The right wing of the Conservative Party warned in an article widely circulated Friday that Prime Minister John Major must bring about "an end to drift" and unify the party behind his administration if the government is to survive and lead the Tories to a fifth election victory.
The warning, in an article by former party leader Lord Cecil Parkinson, evidently was prompted by the government's dismal ratings in the latest public opinion polls, its loss in the recent Christchurch by-election and right-wing fears the party may be abandoning its conservative agenda.Recent public opinion polls have shown the Conservative Party is the least popular of the three main political groups and Major is the most unpopular prime minister since surveys began asking voters to rank the performance of the head of government.
Parkinson made his critcism in an article published in the newsletter of the Conservative Way Forward group led by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The article was picked up and widely circulated by the British news media Friday.
Parkinson said in the article that failures by the Major government had completely undermined the Tory party just 15 months after the Conservatives captured their fourth consecutive term of office. He said a large segment of party's support base had deserted in the past year.
The former party chief rejected the notion that Tories can regain their popularity through glitzy advertising gimmicks or speeches from Major about his philosophy.
"Our supporters know what we stand for, but they want to see it in practice. They want good government, they want an end to drift and they demand coherence and good presentation," he said. "They want a government they can once again believe in."