Sir Bill English (former New Zealand prime minister), Sir Craig Oliver (former director of politics and communications to British prime minister David Cameron and currently a Principal with global CEO advisory firm Teneo) and Jennifer Hewett (national affairs columnist with the Australian Financial Review) discussed the state of modern conservative politics.
Plus, as Britain made a chaotic exit from the European Union, the Tories were in dire straits, having copped a drubbing in the 2019 local elections. In New Zealand, meanwhile, the centre-right National Party is in Jacinda Ardern’s shadows.
What’s the state of conservatism in Australia, Britain and New Zealand? Where to now? Can the Liberals, Conservatives and National party remain broad churches? And what was the impact of Brexit on Australian/NZ/UK relations?