OPINION - Why I Quit as the Chair of QUB Conservatives

For a few of my friends, my decision to cancel my Conservative Party membership and stand down as the Chair of QUB Conservative and Unionist Society came as somewhat of a shock. However, I have been disillusioned with the party for a while now and not just over its response to Covid-19.

Of course, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the announcement of a second disastrous lockdown in England.

The Prime Minister’s decision will be catastrophic not only for the economy, leaving millions unemployed and pushing the country further into debt, but also for the long-term physical and mental health of the nation.

Nevertheless, my reasons for leaving the party are more complex and varied.

I have to say that most Conservative members are sound, driven to the party by a belief in clear principles. I have made many friends in the party over the last six years and believe there is a real sense of community within its ranks.

However, the majority of those who make it into the parliamentary party are vapid careerists. Most Conservative politicians do not give a damn about principles and care solely about power.

I convinced myself in the Theresa May years that while I may be unhappy with the direction of the party, I could at least hold out in hope for a new leader. Now though, I recognise the party itself is structurally unsound and will suck any last bit of principle left from those who make it to the top.

When I look at a policy, I ask myself a simple question: does this policy maximise the freedom of the individual? If not, is there a valid reason for restraining people’s liberty?

I voted for Boris because he professed to share this approach and, while I recognise the pandemic does provide a legitimate reason for some restraint on our liberties, it is clear the Prime Minister abandoned his liberal instincts long before Covid-19.

From raising the tax burden to its highest level in four decades to renouncing his long-held scepticism of the nanny state, the Prime Minister has shown that his lockdown policy is not an aberration.

Boris is more than willing to use the power of the state to restrict individual freedom if the focus groups tell him to do so, and the parliamentary party is happy to walk through the lobbies to enable it.

A few people have asked me if I will ever rejoin, especially if Rishi Sunak becomes the leader. These people fundamentally misunderstand the reasons why I left.

I am not interested in a party that moves from incompetent statism to competent statism. This country desperately needs a party that consistently articulates a conviction for liberty.

One may say that such a party is unelectable, but this pandemic has shown that people yearn for freedom and it can be a powerful motivator – especially for younger voters.

Regardless, the objective of politics is not to ensure that your team wins. It is to advance the ideas and policies that you believe to be beneficial.

Electability for electability’s sake is pointless. The people in power need to be reminded of that.

Ryan Hoey is a third year Politics student and the former Chair of QUB Conservatives