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In his latest guest post Abhishek Majumdar warns against the importation of a California-style utopia where you can have it all and finance it, which, like all socialist-funded projects, is now imploding. There is, however, much good we could adopt from the Golden State of Ronald Reagan.
There was a time when the Cameroon project to reinvent the Conservative party (and ultimately Britain) was organised around an existing blueprint. That blueprint was California: socially liberal, entrepreneurial, environmentally friendly and with Scandinavian-style efficient public services. If Cameron could not bring the golden weather to Britain, he could at least import the optimism and feel-good factor.
Today, priorities have shifted. An incoming Tory administration would be less focused on California dreaming than on jolting Britain awake to the reality of our awful fiscal situation. This is as well, for the blueprint state in question is now going bust, and has its own horrible reality to deal with.
With a budget deficit of over $24bn, the reign of Arnold Schwarzenegger looks set to end in misery. A law requiring the budget to be balanced will force savage cuts in public services and potentially tax rises, though these are being vetoed by Republican politicians. Tens of thousands of prisoners are set to be released. The welfare state faces a massive cutback. School’s out for longer than summer, as teachers will be fired.
While Democrats blame the collapse on the wider economic crisis, it is plain to see that California’s mess is a disaster of left-wing making. Taxes in the state have systematically hammered the rich, many of whom have simply fled to other states in the US, taking jobs with them. A Brownite debt-fuelled spending splurge in the boom years led to Californian bonds having their ratings slashed, meaning investors could get better yields elsewhere. The world’s eighth-largest economy is now groaning under unserviceable debt and mindlessly high taxes.
It is not difficult to draw a parallel with the US as a whole. The Obama administration has already committed to spending truly staggering amounts of money on various projects from bailing out bankrupt automobile manufacturers to fighting ‘climate change’. Added to this are a raft of tax increases and a vast intended mass of regulation. It is clear that Barack Obama is determined to leave office with an expanded State, higher taxes and a record national debt.
If the US goes the way of California, the implications for the world economy are terrifying. But as far as we Britons are concerned, we must at least stop our country from emulating the Golden State in its present form.
There is much to hope for in California: a truly entrepreneurial culture, a tough justice system and world-class universities to name three examples. If the Tories really want to bring California to Britain, they should bring the things that made it worth living in in the first place, not the things that have destroyed it.
Abhishek writes his own blog – check it out here.
YOU can write for TheYoungConservative. We accept submissions from any young activist of any pro-liberty political party, or no party at all. To dicuss, email us: edward@theyoungconservative.co.uk
“It’s time to start addressing the legitimate concerns of the vast swathe of voters who feel entirely unrepresented in any way by any of the major parties.”
So the BNP have picked up two seats in the European Parliament. We were sitting next to a group of them on Sunday night, watching the results trickle in. Tell me if you don’t agree, but to me they looked for all the world like a rough family from the wrong side of the tracks waiting outside a courtroom to hear that one of their own had been let off because of some technicality or another. ie, uncomfortable in their suits, aware that everyone around was avoiding them, and rather smug about that fact.
Amongst the left (and I include the BBC in that category), there appears to be dismay and total incomprehension. Why, they ask themselves, have the public suddenly swung away from them and towards the far right? What possible motives could the people have had to leapfrog much of the political spectrum and land squarely in Nazi territory? Well, my champagne swigging socialist darlings, the Nazis were not ‘National Socialists’ for nothing, as the centre-right has been vehemently pointing out for the last few days. I must admit, my first thought as Andrew Brons was elected was “well done, Gordon!” – a sentiment which has been echoed throughout the centre-right blogosphere in posts such as Tim Montgomerie’s post on ConHome:
I blame Labour for the rise of the BNP. I blame Brown for creating Nick Griffin. I blame Labour for introducing the electoral system that has given the BNP this opportunity but much more I blame Labour for its failure to control Britain’s borders… for promising a referendum on Lisbon and reneging on that promise… for a failure to get to grips with Islamic extremism… and for a failure to tackle the social causes of poverty.
Others have looked more specifically to Labour’s failure to get a grip on immigration policy. Graeme Archer has posted an excellent blog on Centre Right which lays the blame squarely on the pervasiveness of left-wing thinking that has promoted minority groups’ interests above those of the majority, or more specifically, at minority ethnicities interests above the white population’s (interestingly, see also my earlier post on multiculturalism). He is indeed correct when he asserts that we now have thoughtcrime, but I feel his argument is a little too simplistic.
