The clash between the U.S. Republican party and its factional radical right-wing Tea Party mirrors a predicament transpiring in the U.K.
The Conservatives of the U.K. — also known as the Tories — have been emphasizing values similar to the U.S. Republican Party. Free enterprise and private ownership flourished during the 1980s under Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
David Cameron, current Prime Minister and Tory leader, encourages a modernization of the party, much to the dissatisfaction of traditional Conservatives.
The party’s troubles began when it was rumored that parliament member Adam Afriyie, called the “Tory Barack Obama” by some, was poised to replace Cameron if a “backbench” revolt succeeded in forcing him to resign from his position as party leader. Two Tory members of parliament alleged they were asked to sign an endorsement letter, according to the Daily Mail.
Cameron’s supporters angrily retaliated against these rumors.
“It is sheer madness even to talk about a leadership challenge when we face an uphill battle to win the next election,” an anonymous Minister told the Daily Mail. “We have to rally round David Cameron — not sneak around plotting behind his back.”
However, talk of this revolt reveals that the Conservative Party is dangerously close to splintering with Cameron. He has been criticized for his moderate stances on crucial economic and social issues, including questionable support of a recently-approved bill giving same-sex couples the right to marry.
Also, relations between Britain and the EU have been unstable since Cameron took office. Most recently, Cameron has vocalized public support for an austerity budget in the EU, receiving mixed reactions from the Union and from his own country.
According to the BBC, former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock warned the prime minister that his stance on the EU could pose a risk to the U.K.
“(Cameron is) rolling the dice and betting with the nation as the stake,” Kinnock told the BBC.
Scottish independence from the U.K. is an additional international shift affected by Cameron’s national relations. Cameron opposes the possible Scottish breakaway from the U.K., which will be voted on in 2014, and insists that Scotland is “better off” in Great Britain.
With threats of a triple-dip recession looming, the Tories have reportedly consider replacing Cameron with Conservative MP George Osbourne.
Regardless of whether Cameron remains prime minister, change is bound to come to the United Kingdom’s global relations and to the British Conservative Party.
