PART 2. THE CONSERVATIVES
Situation
The Hanged Man. You are at a life crossroads at which sacrifices and patience are needed if the right choices are to be made. Submit gracefully, and all will be well. Life needs to be viewed from a fresh angle, and what may seem a total distraction to your plans may just take you in a fresh, creative direction. You may feel you are wasting time hanging around, but it will prove to be well worth your while.
The Conservatives are non-plussed by this – brought up short by the fact that their own attack dog has turned on them, albeit not with as much force as on Labour (though that may change). They are surprised but perhaps prepared for this – it is ameliorated by the tip-off they received over the weekend – but nonetheless they did not expect this and see this as an unwelcome distraction keeping them from making electoral hay from the problems Labour are facing. It is perhaps for the rest of us disillusioned Conservatives who want some substance a change for the better – they are not given carte blanche just to walk into Downing Street and this may force their hand on policy. Regardless, they need to think about their next move, and this spread may open some doors on what they plan.
A very strong thought came to me over the weekend, where I was opening a door and a bomb went off, clearing my mind and clearing my vision of things going forward. Just as Cameron blew the lid off the conference in 2005 and changed the vision of the Conservatives’ future overnight, so this issue has rebounded on the Tories and could force them to “put up or shut up” as people have hoped they might at some point be forced to do. I hope so. Otherwise the consequences of this rethink might be more dramatic for those who have faced the future armed only with the sword of complacency and the shield of “not yet, wait a few more months, then we’ll have something for you”.
Appearance to the Public
King of Swords. In astrology the character of Saturn in his benign aspect closely resembles that of the King of Swords. He represents power, authority, and the law, splitting complex arguments with the edge of his sword. His judgements can at times seem lacking in tolerance of human frailty, but are never unfair. The card usually represents an authority figure that the querent can look to for justice.
The King is seen as a figure who is good with words – a lawyer – but has not got the substance or the legislative or executive power to follow through with them. Cameron is seen thus – he can still assert his authority on this to the public but this is still lacking in the potency to make the decisions that need to be taken to solve the problem. The impact is going to be significant only if the Tories do not hang together, and there is no suggestion that this alone will force Cameron’s hand. Nevertheless, they cannot go on like this for ever – the King of Swords needs to become the King of Pentacles if he is to do something about it. Brown and Cameron both have this problem – they are both talking when they should be doing.
Appearance to the Media
IX Wands. You enjoy well-earned success gained through honesty, hard work and intelligence. However, troubles are brewing on the horizon, and you are soon likely to be tested to the very limits of your patience and ability. Take the time now to cultivate key allies, and check too that your finances are robust enough to cope with unexpected demands.
Similarly to the card that came up here in Labour’s spread, the media is defending their honour by covering the Tories despite this card suggesting this may just be a fig-leaf, and the Guardian is saying that this article is pulling punches which should be equally ruinous to the parliamentary Conservative team. Fraser Nelson is weaselling out of condemning Tory misuse of flipping because he says it is not done for the same reasons, that is, to play the property market. What utter snide bollocks (excuse me). Flipping is flipping – if it’s wrong for one, it’s wrong for the other. This just exposes the media’s game; while it’s true that Vulpes Vulpes’ trust fund keeps him relatively safe from having to exploit expenses, there is no earthly reason why someone should flip like this for one reason and get away with it, and for another reason to be damned for it. Pure partisanship, and a poor defence of a system which should be more even-handed than this for a proper democracy to function. And this is from someone who would be pro-Conservative given different leadership and direction.
Appearance within the Conservative Party
VII Swords. Hope appears after a long struggle, but keep your guard up. You face opposition to your plans and it would be wise to learn from its source, but you can achieve your aims if you persevere and be certain of your facts. Avoid direct confrontation, however; instead, let your ideas speak for themselves.
If the Tories had any ideas, then they would be speaking for themselves and the Tories would not have to manoeuvre in this underhand way – it is still in the position of overcoming obstacles, but by sly sleight-of-hand, not genuine honest hard work. There isn’t enough in this card to suggest the Tories can outrun their pursuers here for long; they need to come back with something solid and substantial to really consolidate these gains, and to make sure they and their cronies in the press can’t win the election by subterfuge as Labour did, in my opinion, last time.
Appearance to Cameron
Page of Wands. The Page of Wands is a messenger, usually of good fortune, heralding great events affecting your chosen career. He is energetic, loyal, idealistic, resourceful, and honest; the best kind of friend one could hope for. He can represent either the attitude you need in order to accomplish your aims – the part you must play toward someone of greater influence – or the person you should turn to for help to carry them out.
Cameron regards this as child’s play, a boy tilting at windmills, and does not take this seriously enough because he thinks he can use his tongue to escape once again from definite and thorough scrutiny. His Tweets enrage me – “Brown baiting over for the week”, for example – and make me think he is bullying his way to power in the nastiest possible way. We may have to endure 10 years of this cretin in charge of the country, who thinks the rules don’t apply to him or his friends – or he may find it is too late for these tactics once Labour get started on their manifesto. We shall see.
Roots of the issue
The Lovers. Generally this card represents love or friendship on the worldly plane, marking a kindling or re-kindling of affection after troubles have been overcome. A major commitment could seriously affect the course of your life, and the climate is right for it to be a lasting and fruitful union. Complete honesty and trust are all that are needed to make the union work.
The tarot assesses the relationship between the Telegraph and the Tories as one of mutual dependency, and it has to be said that this upsets the balance of the issue and the ability to scrutinise the Tories properly and without prejudice of any kind, positive as it is in this case. This is too cosy a situation for investigative journalism to flourish, just as the Hutton report was eventually perceived as a whitewash for Blair, so this further undermines the possibility of a firm hand with both and all parties.
