Cracking the Whip

by Christopher Gill

Fast-paced political memoir by a former Conservative MP charting the infiltration of the Conservative Party by non-conservative elements and the subversion of a once-great political party.On 1st May 1997 the Conservative Party suffered a most humiliating defeat at the hands of the British electorate and found itself in Opposition for the first time since Margaret Thatcher swept to power in 1979.In this book Christopher Gill follows the path taken by the Conservative Party after that defeat. Many Conservatives, both in Parliament and outside it, hoped that the spell in opposition would be spent analysing the reasons for defeat, replacing those responsible and rejuvenating the party machine for the battle to come. Instead those responsible for failure secured their grip on power and moved ruthlessly to dominate the Party, pushing aside those who objected and destroying all opposition.The author traces the way this was achieved out of sight of the media - all too enraptured with reporting the doings of the shiny new Labour government. He explains how the decisions made then led inexorably to the failure of the Conservative Party to achieve victory in 2010 and to the dithering responses of a hamstrung coalition government.At what point in time the Conservative Party ceased to be a truly ‘conservative’ Party is a matter which might engage the attention of future historians but the author clearly points the finger at those to blame and explains how they achieved a spectacularly successful coup for the ‘collectivist’ infiltration which has left the Tory Party paralysed.About the AuthorChristopher Gill was Conservative MP for Ludlow from 1987 to 2001 - and one of the anti-Maastricht “bastards” who raised the standard of Eurosceptic revolt within the Tory Party. He subsequently served as Chairman of the Freedom Association and later joined the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Christopher Gill was born in 1936 and educated at Shrewsbury School. He joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1952, serving three years full time in the Royal Navy from 1955 and was involved in the RNR until 1979.

His political career began in 1965 when he became a member of the Wolverhampton Borough Council. In 1987 he achieved a lifelong ambition when he was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the Ludlow division.

He was elected Chairman of the Freedom Association in January 2001, which is strictly non-partisan and is a broadly based pressure group that campaigns for individual freedom and national independence. He is no longer a member of the Conservative Party.

Christopher Gill is married with three children and five grandchildren.