About the book
A Powerful Inside Account of Political Collapse—and the Hope for Renewal
In Is the Party Over?, Tony Gething delivers a timely and deeply personal account of the dramatic fall of the Conservative Party in the 2024 UK General Election. But this book is not just about loss; it’s about what comes next. Drawing on decades of grassroots experience, Gething explores how one of the most successful political machines in modern democratic history lost its way and how it might just find a path forward.
Most political books are written by people sitting in fancy offices in London. But Is the Party Over? is different. Tony Gething writes from the ground up. He shares the point of view of regular people, the local volunteers, councillors, and party members who worked hard to support the Conservative Party in their towns and cities. These are the people who knocked on doors, handed out flyers in bad weather, and talked to angry voters who felt let down. They watched the trust people had in the party slowly fall apart.
Using both his own story and the voices of these local heroes, Gething shows how the party lost touch with the people. But he also sees hope. Is the Party Over? is not just about what went wrong. It’s also a message: don’t give up, start rebuilding.
A View from the Trenches, Not the Ivory Tower
Gething has seen the Conservative Party at its best and its worst. He’s been part of the hard graft behind local campaigns, the rebuilding of associations and the mentoring of young candidates. In the 2024 election, as the Party suffered its most devastating collapse in modern history, he stood alongside other grassroots organisers asking the same question that headlines around the country echoed: Is the party over?
This book captures what many central strategists missed, namely the growing gap between Westminster’s slogans and the lived realities of voters. It paints a raw and honest picture of a political movement that forgot how to listen.
What Went Wrong and Why It Matters
The 2024 defeat wasn’t just an electoral blip. It was a reckoning.
Tony Gething says the warning signs were easy to see for years. The leaders at the top took more control, local voices were ignored and the party focused more on media tricks than real plans. The Conservative Party used to be good at changing with the times, but now it has lost its clear identity.
It changed too fast, first with David Cameron’s modern ideas, then Boris Johnson’s loud and popular style, and now Rishi Sunak’s careful and serious approach. Because of all these changes, people don’t know what the Party stands for anymore. Local campaigners were stuck supporting ideas they didn’t agree with, explaining choices they didn’t make and cleaning up mistakes from the top without much help.
Gething’s book, Is the Party Over?, combines real stories with sharp analysis to reveal how a top-down approach to politics shattered the trust between the Conservative Party and the people and how that broken connection helped pave the way for a devastating election defeat. But the deeper truth? This story isn’t just about one party. It’s about democracy itself. When major political institutions lose connection to their base, the whole system risks collapse.
Why This Book Matters—Now More Than Ever
In a time when people are arguing about politics, losing trust in leaders, and feeling like their votes don’t matter, Is the Party Over? Gives something special: clear thinking. This book doesn’t give simple answers. Instead, it asks tough but important questions. It doesn’t wish for the past to come back, but it still respects old values. It doesn’t give up on politics, but it says leaders should be honest and responsible.