The David Cameron Legacy: What Will It Be.

David Cameron became Conservative Party leader in 2005 not being the favourite. David Davis was still the big favourite among Tory grandees. Young, fresh and standing on a platform of “compassionate conservatism” and out to reform the Tories, many of the political commentariat welcomed this, especially when Tony Blair was in his last years and losing popularity quickly over the legacy of the Iraq War and as the warning signals of the economic crash started to emerge. He was of course polarising. His reformist pitch alienated significant segments of the older generation in the Party who did not approve of his social liberalism. Yet in 2005, he was leader at a time where many believed that the Tories would not govern again. People saw it as a toxic brand.

However favourable electoral factors begun to emerge. The deepest economic crash since the Great Depression with a Labour Party, who had long been in government at this point, started to feel a pinch in the polls. CCHQ’s line that Labour had presided over the economic crash because of their overspending begun to take root in public life, despite this not being the economic reality, and Cameron went overdrive on this. The framing of government austerity as a necessity also played reasonably well with voters, and with Gordon Brown being possibly the least charismatic leader to ever hold the keys to 10 Downing Street, Labour had no means to counter this message. Cameron’s soft and compassionate tone again struck a chord and the Tories became the largest party in 2010, and his character and truly reformist pitch meant Nick Clegg felt he could strike a deal with him and the Tories over Brown’s Labour. And this relationship seemed to work, with nobody really expecting the Coalition to last the three years it did.

In 2013, Cameron introduced same-sex marriage legislation which will probably be remembered as his greatest social reform, although it did truly split his party. Many say it was unnecessary, with no mandate and that it was Cameron’s project for his ego. It divided religious communities in the United Kingdom but on the whole it was popular measure and many saw it is an attempt to rid of the toxic Tory brand.

He will also be remembered as an assured statesman that was able to represent Britain well on an international level.

However his legacy will boil down to Europe, and whilst I am personally pleased we voted leave, it was a vote he did not need. Cameron’s approach was constantly short-termist, taking gambles with the United Kingdom all too often, for his own political gain. He granted Scotland an independence referendum, and there was panic that Scotland was going to back it. That would have been curtains for Cameron in 2014. And in 2013, he of course made the statement that the British would have an EU referendum if the Tories became a majority government. Of course, this was a cynical ploy to starve off the UKIP rise and he hadn’t the faintest idea that the Conservatives were going to win a majority in the 2015 Election, and nobody really did. So what was a short termist announcement of a referendum which he had no intention of carrying out became a reality, and which he had no choice but to deliver.

His conduct during the campaign divided his party down the middle, and he was not supported by many on the Remain side, seen to be inciting fear and doom and gloom, and that message didn’t go down well with the electorate, and it was rejected by Britain. And of course the Leave vote wasn’t just against Brussels, but against the Westminster establishment too, showing a real disconnect from London and the rest of the country. It left him no real choice but to resign, but the political chaos that has ensued since has left many people on all sides feeling a bit nostalgic, seeing him as a safe pair of hands during what were tough economic times.

David Cameron, the great Conservative reformer but a political gambler who took a risk too many. Europe will be his legacy and that will haunt him. His premiership ended four years too early and he will be resentful of that and leaves with the future of the United Kingdom in a bit of trouble. Over to you, May.