They have done that exactly once! Contrast with say Labour and authoritarianism, which they increase every single time they get to power!
More seriously I hope it is an indicator that Johnson’s far-right popularism and ethnic nationalism is not playing well in the nicer parts of the Tory heartlands. Given we do not live in a functioning democracy and have the most useless “opposition party” imaginable anything that tempers the Tories third-rate Trump impression has to be welcomed. It is clear removing the Tories from power is impossible at present as we have so little in the toolbox (thanks to Labour), so I’ll take anything that steers them away from the current path of far-right tabloid popularism and kleptocracy.
Ignoring your first paragraph, as any sensible person should (can I just say Jo Bloody Swinson), I agree with everything else you say.
If there is going to be a challenge to the Tories it will have to come from a coherent ideological opposition to their politics. If there is to be a shift it will have to come by undermining the far right populism and ethnic nationalism that you describe. The populism and nationalism of the Tories is defined by what it excludes. It excludes BLM, Climate change activism, an accurate understanding of our history and a whole heap of other stuff
If that is going to be opposed in an ideological sense, it will have to come from an inclusive politics, a sense of national identity that includes BLM, that fully embraces climate change to an extent that militant activism is not necessary, that recognises that the role of slavery and colonialism is what our greatness is built on, not to promote a sense of guilt, but to promote and celebrate the inclusion of every part of our nation in our national identity.
The politics of inclusion would also have to include an electoral system that includes and gives value to as many votes as possible, which our current system most certainly does not. It would also need to ensure as many children as possible are included in the best education possible which our current system does not. In fact it would have quite far reaching implications all round!
Of course, there is no such ideological opposition, not from the Lib Dems and certainly not from Labour.
The future is depressing, the future is blue.
But I still share you hope!