Thom Beckett: I will say, charitably, that "winning from the centre" hasn't been tried for a while.

Loving the right wing “thinkers” pivoting to “Sunak lost because - if anything - he was TOO centrist”

Of course the titanic mind of Lord Frost got in first

I will say, charitably, that "winning from the centre" hasn't been tried for a while.

I mean it’s all comparative but Johnson, the Tory right’s lost prince, was undoubtedly way closer to the centre than Sunak

Which itself seems interesting since a similar group has been crowing about how they should never have got rid of the messiah. I'm going to go out on a limb and say there's a certain incoherence to the current Tory position. Come at me.

Johnson was way closer to anything that would be of benefit to him personally. The very definition of an opportunist.

Well, yes, sure, I have no doubt that this is his personality. But it is undoubtedly true that what he offered the country was closer to the centre than what Sunak is offering.

Yeah, agreed, although I suspect his winningest argument was "vote for me and we'll shut up about Brexit"

One of the most centre ground arguments it was possible to have, outpolling "puppies are cute" and "hearing your baby cry at 2am is crap"

Sure, but what benefitted him was winning. So he had a whole load of mainstream-appeal policies in there along with the right-wing stuff.

They basically want someone who can be amusingly rude about their perceived political enemies. And who fucks.

Well yes, he was, when it suited him. It all depends on his target, though? London Mayor? Look at me, I'm a liberal, pro-EU candidate. PM needing "red wall" votes? Hey, I'm still near the centre, there's nothing to be frightened of. Revenant PM needing Reform votes? I dread to think.

there must be an appearance element to this? Johnson ran closer to the centre but is a barely constrained id in athleisure wear. Sunak dresses expensively and is comfortable with finance types so is coded as technocratic despite being far more to the right.

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