Strayside Sunday is our monthly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

Happy New Year.

Notwithstanding double vaccination and a booster I have spent the last week of 2021 suffering the debilitating effects of Covid 19 infection.  Thank goodness for the protection from extremis afforded by vaccination, because the experience has been miserable enough, that notwithstanding. 

For the life of me I cannot understand those that continue to resist vaccination and I find no persuasion in libertarian arguments supporting individual choice.  Such choice ceases to have merit when it so obviously harms others. 

Even less can I understand the anti-vax contingent, with their fanciful conspiracy theories.  By the way, the idea that the current British government, given its utter and obvious ineptitude, could even contribute to let alone lead a massive vaccination conspiracy, raises a smile.

As we enter 2022 it seems likely that the electoral self-preservation machine that is the Conservative Party will act to halt what has been a recent precipitous slide in its fortunes; Labour now lies 8 points ahead in the polls. 

In common with many I don’t believe that Boris Johnson will still be leader of the Tories this time next year.  Boris has never been loved by his party, but rather celebrated for his ability to win; to reach, as it were, those parts of the electorate other Conservatives cannot. 

The comfortable loss of the North Shropshire parliamentary by-election, in a seat that had returned a Conservative for almost 200 years, concluded a humiliating and chaotic period in which Boris mishandled the Owen Paterson affair, denied any knowledge of Covid-19 regulation breaking parties that happened in his own home, was shown to have sent WhatsApp messages soliciting contributions for renovations to the Downing Street flat (when he had previously denied having done so), and sacrificed the excellent Allegra Stratton whose crime – it seemed to me at least – was having being filmed being singularly unable to defend the indefensible and aforementioned Christmas party at Number 10. 

Still, Boris never takes responsibility himself and is lightning quick to throw former friends and allies under a bus when and if expedient. 

The current darling of Conservative Party members and putative heir to Boris is, inexplicably, Liz Truss.  She has been ‘on manoeuvrers’, with photo opportunities and profile pieces and public comparisons to her heroine, Maggie Thatcher.  According to the Conservative Home website she is by some margin the party members’ favourite.  

By way of context, I would caution here that in their wisdom Conservative members chose Iain Duncan Smith by a margin of 2 to 1 over Ken Clarke and would have elected him over Michael Portillo too, had he made the final two.  I have nothing but respect for IDS, but no one can seriously suggest he is a figure to match a Clarke or a Portillo. 

Conservative party members are, overall, an insular and declining minority interest group.  In general, I would recommend taking their view on a course of action and doing the exact and diametrical opposite.  For the record I believe the Tories ought to replace Boris with Rishi (a dose of obvious and quiet competence would do us all the power of good) and that they should do it quickly. 

With devolution coming to North Yorkshire this year we will also see a changing of the guard in Harrogate.  The Borough Council is to be abolished, subsumed into a county-wide “super council,” with questions remaining about the future of 4-year-old Knapping Mount, Richard Cooper’s over-designed, over-expensive and vainglorious municipal stately pleasure dome.

Mr. Cooper himself has decided not to stand in the coming council elections, saving himself, no doubt, for a pop at the Conservative parliamentary nomination in Harrogate and Knaresborough, should Andrew Jones MP tire of the unheralded life of an also-ran backbencher. 

We can but hope that some of Harrogate council’s eye-wateringly expensive projects get driven through to conclusion, even as the council passes responsibility for them to Northallerton. 

Freedom of information requests have revealed that the development of a new swimming baths at Dallamires Lane in Ripon is currently £4m over budget (at a running total of £14.6m). 

The baths are seven months behind schedule, not least because they have been built adjacent to a site with significant ground stability issues; according to engineers Stantec, the site is permanently plagued by the threat of sinkholes.  The council have almost literally been throwing money in a hole in the ground.

Let’s hope that elections for the devolved authority in May garner more interest than the election of Zoe Metcalfe as North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.  Just 14% of us turned out to vote and this in the wake of a national outcry that led to Ms Metcalfe’s predecessor, Knaresborough’s Philip Allott’s, resignation from the post. 

Mr. Allott found himself at odds with public (indeed it seems all) opinion in his comments about Sarah Everard, who had been callously murdered by police officer Wayne Couzens, having been “arrested” by him on false pretence.  No social media mob cancellation this, Mr. Allott’s comments were universally decried, and he had to go. 

Finally, I wish everyone a happy 2022 and, dare I say, a return to some form of normality, in health, in politics and in life.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.   

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