It's a make or break year for the UK and the Tories

Britain cannot afford any defeatism in 2023. Some say the country is on an inexorable path to decline. Aside from this ugly attitude condemning future generations to a life less fulfilling than their parents’, it also plays into the hands of the far-Left. This is no coincidence.

There was a time when socialists were utopians promising a brighter tomorrow. Now they hang their hopes on failure and societal surrender.

It’s impossible to control the borders they say, so fling them open. The NHS cannot be reformed; tax is always rising; crime inevitable under capitalism; the past so awful it must be expunged; free speech so hurtful it must be silenced.

The strikes, which will dog us well into the new year, reflect this philosophy. The unions, dominated by political fossils, want to turn the clock back to the 1970s. They don’t just want one-off, above-inflation pay increases for their members; they also want to transform industrial relations into perpetual class war. The cost of living crisis is entirely the Tories’ fault, they say – forgetting Covid or Ukraine – so ministers must negotiate directly with each group of strikers, even if they operate in the private sector.

Ministers have rightly said no: salaries are the business of employers or independent pay boards. But they could and should have legislated sooner to curb irresponsible strikes, and, as we report today, suitable action won’t take place until the summer.

This is a battle the Tories must throw everything into winning. It would create a clear contrast with Labour.

All Sir Keir Starmer has to say is talk to the militants. Likewise, he attacks the Conservative record on illegal immigration, which is admittedly very bad, yet has no serious plan for deterring Channel crossings. His shift to the centre remains cosmetic, designed to minimise offence. The opposition might be ahead in the polls but many voters probably sense these hollow men and women are totally unready for government.

As for the Tories, their approval deficit is down to the chaos of the past year, tax rises and inflation – but also their strange reluctance to go on the offensive, to expose how shallow the Left is by promoting an alternative agenda of Conservative reform.

There might be a template for a fightback in Rishi Sunak’s five-point plan on asylum, framed in not just practical but moral terms. No government in good conscience can tolerate deaths at sea. The Left has no moral advantage in this debate.

Unfortunately, there was a sharp turn against Conservative philosophy after the collapse of the Johnson and Truss administrations, a loss of confidence as commentators leapt on tactical mistakes as proof that the principles motivating them were wrong. And yet so many of our current problems are in fact caused by decades of unchallenged Left-wing policymaking. The need for a dose of Conservative common sense has never been greater.

Today, with waiting lists at historic highs and extra money clearly not making it to the front-line, it is time for NHS reform. With young people desperate for housing, it is time for a sensitive review of planning that balances building and conservation.

With the economy suffering, we need a tax system that drives growth; with the cost of living so high, we need an energy policy that promotes resilience. With millions stuck on benefits in the midst of a labour shortage, the country cries out for welfare reform.

And we need Conservatives to get stuck into defending the Union, be it from the SNP’s incessant demand for a second referendum to the debate over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

With perhaps just a year or so to go before another election, it’ll be tempting for the Tories to tread water, to rebuild a semblance of operational competence and hope they can hold onto as many seats as possible.

The country cannot afford this approach – and though the last few years have seen events spiral out of control, we’ve also learnt that politicians still have the ability to reshape the consensus dramatically if they put their minds to it.

It happened on Brexit; it happened in the case of Ukraine, where the UK has helped marshal Western opposition to Putin. Even when the UK is allegedly at its weakest, we remain essential to the defence of democracy through the force of good leadership – proving utterly false the notion that our best bid for relevance is to return to the EU, or by divesting what remains of our national wealth through aid and reparations.

Indeed, it might not be obvious, but the grim year of 2022 showed what Britain is still capable of. Excellence in culture and sport; charity in welcoming in Ukrainians, Afghans and Hong Kongers; and the stability of our constitution, which has endured despite the shenanigans in Westminster.

This year, we look forward to our first coronation since 1953. It is the beginning of a new era, with all its excitement and hope for progress and innovation. It will also be an expression of religion, ritual and patriotism, of the abiding traditions that give Britain its unique sense of history and identity. Whatever drama we go through, we can be certain that an essential part of the British character will always remain the same.

With hope and faith in the future, we wish all our readers a happy new year.