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The Guardian has a feature this weekend on women in the Conservative Party. It’s worth a read, but pretty predictable Tory-bashing stuff, including as it does the apparent assertion that Tory rejection of positive discrimination is a bad thing. Whatever happened to discrimination being, well, discriminatory (i.e. bad)?
The Guardian states: “The Tories have worked hard to help women candidates with training and resources but the supply of good women isn’t really the issue.” With respect, parachuting in candidates to fill quotas is an appalling idea. Tokenism, anyone? Where is the merit? Where is the consideration for people who don’t fit the quota criteria but who have a long, strong record of commitment to the Party? Surely special treatment is only likely to engender resentment. The Guardian, however, seems smitten with the controversial A-List, implemented earlier on in Cameron’s reign (its current status unclear/possibly retired).
However, the Guardian clearly doesn’t read ConservativeHome. If it did, it would have noted their recent feature tracking the A-List selected candidates, which revealed that over a quarter have abandoned their candidacy. That doesn’t seem like a very good way to improve the representation in the party (although I concede the percentage of non-A-list candidates to abandon their candidacy in the same period is unknown).
The proper way to fix it is to bring more women up through the ranks, train all party activists well and offer them all opportunities to advance in whatever direction they wish, subject to merit – i.e. determinate on their historic involvement and commitment to the Party. Anyone who has been monitoring the state of Conservative Future, the Party’s youth wing, will have noted how the number of young women has consistently been increasing over recent years. It will be this generation – comprised of dedicated activists like Liza – which, in the fullness of time, will markedly change the complexion of the parliamentary party.
Conservative Future is offering activists the chance to win a curry with Party Chairman and campaign guru Eric Pickles MP.
The competition is divided into two parts. The activist who clocks the most campaigning on the ground in Norwich North, and the activist who spends the most time at the GenEVA telephone canvassing centre in Millbank Tower will both win a curry with Pickles.
To be in with a chance of winning, obviously, get stuck into the Norwich North by-election.
This weekend Conservative Future has two action days in Norwich North, and a free coach is going up on Saturday from central London. Those wishing to make calls on behalf of Tory candidate Chloe Smith should contact the GenEVA team.
In both cases, activists must make sure they record their attendance on sign-in sheets, and indicate on the sheet that they are CF.
Sounds like a great competition – just stop and think for a moment: what would you discuss with Pickles over a Vindaloo?
What will the other parties do to incentivise their activists?
ConservativeHome has today published a list of the ten young Conservatives standing as candidates in seats which are either notionally Conservative or appear on paper in the top 200 target seats for the Conservatives at the next election. They are:
Peter Lyburn (Perth and North Perthshire, pictured) – April 15, 1984
James Wharton (Stockton South) – February 16, 1984
Annesley Abercorn (Hazel Grove) – Feburary 1, 1984
Douglas Ross (Moray) – January 27, 1983
Will Quince (Colchester) – December 27, 1982
Chloe Smith (Norwich North) – May 17, 1982
Robert Jenrick (Newcastle-under-Lyme) – January 9, 1982
Stuart Penketh (Ellesmere Port and Neston) – December 4, 1981
Keely Huxtable (Birmingham Northfield) – November 7, 1981
Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) – May 17, 1981
This year’s Conservative Party Conference, in Manchester, is surely going to be one to remember, setting the stage as it does for a General Election in 2010 (assuming Gordon limps on that long!). Conservative Future will have a strong presence again, with Young Britons’ Foundation training in the political arts, and plenty of socials – not to mention the Fringe.
If you’ve never done a Party Conference before then what better time to start than this? They’re a unique experience which you won’t forget in a hurry!
So make sure you send in your applications by the end of today because from July 1st the fee rises from £70 to £120!
Following the powerful showing at last week’s polls by the Conservatives, no one can doubt that they are the natural party of local government.
Many young activists have already stood successfully for election to councils on the Conservative ticket, and today Conservative Future is launching a guide as to how you can join them.
Are you a Conservative who wants to improve your local area? If so, you are an ideal candidate to become a Conservative councillor.
Becoming a councillor is a uniquely rewarding experience. It gives you the opportunity to help your local community and be part of a dedicated team providing key services for your area.
Being a councillor is also a great way to gain political experience and useful skills in public speaking, debating and problem solving.
Serving councillors are a broad mix of people from the local community. New councillors are good news. They mean fresh ideas and fresh enthusiasm, and that will be good for your council and your local area.
By becoming a councillor, you really can make a difference to your local community.
Who may become a councillor?
To be eligible you must be:
- A British subject or a citizen of the Irish Republic or the EU and resident in the UK.
- At least eighteen years old on the day you are nominated.
- Either on the electoral register for the council area in which you are seeking election, or have lived or worked in that council area for at least the last twelve months.
- A member of the Conservative Party.
If you have not already done so, you will need to become a member of the Conservative Party.
You can find out more about becoming a councillor by clicking here
Already a councillor? Then join the Facebook group for Conservative councillors.
Read the rest of the article at ConservativeFuture.com
If you plan to stand for council election, or have already done so and would like to share your experiences on TheYoungConservative, email me – edward@theyoungconservative.co.uk
David Cameron has reiterated, in the strongest possible terms, his calls for Labour to do the decent thing by the country and go to the polls. Cameron has launched a petition on Conservatives.com which succinctly states:
We, the undersigned, believe that the best way to sort out the problems facing Britain and to restore trust in our political system is for a dissolution of Parliament and a general election so that people can pass their verdict on MPs’ behaviour at the ballot box.
This is a completely cross-party issue. Whatever your tribe, no one can deny the last few weeks have shaken the British public’s faith in politics and politicians. Labour is crashing to ever lower record lows in the polls. The nation clamours for change.
Brown is a serial ballot-dodger, and so we say, join with the Conservatives and keep the pressure on Brown to give us a referendum on his time at the helm. Together, we might just make it happen.
Labour promised the British people a referendum on the EU Constitution in their 2005 election manifesto. Join our campaign to make them keep their promise.
You did it before; you can do it again. Five years ago, thanks to public pressure in the European elections, Tony Blair made a U-turn on the EU Constitution and promised the British people a referendum. That promise was in the last Labour manifesto.
Now the EU Constitution is back, under another name, and Gordon Brown is trying to deny the British people a say on it – even though it hands over huge powers to Brussels.
By voting Conservative in the European elections on 4th June, you can send a message to Gordon Brown to keep his promise and let the British people have their say on the EU Treaty.
HOW TO JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN:
- Sign up to our Facebook ‘Give us a referendum’ campaign
- Download our ‘EU-turn’ widget
- Print out the ‘Make Labour’s next U-turn an EU-turn’ poster
Iain Dale interviews PPC for Norwich North, Chloe Smith, 25. Chloe has volunteered since she was a youngster. When she was sixteen, she built a Youth Forum for Norfolk school kids so they could tell government directly about the basics of life in Norwich and across Norfolk – a paradigm example of how much young conservatives can contribute. Now, with a successful career she is the Conservative Party’s youngest female prospective parliamentary candidate.
