Reform as Modern 'Country Party'

Updated: 2025.10.13 8D ago 2 sources
The author argues Reform UK mirrors early‑18th‑century Tories who became a 'country' party opposing a court‑aligned, progressive establishment. Cultural caricatures and economic divides (globalization winners vs provincial losers) reprise the Whig–Tory split, suggesting Reform should adopt lessons from that era. — This frame recasts Britain’s party turmoil as a repeatable 'country vs court' dynamic, guiding how observers interpret coalition strategies, voter blocs, and media narratives.

Sources

How Farage seduced Grantham
Fred Sculthorp 2025.10.13 76% relevant
By showing Farage ‘seducing’ Thatcher’s Grantham and claiming the moral economy of provincial England, the article maps Reform onto a Country‑vs‑Court posture: inheriting localist, civic traditions while opposing metropolitan elites—precisely the 'country party' frame.
Why Reform needs Danny Kruger
George Owers 2025.09.15 100% relevant
The piece urges Reform, newly boosted by Danny Kruger, to emulate Queen Anne/George I‑era Tories and contrasts that with Walpole‑style lessons for Starmer.
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