Brilliant John Gray interview in the New Statesman.

Yes. The Aristocratic High state which was in power from the 1660 restoration to the 1906 general election. Those people being restore to power. And the removal of the Liberal elite we have been ruled by since 1906. And yeah the right to vote would be massively limited as it was before in the mid-late 1800's. Its fitting that in the name of democracy we are now ruled by the civil service, international law and judges. The elected politicians have less control now than they did in the 1800's. 

High Tory goes along with High Church Anglicanism, High culture, High state. It means the state is broadly non interventionist within society/the economy, it has a basic role to defend the country, police it, slightly regular it, enforce the law. But it doesn't try to direct or change society like the Liberal low state has done. So its a low tax, low regulation, Patriarchal state. 

I imagine the vision is a return to Britain c.1900, i.e before WW1. A pre-industrial revolution scenario would be hard to envisage.

The problem is always to balance competing requirements:

1. How to reward work and effort, so that things get done
2. How to avoid excessive self interest, corruption and fraud
3. How to ensure owners and workers are fairly rewarded to prevent exploitation 
4. How to pay for the necessary functions of the state (law and order, defence, etc.)
5. What functions the state should have control over
6. How to help the unfortunate and needy without undermining 1 and 3
7. How much freedom the individual should have and what obligations they have
8. How to ensure a cohesive stable system exists, that is self-correcting

It is not obvious what the correct answer is.

Most argue for a system that benefits them, rather than that benefits the majority. There is no system that benefits everyone, unless everyone is equally poor.

A system that does not benefit the majority is unstable.

The current system is sub-optimal, but what to do is a problem. There are no easy fixes.

Gray has made some valid comments, although I do not agree with everything he said about post-liberalism and Starmer. The video was difficult to watch due to the advertisements that popped up, so I will quote from the ‘New Statesman’ article (18/10/25) to which he referred in the video.

… post-liberal fantasies of cultural restoration are a distraction. In any realistically imaginable future, this country will continue to encompass a variety of faiths and values. Not only in Europe but throughout the world, the age of mass migration is over. But there can be no going back to the monocultural nationhood of the past. The issue is not how to integrate minorities into an overarching culture, but how ways of life that will remain divergent can cohabit in some sort of modus vivendi.

The way forward is to constrain communities rather than to entrench them. Everyone should be subject to a rule of law enforced equally on all. Nobody should be denied freedom to exit their community or subjected to coercion by other communities. The tyranny of minorities in stifling free expression should be firmly resisted. Individual liberty must be reasserted against the invasive claims of collective identity. But can the political will be summoned to bring about such a radical change in direction?

 In the first paragraph, Gray summarises the state of a post-liberal UK. He goes on to propose a way forward, yet he does not say how this can be achieved. How does one constrain communities? How can the law be enforced equally on all? I am unclear as to what political changes might come about that could allow divergent ways of life to ‘cohabit in some sort of modus vivendi’.

Communities are already constrained by poverty, geography, politics, religion, and so on. At present, it seems that that the law isn’t always enforced equally on all. So what might Gray be thinking of?

HighToryPsychic said:

I am a High Tory, supporter of the Aristocratic High state being restored. So I support the overthrow of the Liberal managerial state and restoring Parliament, the common law, the Royal Navy so on.

I am wondering if your last two words would embrace ideas that could address the issue of unconstrained communities and divergent ways of life?  Perhaps you considered High Tory ideas such as neo-feudalism, patriarchy and the abolition of equality, the sort of things that are discussed at 55 Tufton Street?

I’m not drawn in by John Gray, and I do not wish to live in a patriarchal society ruled by unelected men who would not be subject to accountability.

I imagine it does sadly  I asked Meta AI what John Gray's political persuasion is and this is what it said:

*Political persuasion:* John Gray ( author of _Straw Dogs_ ) is generally described as a *pessimistic conservative* or *cultural conservative* with strong *anti‑progressivist*, *skeptical‑liberal* leanings.

| Aspect | Typical characterisation |

|--------|--------------------------|

| *Philosophical stance* | Criticizes Enlightenment rationalism, scientific optimism, and utopian political projects; emphasizes limits of human knowledge and the “tragedy of the human condition.” |

| *Political label* | _Conservative_ (cultural) – often grouped with “reactionary” or “counter‑Enlightenment” thinkers, though he rejects traditional party politics. |

| *Key themes in _Straw Dogs_* | Anti‑progress, anti‑humanism, ecological limits, disillusionment with liberal democracy’s promises. |

| *Self‑description* | Gray describes himself as a *skeptic* of all grand ideologies; he does not align neatly with left‑right spectrum but leans toward a *conservative realism* that values tradition and stability over radical change. |

*Why the label?*

- He critiques liberalism, Marxism, and neoliberalism as “secular religions.”

- He upholds a *pessimistic view of human nature* and the dangers of hubristic attempts to reshape society, which are typical conservative cautionary motifs.

- Yet he does not advocate for a specific party program; his work is more a *philosophical critique* than a political manifesto.

_Sources:_

- Gray, J. (2002). _Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals_. London: Granta.

- Gray, J. (2007). _Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia_. London: Allen Lane.

- Secondary literature: e.g., “John Gray: The Conservative Critic of Liberalism,” _The Guardian_ (2009).

HighToryPsychic said:

I am a High Tory, supporter of the Aristocratic High state being restored

Does this mean the masses being effectively controlled by the unelected elite who have inherited their positions?

Thank you for sharing it. I like John Gray's book Straw Dogs and am glad to have it (I managed to get a second hand copy of it)  I was unaware of such a thing as High Tory until now, I was aware of High Anglican.