The Labour Party's shift to the
right wing (which I would suggest left them as a centralist party, not a right wing one) entirely changed the face of British Politics. It was seen that
the Conservative Party's moderates (
Kenneth Clarke,
Michael Heseltine et al) who had held sway during the
John Major years realised that not only were their policies very similar to the new reformed
New Labour, but that they lacked
Old Labour's ability to manipulate their public image to suit their interests. Thus, the moderates were suppressed, and the
The Conservative Party who were more
isolationist and
right wing (
Michael Portillo and
William Hague) achieved ascendancy. Thus, in British politics, we have seen a shifts to the right by the Labour and Conservative parties, whilst the
socialist gulf on the left has been adopted by the previously centralist
Liberal Democrats.
If you will excuse a momentary end to objectivity, I'd say that the Conservative's shift to the right has constituted demagoguery of the worst and most ineffectual kind; by adopting a stance favoured by a substantial minority (that of "all foreigners except Americans are dirty bastards, especially if they've got funny coloured skin". Yes, I know it's hyperbole, but you get the idea...) they have won over a small section of the electorate whilst isolating themselves from the typical Conservative voter, the "small businessman".
For those unfamiliar with the Conservative Party's recent campaign, I should mention that MP John Townend recently made a remark that immigrants were undermining Britain's "homogenous Anglo-Saxon society", and that as a result of our increasingly diverse culture we are becoming a "mongrel country". Very amusing, and whilst the Conservative Party did criticise his remarks and said they were out of line with the Party's stance, they are indicative of at least one set of opinions amongst the Tories.