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Tory Boy

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Tory Boy was a character in a television sketch by comedian Harry Enfield which portrayed a young, male, Conservative MP. The term has since been used as a caricature of young Conservative MPs.[1] Tory Boy was a repulsive thirteen-year-old, combining the characteristics of a snobbish, unpopular boy who went to school with Enfield, and those of an imagined younger version of William Hague. Enfield also claimed to have mixed other recent Conservative politicians such as Michael Howard and Michael Portillo into the character, alleging that they were "Tory Boys who have never grown up." The traits of "Tory Boy" have also been said to mirror those of a stereotypical member of the Federation of Conservative Students.[2] The Tory Boy image of a young Conservative MP has damaged some politicians. William Hague struggled to shake off the stereotype and was often ridiculed for it during his leadership of the party.[3] In 2006, it was argued that Conservative Future has managed to change the image of young Conservatives from that given by the FCS.[4] However, this was reported in The Daily Telegraph, which has a long history of endorsing the Conservative Party.

In Enfield's 1997 TV Christmas Special, some months after Labour's landslide victory in the UK General Election, a sketch included Tory Boy's left-wing father wishing that his son would join the Labour Party. The fairy at the top of their Christmas tree grants his wish and with her magic wand she transforms Tory Boy into "Tony Boy" (a parody of Tony Blair).

References

  1. ^ UK | 'I'm a trendy Tory – and I don't fit in'. BBC News (5 August 2002). Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. ^ [1] Archived 1 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Weekend feature: "The curse of Tory Boy". The Guardian. (4 December 2004). Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  4. ^ Forget Tory Boy, Conservatives are now cool. Telegraph (4 October 2006). Retrieved 6 January 2014.

Further reading

  • William Hague, From Tory Boy to Tory Leader, ISBN 1-902301-65-X


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