Divided they stand

CONSERVATIVE Party Conference was a placid affair (see article). Yet it was notable for two reasons. First, from the platform speeches to the gift shop, the ubiquitous homages to “Our Maggie” were a reminder of the late Margaret Thatcher’s lasting sway over her party. Second, nagging tensions between two ministers, George Osborne, the chancellor, and Iain Duncan Smith, the welfare secretary, exposed a telling rift among Tories. Eyebrows were raised when, on September 30th, Mr Osborne, rather than his cabinet colleague, announced a big new welfare policy, “Help to Work”, obliging the long-term unemployed to do community work in return for their benefits. Not for the first time, the welfare secretary was said to be frustrated at the chancellor’s meddling.