George Osborne: Tory saviour

The last nine months have seen an astonishing revival in the fortunes of the Conservative party. From a ten-point deficit in the polls last autumn, the Tories now enjoy a 20-point lead. And following a crushing by-election victory at Crewe and Nantwich last month, they are increasingly seen as the government-in-waiting. George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, is one of the key figures behind the revival. His speech at last year’s Conservative party conference—promising cuts in inheritance tax and stamp duty—is credited with rattling Gordon Brown sufficiently to make him bottle plans for a snap election he would probably have won.

Osborne is one of David Cameron’s key lieutenants in the mission to modernise the Tories and “decontaminate the brand.” At the astonishingly young age of 37, he has already become one of the most influential politicians in the country. Osborne emerges in my profile as a shrewd and disciplined tactician—sufficiently scarred by past failures in opposition to sacrifice ideology in pursuit of power. But in some areas it’s been easy for him to jettison some past Tory baggage: he’s a libertarian who has no problems with alternative lifestyles. He presents himself as someone who is genuinely comfortable with the modern world. His courage and tactical astuteness are not in doubt. But it remains unclear to what end will those talents be put if and when the Tories win power again. Please comment below.