Remaking One Nation. Nick Timothy
greatest threat to liberal democracies is when values and principles are neither articulated nor contested. This is a problem for the left and the right. Nick Timothy’s book outlines a way forward for the conservatives, but also charts a path for restoring trust which transcends party politics.’
Gisela Stuart, former Labour MP
‘True to form, Nick Timothy offers his readers an urgent critique of the limits of excessive liberalism that cuts to the heart of our broken political settlement. His ideas are incisive and radical – they should be listened to by anyone who wants to restore trust and sense to government.’
Will Tanner, Director of centre-right think tank Onward
‘Across the Western world democratic states face mounting problems. Old identities dissolve. Disillusion increases. Here, Brexit is a body blow to old party loyalties and has created a new divide. Nick Timothy, both insider and analyst, has written a mordant dissection of the destructive ultra-liberalism that lies at the root of the problem with its “twin traps of impractical individualism and unrealistic universalism”. He argues that a modern One Nation Conservatism is the practical way of repairing society. Brexiteers have put their faith in a rejuvenated nation state alive to the needs of all citizens. This tract for the times provides an ambitious agenda.’
Robert Tombs, Professor Emeritus of French History, Cambridge University
‘A searingly honest and compelling account of an era-defining period of modern British political history. Nick Timothy’s powerfully insightful re-evaluation of what it means to be conservative should be a must-read for anyone wanting to make sense of the failure of liberalism, and the future of centre-right thinking.’
Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor, Daily Telegraph
‘This is a timely and thought-provoking book. Nick Timothy argues that the key question in politics today should not be whether the market or the state can do a better job but how we can reconcile both with community. For those of us who believe that strong communities are the key to our future happiness and prosperity, this book is a powerful call to action, by someone who has thought deeply about the challenges we face, during and since he worked in Number Ten.’
Tom Tugendhat, MP
‘Conservatism is most real and interesting when it confronts the trade-offs between individual freedom and civic obligation, dynamism and rootedness, and seeks to reconcile them. This is why this is an important book on the future of conservatism and indeed the future of our country.’
David Willetts, Conservative peer and author
‘This brilliant book makes a compelling and novel argument about the origins of the crises experienced in Britain and other liberal democracies. Its philosophical analysis is backed by robust empirical research, and its vision of a new conservatism is backed by creative new policy suggestions. Whether you agree with all of those suggestions or not, this is a must-read contribution to the debate that is raging all the way across the West.’
Gavin Williamson, MP
‘The recent Conservative election victory is a complete vindication of the Nick Timothy approach. This book should be required reading for the new government on how to improve the lives of their new voters – and for the Labour Party to understand their seismic loss.’
Rachel Wolf, Partner at Public First and author of Boris Johnson’s 2019 general election manifesto
‘This book is an absolute must-read. It’s both thorough and challenging. Inevitably there will be elements you’ll disagree with but there are many others that are truly enlightening. The bottom line is that this is a vital contribution to a must-have debate.’
Sir Simon Woolley, crossbench peer and director of Operation Black Vote
REMAKING ONE NATION
The Future of Conservatism
NICK TIMOTHY
polity
Copyright © Nick Timothy 2020
The right of Nick Timothy to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2020 by Polity Press
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ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3919-2
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people have contributed in different ways to the production of this book. Any errors, needless to say, are my own. But I want to thank the friends and colleagues who have helped me along the way. I owe a debt of obligation to my publishers, Polity Press, and in particular to my editor, Dr George Owers, whose suggestions were indispensable. I owe an equal debt to Wadham College, Oxford, where between 2018 and 2019 I was a Keeley Visiting Fellow. In particular, I am grateful to the Warden, Lord Macdonald of River Glaven, for awarding me the Fellowship, and to Lord Wood of Anfield, who proposed me to the College. I am grateful, too, to Dr Paul Martin and Dr Tom Sinclair for their wise advice and support.
I want to thank Chris Evans, my editor at The Daily Telegraph, and Tom Welsh, the newspaper’s insightful comment editor. I should also thank Tony Gallagher, the editor of The Sun, for whom I wrote between 2017 and 2019. It has been a privilege to write about many of the issues covered in this book in their magnificent newspapers. I am thankful to Matthew Taylor, who made me a Fellow of the RSA, which often provided me with a calm and quiet workspace in the middle of London. I should also thank the University of Sheffield, where I am a Visiting Professor, and in particular Professor Andrew Hindmoor and the brilliant Dr Matt Sleat.
Matt has been a wise counsellor throughout, as have Professor John Gray and Professor Vernon Bogdanor. Other friends and colleagues to whom I owe a particular debt for their thoughts and advice include Claire Ainsley, John Bowers, Matthew d’Ancona, Mike Flower, David Goodhart, Paul Goodman, Michael Gove, Tom Greeves, Ygal el Harrar, James Johnson, Professor Eric Kaufmann, Hans Kundnani, Baroness Meyer of Nine Elms, Sir Christopher Meyer, Rick Nye, Lord O’Shaughnessy of Maidenhead, Professor Adrian Pabst, Bojan Pancevski, Nick Pickles, Amol Rajan, Manveen Rana, Russell Rook, Gisela Stuart, Will Tanner, Niva Thiruchelvam, Nick Webb,