How far can you get with a party that, drained in an endless cabal, is labeled “ungovernable” by its own people?

The new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be asking himself this question, using his predecessor as a cautionary tale.

Liz Truss was not only torn into the abyss by her party, but by her own dilettantism and ideological daredevilry.

But will competence and a sense of proportion suffice to create a new beginning for the Tories and the country?

The British got the best Prime Minister they could ask for.

Sunak understands a lot about finance and economics, which is worth its weight in gold in economically tense times.

He kept his distance (first elegantly, then brutally) from Johnson and warned emphatically about Truss.

A capable administrator

And he is considered a capable administrator who has something to offer all wings of the Tories: he is a Brexiteer, but not a chauvinist, he shows fiscal responsibility without believing in the high-tax state, and – as the child of an immigrant family – he wants to be more vocal about illegal migration Action.

The fact that the Tories, of all people, made a devout Hindu prime minister shows how far the British immigration society has come.

Religion has long since ceased to be an issue on the island, which was ruled by a Jewish prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli, as early as the 19th century.

But not too long ago it was considered unlikely, if not impossible, that the traditional conservative party would elect a dark-skinned leader.

New twist in national self-discovery

Even if ethnic origin has not been a barrier to advancement in British politics for years, Sunak's career is likely to influence the national debate about self-discovery.

The dispute with the Empire, which has become violent and often overreacts, and allegedly ongoing racism could be conducted in a more differentiated manner if the former colonial power was led by a prime minister of Indian origin.

In the Indian press on Tuesday there was already talk of “closing the circle”.

That said, Britain's Obama moment shouldn't be overestimated either;

the American example shows this.

Sunak won't have many opportunities to shine.

He takes on an almost impossible task.

After seven years of ongoing feuding within the party, the conservatives have lost their political and moral compass.

Nothing illustrated this better than the discussion of the revenant Johnson.

"Boris" may have its merits and may have been excessively opposed, but its political end was self-inflicted;

he made mistakes and he lied.

The fact that he almost got another term in office shows the degree of desperation that prevails in the party.

The Decline of the Tories

Those who blame Brexit are correct in that the Tories' decline began with the referendum.

The toxic rows over leaving the EU swept away first David Cameron and then Theresa May.

The dramatic end of Johnson and the inglorious departure of Truss have only limited to do with it.

The Brexit battle is over.

The party's fault lines lie elsewhere today.

The conservatives no longer know whether the current times of crisis can be overcome with their old values: the small state and civic responsibility.

The lack of direction is reinforced by the emotional notches that the ongoing power struggle has struck.

MPs, constantly called upon to position themselves for or against a potential new leader, eventually lose direction, if not self-respect.

In any case, they are making enemies among party members, which has sent Tory sentiment to rock bottom.

Despite demonstrating determination, Sunak will struggle to neutralize all the negative energies.

With luck, he may be able to halt the further slide of the economy, but the Tories' reputation as Britain's party of reason is no longer so easy to restore.

It takes a few years in opposition for that.

It is understandable that Sunak has no interest in this.

He has already announced that there will be no new elections.

However, this will not silence the demands of the opposition parties and large sections of the public;

on the contrary.

With every decision by Sunak that demands something from the citizens, the call for voters to have a say threatens to become louder.

No one can rule out that Sunak will reach the milestone and hold out until the regular elections in two years.

But the way there will be hard, and there will probably be no reward.