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Anthony Koch: Moral victories are for losers. Liberals know that. Tories need to learn

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19.03.2026

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Anthony Koch: Moral victories are for losers. Liberals know that. Tories need to learn

Conservatives are far more comfortable being right than being in charge

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In politics, there are winners and there are losers. And the difference isn’t moral, ideological, or intellectual. It’s practical. Winners govern. Losers write think pieces.

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Every time the right loses an election, a familiar script plays out. Pundits and operatives console themselves with talk of “moral victories.” We shifted the debate, they say. We planted seeds. We held the line. It’s as if losing would be acceptable, so long as we lose in a “principled” way.

Anthony Koch: Moral victories are for losers. Liberals know that. Tories need to learn Back to video

This is the tragic pathology........

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