Seeds of the issue
The Emperor. The Emperor represents earthly power achieved through force of will, including war if necessary, though usually the card stands for stability, wealth, justice and the dominance of reason over emotion. It can represent an authority figure at work or in the family, or the attitude necessary to carry plans through to fruition. Sometimes it’s necessary to put aside reflection and sympathy and simply act.
The action in this card suggests to me that the Conservatives take some action to sort the situation out, but they are not renowned for using this active power for ends that would strengthen their base, only make them top heavy. Cameron’s attitude to politics suggests he believes himself too much to be the Emperor already, and does not understand the need for balance as well as naked power. This card may presage success, but it needs to be success wielded in a careful and understanding nature not in a blind, tyrannical, bullying fashion.
Action needed
Knight of Swords. The Knight of Swords is bold and enthusiastic, but also imaginative and clever like his Queen. He is a great champion of good causes and inspires others by his idealism and dedication to any cause he adopts. He is decisive and, while others dither over a course of action, he will just plunge headlong into it and generally win the day. He is a symbol of creative upheaval, usually leading to success.
Cameron and his party need to apply the same verve and vigour they apply to politics to policy, and then the party will be truly unassailable, even in the northern areas where the party’s vote has recently collapsed in favour of the BNP. The dynamism of this card is often perceived as recklessness; the party needs to be recklessly constructive to truly win my support and that of others who are still suspicious of the party’s motives. “Brown-baiting” won’t do; constructive policy might just tip my balance back into the Tories’ favour.
Action actually taken
Strength. This card signifies strength through meeting problems head-on and overcoming them by strength of will. Perseverance, courage and determination combined with intelligence and modesty make an irresistible combination not only for tackling adversity but for encouraging others to come to your assistance. The strength of this card inspires others because its triumph benefits all.
The Strength card – in controlling and containing challenges rather than rising to meet them – diverges from the Knight of Sword’s active creativity to a passive role. The Conservatives cannot however afford to just hold the media or the public at bay. They need to follow through with a lot of things that they have left hanging and stop baiting traps that they fall into too easily. People are cynical enough about politicians. Cameron just makes people more cynical, not less.
Solutions
IX Swords. Beware tempting, but false, invitations. Deception and even possible violence are warned by this card, but bear in mind that adversity is the best test of character, just as a sword requires fire and hammering to get a sharp edge. In the long run, know that all adversity can be turned to the good.
This is a less promising outcome than for Labour; solutions in this sense are what needs to happen and what possibly will happen to rectify the situation and bring things into their ordained pathway. The Tories have inflicted political damage on others –but those who live by the sword often die by the sword. The painful and cruel nature of Cameron’s tweets are symptomatic of the distorted and crippled political process, not part of their reshaping and remoulding. It is what was inflicted on us Tories at the last election, and should not be inflicted on others at this. But Cameron does not seem to heed this warning, and will pay through his own ordeal of fire during this forging process.
Direction
The Fool. A new beginning with fresh adventures ahead, although there is a very real danger of it all going horribly wrong. The bag on the Fool’s shoulder represents natural talents that he could employ usefully if he took the trouble to open the bag, but he generally doesn’t. For wild optimists this card is a warning to try to temper enthusiasms with a little common sense. For pessimists, it suggests lightening up a little.
The Tories cannot find stability to go with their new-found power, and they are running out of time to acquire some before Labour learn their lessons and come back with a vengeance. Cameron is dancing off into the sunset, spreading toxic tweets in his wake, while Gordon and Hazel and Harriet and Jack think more deeply and longingly about what they want to achieve and what they want to do. The people who win elections win them positively and happily. The “foxytories” as I call them condemned our last election campaign as “negative”. They should learn from this, then, rather than intensifying the blithely destructive poison they spew as they dance towards Downing Street, ignoring the chasm growing beneath their feet.
Short term outcome
King of Wands. The King of Wands is a charming leader who is energetic, honest, diplomatic and generous. His fatherliness can tend toward being too trusting. Being naturally loyal and conscientious, he is a great friend in times of trouble, being unafraid to take up arms in a good cause. In a spread he can represent either the attitude needed to address the situation, or the person you should turn to for help.
In this sense, the King is master of the present but not generator of the future. Blair was my original archetype of the King of Wands, mercurial, upbeat, merry and potent, but who lacked the foresight to maintain and work with his gifts and talents, and now reduced to a low-key post with a religious foundation rather than walking the world stage with the real giants of political power. The King of Wands lacks foresight, and although he has positive qualities as listed above, he is insubstantial and cannot hold and shape the real future with fundamental depth or clarity of purpose. He exists to win, but real Kings know that winning is only the beginning.
Long term outcome
The World. Upright, the World represents the favourable culmination of a long period of striving and hard work that meets at last with recognition and reward. It stands for completion, fulfilment and the dawn of a period during which you can relax and refresh yourself before the need for major exertion rises again. This is a good time to take stock and catch up on neglected areas of your life.
The World here represents a vague but positive future for the party, so the coming difficulties in the Nine, although necessary, represent a period in which the party grows up. Cameron cannot currently achieve what he wants to achieve merely by Brown-baiting. But he can show that the Conservatives can restore faith in government and faith in the political process; how this will be managed on current form remains a mystery, but the World does forecast some kind of definite promise in this situation – if only his Brown-baiting is kept to a minimum, he might avoid it being turned in on himself. It isn’t too late. Yet.
