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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
As part of their coverage of the 30th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s truly historic election, ConservativeHome has a short piece by John Bercow, MP for Buckingham, in which he recounts how in 1979 he met the Iron Lady, and she advised him to join the Young Conservatives.
Surely an inspirational story for aspiring activists in Conservative Future, the successor to the YCs, and an example of how far any one of them could go. Already past CF chairman such as Mark Clarke and are candidates with real chances of entering the Commons whenever Gordon finally has the courage to accept the nation’s verdict on his 12 years of incompetence and failure.
On Wednesday the Young Britons’ Foundation hosted it’s annual Freedom Rally in the House of Commons. Over just four hours no less than 16 speakers from all walks of the British conservative movement addressed young activists. It was notable how many fresh faces there were – evidently YBF is reaching out further and further (are you involved with them yet?). Here follows a brief summary of what you missed.
The Rally began with Douglas Carswell MP, one of the finest Parliamentarians of his generation and co-author of The Plan: Twelve Months to Renew Britain, lamenting the unrelenting decline in liberty on these shores:
“The failure of the revolution of 1776 was that it took place on the wrong side of the Atlantic.”
European election candidate Councillor Jean-Paul Floru took up the liberty mantle from Carswell, urging the audience to remember that power derives from the people, and is not the property of governments, whom by their nature are transitory.
“Freedom is Britishness of mind”
“Politicians are only the temporary custodians of sovereignty, they are not the owners: we are!”
Another of the Conservative Party’s soundest stars, Michael Gove MP, warned us to treat the rise and spread of Islamofascism as seriously we did Nazism and Communism. Like those twin evils of the 20th Century, Islamofascism must be fought, and defeated. They were the gauntlets thrown down to our parents’ generation, this one is ours.
“There is no greater cause in politics than defending freedom.”
“When the State grows human freedom diminishes and wealth disappears.”
Dr Eamonn Butler of the Adam Smith Institute defended capitalism against the nonsense accusations that the current financial climate is proof that it has failed, and also marked the increasing spread of the database and surveillance state under Labour.
“We are home to a quarter of the world’s surveillance cameras”
Veteran Parliamentarian Ann Widdecombe asked us to think ahead and demand action on the perilous state of pension provision in this country. As youthful activists pensions might seem a far-off irrelevance to us, she said, but we need to take action now if we are to safeguard our comfort in old age.
“This Prime Minister carried out a raid on pension funds that made Robert Maxwell look like a rank amateur”
PPC Conor Burns was clearly disgusted by the protests the previous day in Luton, in which a small minority vocally denounced home-coming troops as “terrorists” and “butchers”, but saved most of his righteous fury for what Labour has wrought at home.
“You have a right to be very very angry with that this government has done to your country…you have a right to rise up and demand more.”
Major James Cleverly, (C), London Assembley Member for Bromley, gave us a realistic appraisal of life in City Hall, the victories of the Conservative administration to date in cut waste and building success; and also of the mountains yet to be climbed.
“I cut my teeth as a conservative activist in Lewisham.”
Peter Whittle of the New Culture Forum discussed the nature of the seemingly innate bias within the creative arts, urging conservatives not just to think of careers in politics, but in media too, if we are to win the culture war.
“I quite often want to smash in the television when I watch the BBC these days.”
“You [the youth] are the cultural future.”
Mark Wallace, Campaign Director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance explained his organisations surging growth in the seemingly eternal battle against the grossly wasteful spending of our taxes by all tiers of government, from council to European.
“Your council tax has doubled in the past decade, yet what do you see in return?”
Author James Delingpole gave what it was suggested had been “a fairly combative speech”, clearly too Libertarian for some attendees, and music to the ears of others. But this is exactly the majesty of events such as YBF’s Freedom Rally – to expose activists to conservative movement ideas which they will never otherwise hear. Simply sitting around agreeing with each other is not merely unproductive, it’s actively hurtful to our cause.
“I think Compassionate Conservatism is almost worse than socialism.”
“I’m relying on you people to save our country, because otherwise we are fucked.”
Conservative Party Chairman Eric Pickles MP provided the riposte to Delingpole, and had, as one might expect, some harsh words for Gordon Brown.
“Mr Brown has truly ruined this country, and in many ways the task before us is greater than Churchill’s after World War Two.”
Presenter and blogger Iain Dale reminded the audience that politics is/can be enjoyable as well as noble!
“You can have so much fun in an election campaign.”
The peerless John Redwood MP again led the charge against the attacks Labour has made upon liberty and democracy in this country over its 12 year reign of terror.
“We want the government to be a good servant rather than a bad boss.”
Greg Hands MP began to draw the event towards its close, reminicisng about his experiences and advising aspiring politicians to follow his route and do something in the private sector for a good decade before turning to politics.
“I managed to miss the entirety of the John Major years.”
Conservative Future National Chairman Michael Rock was the penultimate speaker, highlighting the ‘politicization’ of the youth movement, as opposed to being purely a leafletting too for the Party.
“It’s almost a patriotic duty to oppose ID cards.”
Co-editor of ConservativeHome.com Jonathan Isaby concluded the Rally.
“The government is tearing itself apart at the moment…it really is waiting to be put out of its misery.”
Whether or not you agree with this video isn’t the point of posting it – it’s a very clever, powerful and effective piece of marketing for a cause from which we could all learn.
