Defend The Right

There seems to be some doubt as to whether the Tories of Louth & Horncastle will re-adopt Sir Peter Tapsell, who will become Father of the House if re-elected, on 27th November. Yes, he is getting on a bit. But he is one of those Tories who opposed first Thatcherism and then Maastricht. In his case, from the perspective of a Keynesian, pro-Commonwealth, anti-neoconservative (and therefore anti-war) Toryism which I think that we can safely say is not held by Liz Truss, or Louise Bagshawe, or Zac Goldsmith.

Last July, Sir Peter had the courage and the good sense to stand up at PMQs and point out that course "the Taliban" are not "international terrorists", but only want to run Afghanistan, never mind anywhere else, because there are Pashtun in it. And they are in any case exactly the same people whom we term "revered tribal elders" when we need them on side. As Sir Peter pointed out, the "international terrorists" are now training in our ally Pakistan, in Iraq because we removed the bulwark against them there, and right here in Britain. Who else is saying this? Long may he remain.