What did they do so wrong from your perspective? They did a good job with Brexit. They've destroyed public services, which was a long held ambition. And they've shifted political discourse way right - Starmer is far more right wing than say Heath or Major were.
What is the grumble - just the Boris Wave immigration? Or all the psycho-dramas of a crumbling third term government? Or something else?
Well my own take on it is below. Can't speak for other conservatives:
They aren't conservative anymore. Right wing, left wing - people get too fixated on this. you can be socially liberal and economically conservative. Many people in this country are socially conservative despite believing in strong public services. I personally believe public service and the valuing of public service is intrinsic to conservative values. The clue is supposed to be in the name.
As per Thfcstef's post, there are some people like myself that feel safer, happier and more secure with stability and familiarity.
The "conservative" concept is that traditional values like traditional family dynamics, traditions, institutions and culture are protected and celebrated.
Conservative economic values are that work pays, not working does not pay, that if you do well, you'll be congratulated by society and will keep the majority of that hard earned for you and your family. Passing assets down to your kids isn't something that you should be penalised for. Conservative values are that working hard is for your family.
Conservative concept of the state is that it should be there to protect and enable its citizens and their interests.
The conservatives were re-elected to power in 2010 as growing numbers of people felt that Blair's international liberalism such as mass immigration, the bloating of the state (creating the imfamous "blob" of civil servants, committees, overseers, auditors etc) and excessive public spending and had begun to erode British values. In 2010 Gordon Brown was confronted by a voter regarding public concerns with mass immigration that was already at that time seeing rapid changes in communities.
The conservatives promised to reduce immigration to the 10s of thousands. Instead they oversaw the opposite. To the point where people literally feel under threat. Safety provided by the state is foundational to the conservative value system - that British citizens are prioritised.
On Europe: Again, the "conservative" stance was that Britain would engage with European co-operation and treaties where it benefitted British interests. That is free trade. Free trade is in everyone's interests.
There is nothing in British interests about signing treaties that limit our ability to compete economically and tying our economic and societal fortunes to basketcase eastern and southern european states, whilst allowing tin-pot economies like Luxembourg, Ireland and Netherlands to undercut us on tax incentives where we lost huge revenues from the likes of Amazon, Apple and Starbucks.
My view on Europe is that if this is the relationship they want to have with them we should rejoin the EU. We are still beholden to EU law, without having influence in their design. We are still insisting on treating these countries as "friends" rather than aggressively competing with them. Singapore on the Thames was the only way to go IMO or we should have stayed in the bloc and pushed for Reform.
Covid lockdowns and partygate was another betrayal of conservatism.
Engagement and promotion of wokeism, highest tax burden since WW2...
I could go on and on but on almost every level the Conservatives betrayed conservative values.
