The Ten Most Influential People in the Conservative Party

ConservativeHome has launched a discussion to find the 50 most influential people in the Conservative Party, so I thought I’d have a go at making my own list here where there’s more room for expansion. They aren’t all Conservative members, but these 10 figures are serious influences on the party today.

#1 Tony Blair
The heir to Blair comment last year made it likely, and the soft focus ordinary sort of guyimage manufacture sealed it. ChameleonsOnBicycles believes Tony Blair, the current Labour PM, is probably the biggest influence on the Tory Party currently. I’d rather it not be, but the current Prime Minister was always going to have considerable influence over HM Official Opposition. We could perhaps have a little less influence though, Mr Cameron?

#2 Karl Marx
The bearded one who has probably caused an awful lot of problems for one person and a very dreary book, he is no doubt an influence on the current Conservative leadership. Das Kapital is still a major work that is highly regarded despite being totally discredited and utter nonsense, and although this is probably our most controversial choice, I felt it was worthy. George Osbourne joked on CH that he took his inspiration “from Smith to Das Kapital”, however talk of redistribution and stability before tax cuts (as if the two are exclusive of each other) are both firmly from the Marx train of thought.

#3 Hans-Gert Pottering
Responsible for DC’s first broken promise – that of leaving the European People’s Party – this little known (and even lesser loved in the party) figure looks set to become the next President of the EPP. His dealings with the party and several of its Euro-fanatic MEPs secured the Conservatives EPP membership until 2009, damaging relations with the Polish LJP and Czech Civic Democrats. He holds the honour of being the first to influence an actual party policy implementation.

#4 Steve Hilton
Author of Good Business, Steve Hilton’s company of the same name specialises in helping businesses improve their image through charitable public relations such as Tesco’s Computers For Schools, Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers etc. A member of the leaderships circle of advisers, Steve Hlton is repackaging the party in the same manner he would a business with much success. I largely welcome his contribution, him being the highest ranking on this list I approve of, although he must be careful not to alienate core voters.

#5 BBC News
I know the BBC News isn’t a person, I haven’t gone mad so don’t worry, but it is run by people. The news from Auntie Beeb is generally of left-liberal bias and is also the most trusted as impartial, which causes a major problem for free marketeer conservative politics. Red Corner Questioning, a BBC favourite particularly on Newsnight and Radio 4, involves attacking Conservatives for being too right wing and others for not being left wing enough. That’s fairness and impartiality for you! Simply their agenda and wording reflect gooey social “do gooder” left wing sentiment. Their influence on presentation and even policy is huge, as the Conservatives must seek to have the media on side, or at least not hugely hostile.

#6 Margaret Thatcher
Alas, DC does not have the experienced and insightful words of Margaret Thatcher guiding him. He claims to have not been interested in politics as a student during her time in office, after all he was only studying politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford. Margaret Thatcher’s influence on the party leadership today is different – they seek to appear the antithesis of Thatcherism. Everything old must go – grammar schools, low taxes, enterprise society – and the new must be different. Therefore Mrs T, who was ranked the most effective PM of the 20th Century last week, has quite considerable influence. Had the influence been in the same direction, instead of as something they seek to counter, I would have ranked her higher on this list.

#7 Tim Montgomerie
Editor and founder of ConservativeHome, one of the UK’s top 5 blogs and “online Tory bible”, Tim Montgomerie is ranked seventh on this list and is sure to rise higher over time. The CH website, with its long running monthly survey (which judged the leadership vote to within 1%), gets more visitors than the party’s official website – and that’s not surprising. It allows discussion, shows the newspaper highlights, links to the best blogs, an open platform for pieces submitted by readers and top secrets – even unveiling the “secret” names on the Candidates A-list. The monthly survey also gives members the chance to rate senior party figures, creating an interesting graph of opinion. It’s no wonder Tim is briefed by all the party big whigs, and with an online television feature coming soon, as well as ever higher readership as the site becomes better known, I expect his influence to grow rapidly.

#8 Samantha Cameron and the “Baby Cams”
No, not a strange girl group but DC’s family. His wife Samantha and children are a major influence on David Cameron and thus the party’s direction. He has himself stated that his son Ivan’s disability taught him the value of the NHS, and I expect the rest of his family have also had an impact. Samantha, an artist who has so far not featured highly in the media circus, is probably an influence on image as well as policy.

#9 Norman Tebbit
Following Margaret Thatcher in sixth, Norman Tebbit is rated ninth for the same reasons. The party leadership now relishes annoying the former Chingford MP, who was famously vilified for suggesting the unemployed commute to find work with the headline “On Yer Bike!” in the Mirror I believe. He also invented the Tebbit Test or Cricket Test – the idea that immigrant communities should have their nationality judged on whether they support England in cricket. His role is now the mouthpiece for Thatcherite opinion, receiving more media coverage than he has had for years. On everything from Hug A Hoodie to climate change, the former cabinet secretary has been interviewed. In their attempts to be seen as “changing”, an annoyed “old guard” is required and Norman Tebbit is leading the way. If Tebbit likes it, they scrap it. If Tebbit disagrees, they get more.

#10 William Hague
Clearly not for advice of hair dressing or baseball caps, William Hague is the Conservative’s foreign policy guru. Sadly, despite generally strong Atlanticist views, William Hague has so far appeared weak. His poor handling of the EPP exit, in which he was lead astray by #3 Hans-Gert Pottering in a delaying tactic that gave the Euro-fanatics time to campaign against the exit policy, leaves him weakened in the eyes of members. His anti-Israel comments for many confirmed fears that Hague is moving to the European Worldview.