Why Cameron Failed UPDATED

The word at this moment is that the Tories and the Lib Dems are very close to an agreement to create a new government in the UK. But I want to address how Cameron got into this mess in the first place.

Since he became the leader of the Conservative Party, he has striven to become the Anti-Thatcher, to remake the Conservative Party into the “Not the Conservative Party”. Not only was this bad policy, it was a political gamble that being inoffensive was more important than not alienating the Tory base.

Sound familiar? *coughRINOScough*

I think one issue in particular kept Cameron from victory. He could have won over Euroskeptics simply by keeping Labour’s broken promise to have a referendum on the EU. The UKIP even offered to stand down in return for such a referendum. But Cameron was too Europhile to do the right thing . . . which was also the politically smart thing. And, with all the problems the EU is now having, think how prescient Cameron would look now if had drawn back from closer ties to the EU.

But instead he further alienated the Euroskeptics in his base, and the UKIP got enough votes from said Euroskeptics to keep Cameron from winning an outright majority of seats.

Yes, I do think there are lessons to be learned here. But for now I’ll point out that is how Cameron blew it, pure and simple.

UPDATE: Gordon Brown has announced he will step down as Labour leader and PM. Chatter has it this opens the door for more Labour-LibDem talks.