H/T: Tim Montgomerie
Tim Montgomerie at ConservativeHome posts that he’s in the process of drafting a statement of conservatism, spurred by Iain Murray flagged the ‘Sharon Statement’ of values for his attention. What’s particularly interesting is that the Sharon Statement was the founding text of Young Americans for Freedom, back in 1960. The full text of that eloquent, crisp statement can be read below. It may be nearly 49 years old and primarily pertinent to America, but it seems strikingly relevant to us in Britain, today. Surely, that’s the test of transcendent values.
We’d be very keen to hear what you, young, British, conservatives, would list as the core values of conservatism.
“Adopted in Conference, at Sharon, Connecticut, on September 11, 1960.”
IN THIS TIME of moral and political crises, it is the responsibility of the youth of America to affirm certain eternal truths.
WE, as young conservatives believe:
THAT foremost among the transcendent values is the individual’s use of his God-given free will, whence derives his right to be free from the restrictions of arbitrary force;
THAT liberty is indivisible, and that political freedom cannot long exist without economic freedom;
THAT the purpose of government is to protect those freedoms through the preservation of internal order, the provision of national defense, and the administration of justice;
THAT when government ventures beyond these rightful functions, it accumulates power, which tends to diminish order and liberty;
THAT the Constitution of the United States is the best arrangement yet devised for empowering government to fulfill its proper role, while restraining it from the concentration and abuse of power;
THAT the genius of the Constitution – the division of powers – is summed up in the clause that reserves primacy to the several states, or to the people in those spheres not specifically delegated to the Federal government;
THAT the market economy, allocating resources by the free play of supply and demand, is the single economic system compatible with the requirements of personal freedom and constitutional government, and that it is at the same time the most productive supplier of human needs;
THAT when government interferes with the work of the market economy, it tends to reduce the moral and physical strength of the nation, that when it takes from one to bestow on another, it diminishes the incentive of the first, the integrity of the second, and the moral autonomy of both;
THAT we will be free only so long as the national sovereignty of the United States is secure; that history shows periods of freedom are rare, and can exist only when free citizens concertedly defend their rights against all enemies…
THAT the forces of international Communism are, at present, the greatest single threat to these liberties;
THAT the United States should stress victory over, rather than coexistence with this menace; and
THAT American foreign policy must be judged by this criterion: does it serve the just interests of the United States?
Our Green Ribbon Campaign continues to gain traction online with flagship British political blogger ConservativeHome now sporting it. We’re pleased to see the blog that set in motion the chain of events that led to our creating the Ribbon now displaying it.
Our traffic is showing that the campaign is resonating far beyond young conservatives, and is being picked up by more established blogs, as well as simply aggrieved citizens keen to show their displeasure, and the literally ‘unwarranted’ police action against Damian Green. And who can blame them, after today’s dismal speech by Speaker Michael Martin? Is that the best they could come up with? If it’s the truth, why did it take so long for it to be explained? Keep the pressure on them, readers.
Is your blog supporting Damian Green? Let us know.
As the storm over Downing Street continues to rumble following the Stalinesque detention and questioning of Damian Green MP, plans are afoot to continue to keep the pressure on the Government for answers and to keep the issue in the public eye.
It all began with a comment on ConservativeHome.
“Maybe this will be my last comment regarding politics. I don’t know. If elected officials are not safe why should I assume I am? My husband is on his third tour of the gulf. My brother in law is on the Afghanistan Pakistani boarder. My other brother in law is now partially paralyzed for life due to an injury sustained while training for duty in Iraq. My nephew is finding it hard to integrate back into society after seeing his buddy blown up in the truck next to him while on duty over there. Freedom and democracy are very important to me, I guess I can say they are actually a part of who I am and feel blessed to be born into a part of the world that understands the importance of these things. As far as I was aware, my husband, and other family members have been putting themselves in danger, some have become injured physically, some mentally,and others whom I have never met have lost their lives fighting for the rights of people in other countries. Fighting to allow them to also have the right to hold their governments and leaders to account, without fear of death, arrest or imprisonment. So for me this isn’t about Labour or Conservative or which party is better, this has become a really serious and worrying situation. And I am frightened over this and over the future if this is the way things are headed. What to do? I do not know. If verbal questions and protests aren’t answered then a visual protest of some sort. Green ties, ribbons and armbands,worn by people from all parties in defence of Damian Green. Worn until questions are answered, and until civil liberties and freedom from opression of government are restored.
Posted by: meli | November 29, 2008 at 23:35
Wow meli you said it
Posted by: Michael Booth | November 29, 2008 at 23:50
Meli suggests green ties, ribbons and armbands,worn by people from all parties in defence of Damian Green.
Brilliant – editor what about promoting that on this site?
Posted by: Lindsay Jenkins | November 30, 2008 at 00:15″
Jenkins forwarded the exchange to Simon Richards, Director of The Freedom Association, who took up the torch with the novel idea of turning The Freedom Association’s site green as an act of solidarity.
How far could this go? We mused last month about November 5th becoming a national holiday to mark British liberty, freedom and justice. So we have the day, and now we have the colour.
In turn, TYC saw this and thought, why not take it one step further? Our colour scheme is terribly cumbersome, so we knocked up this poster (well, everyone else is producing great posters lately it seems) and sent it to The Freedom Association. It also looks great on your Facebook/Myspace/Bebo etc, by the way…
We understand that plans are also afoot in Parliament for MPs to wear green ribbons during the Queen’s Speech to signal their disquiet. I’d be great to see activists in their private capacity as concerned citizens sporting them as well (a bit of green ribbon and a safety pin wouldn’t cost the earth!), on the street, in the work place etc, making people stop and ask ‘Why are you wearing that?’.
With the latest comment on ConHome showing that the momentum behind his initiative is growing, are YOU with us?
