du-Lac restaurant is on the other side of the lake. Picture by MHN.
Nonetheless, how to vote was a difficult decision because neither candidate shares my view – at least openly – on the issue most important to me. That issue is the Ukraine war and the linked cost-of-living crisis. My view is that our policy is wrong. Whilst Putin may well be a deplorable dictator, the Ukraine war and the consequent global energy, economic and cost-of-living crisis is the West’s fault.
Firstly, let us be clear. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, who took power in 2019, is no heroic democrat. Forget Russian propaganda – readers need only look at what Amnesty International and the United Nations said about the Ukraine under his rule.
From the Amnesty International report on Ukraine 2021 (archive) –
“Impunity for torture remained endemic. Gender-based violence remained widespread, although a new law removed legal obstacles to prosecuting military personnel and police for domestic violence. Homophobic attacks by groups advocating discrimination and violence continued. The investigation of attacks against journalists and human rights defenders was slow and often ineffective. A draft law on the security services envisaged additional powers of surveillance without legal safeguards. The crackdown on dissent and human rights defenders in occupied Crimea continued”
“[…] The National Security and Defence Council (an advisory state body) introduced so-called “personal sanctions” against parliamentarian Taras Kozak, which targeted his commercial assets including three TV channels that were stripped of broadcasting licences. The decision, approved by the President, drew criticism over its extrajudicial nature and arbitrary focus on media enterprises – as well as its application, against a Ukrainian national and his Ukraine-based businesses, of a law intended for sanctioning foreign commercial entities.”
“[…] In November, the owner of the independent Kyiv Post newspaper suspended its publication with immediate effect. The staff announced that they had thereby been fired for their independent journalism. Commentators alleged that pressure on the owner by the Presidential Administration had led to his decision”
From the UN Human Rights Council, “fundamental freedoms in Ukraine have been squeezed” under Zelenskyy’s administration (archive).
Let us be clear, Zelenskyy is an authoritarian ruler. Whilst not a Nazi – Volodymyr is Jewish – he has presided over torture, violence against women and silencing dissident media. Yet, after the Russian invasion, this man is being lionised as some sort of sexy-stud-muffin-hero in a photoshoot in Vogue magazine. In reality, the rulers of Russia and Ukraine, Vlad and Volod, have similar approaches and basically even the same first name allowing for different spellings.
Ukraine is an ethnically divided nation, like Northern Ireland. A significant minority would like to be part of Russia. Others do not.
The West’s approach has been pure provocation – it has placed troops in countries along Russia’s borders and run military exercises. Such behaviour has been recognised as a military casus belli for millennia – for all of recorded history. Even in PC games like Civilization, if you put a bunch of troops on the border the AI is programmed to notice and to get upset with you (archive). When Putin does it however, it is eeeeeevil.
Not only have we picked one of the few battles where Putin, if not the good guy, is at least recognised by neutral countries as not the only bad guy, we then decided not to fight the war we started properly. Instead, we opted for an economic war of attrition – sanctions. It is a war we are either losing or suffering badly from (archive). Worldwide prices have sky-rocketed as everything becomes more expensive. Other nations, such as China, have begun to openly test a morally, militarily and economically weakened west.
The war needs to stop, with a recognition of Russia’s legitimate interests. Unfortunately, neither candidate is willing to say so, at least openly. At the meet on Tuesday, Rishi told me to my face that he thinks the current policy on Ukraine is right, although he agreed with a general point that bombast is not an ideal tool of diplomacy.
On other issues, Rishi and Truss are similar. Both propose, ah, aspirational policies, but even so Rishi’s economic plans seem more practical. Both are religious. Rishi is Hindu, Liz Truss shares my religion, Christianity. However, Rishi Sunak seems to have a better record of practice of his faith and reliance on same. I would rather have a sincere Hindu than a professed, but less obviously practicing, Christian.
I am concerned that we need a candidate who can beat the revolting and amoral Keir Starmer. The Labour Party’s reaction to the leaked report that prompted the Forde Inquiry – its failure to permanently expel individuals involved – is all I will ever need to know about Keir and Angela Rayner. All the polls say that is Rishi not Liz.
What is also notable is that the Conservative parliamentary party – a notoriously strategic group with good instincts for backing winners – is so heavily behind Rishi. Liz Truss is extremely outspoken and aligned with many red-meat Conservative right wing positions. This blog has often been wary of nuance, which is often an excuse for weakness or failure to tackle important issues. However, there comes a point at which even MHN has to say that more diplomacy, restraint and, indeed, nuance is desirable.
So, on a narrow balance and with reservations, I voted for Rishi Sunak for Leader of the Conservative Party.