It’s been noted that some black and asian people have voted for the BNP (although not very widely noted – I couldn’t find anything via google), so clearly the BNP vote isn’t purely a vote on immigration policy. So, firstly, lets stop asking ourselves when our lovely little country which used to be so open to people of all races suddenly turned nasty. It hasn’t. If people claim to have voted BNP to stop ‘that lot coming over here and taking our jobs’, it isn’t ‘that lot’ that those people are railing against, but the fact that they can’t get jobs. ‘That lot’ are just an easy scapegoat, and one which the BNP exploits very well.
Therein lies the real complexity regarding why the BNP have been so vastly popular (and they have, in many areas as the East Midlands count shows). Labour have indeed failed this country in all sorts of areas. The poverty gap is rapidly turning into a yawning chasm. An end to boom and bust quickly dissolved into an end to Brown’s credibility. And yes, immigration policy has been allowed to rot down into being one of the great taboo subjects of our time. So, yes, some blame lies at the feet of Labour for failed policies, failing to show real leadership, and failure to make positive changes to society in any meaningful way. Some of the blame lies at the fact that the left have shut the door on the immigration debate by screaming in a semi-demented way ‘racist!’ every time anyone points out that displacing large populations of the East End and replacing them with Bangladeshi families is probably not great policy. And some of the blame, as painful as it is for the right to admit it, lies at the feet of every other party who has failed to provide a credible alternative to Liebour, or Zanulabour, or whichever amusing epithet you wish to award them.
It’s time to stop staring blankly into the headlights. It’s time to stop foolishly asserting that people only vote BNP because they’re racist or stupid. It’s time to stop vying with Labour for the ever decreasing group of swing voters that huddle around the centre of the increasingly obsolete left / right spectrum. It’s time to start addressing the legitimate concerns of the vast swathe of voters who feel entirely unrepresented in any way by any of the major parties, who, in their disillusionment, either stay at home (the turnout for the Euro elections was a mere 34%), or, worse still, turn to the BNP who do address those concerns. It’s time to bring on Duncan-Smith and his Social Justice agenda, and not stop there.
Be sure to subcribe to Donna’s own blog.
YOU can write for TheYoungConservative. We accept submissions from any young activist of any pro-liberty political party, or no party at all. To dicuss, email us: edward@theyoungconservative.co.uk
“State control over schools will be viewed as an unfortunate aberration, and parents who today home school their children will be lauded as being ahead of their time”
Now we should not be so naive as to assume that this attack on the fundamental right to educate your children away from the State, spearheaded by the great Ed Balls, will be conducted openly. Rather, it will be done in an incremental manner, with each successive concession representing a step towards the loss of parental freedom. This is why it is so essential to fight the government at every step, no matter how trivial it may seem now. Governments given an inch will not hesitate to take a mile, especially where matters of children’s education is concerned.
So what motivation could a Labour government, or the State in general, have for attacking home education? For the answer, one needs to look at the extraordinary effectiveness of home schooling. Research has shown that home educated children tend to have better social skills and to perform as well as, if not better than, their school-educated peers in examinations. This is especially true of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The numbers speak for themselves: the population of home schooled children has risen rapidly in the UK over the past decade, to well over 50,000 today.
Parents who pull their children out of school are exercising the ultimate protest against the British school system, which has since the 1960s been the subject of a gigantic and failed experiment in social engineering. The collapse of standards and discipline, and the replacement of academic selection with selection via postcode or daddy’s wallet, has massively damaged British education. Add to this the incessant targets and bureaucratic interference of New Labour, plus the rise of politically correct curricula that deny British history and promote underage sex, and it is no wonder home schooling is rising in popularity.
In short, home education is an embarrassment for the government. It represents the part of society that its bureaucracy-obsessed managers cannot wield control or influence over. Just as the left has always viewed ambitious working class people with suspicion, so it dislikes parents who do not need its magnanimity or ideologically-driven programmes. And to add insult to injury, there is no evidence that home schooled children are worse off; in fact the opposite.
It was therefore only a matter of time before Labour sought to stick its interfering nose into the lives of parents who bravely flout the system by educating at home. It is imperative for liberty and for the continued success of thousands of children, that home education is defended all the way. There may come a point, many decades hence, when State control over schools will be viewed as an unfortunate aberration, and parents who today home school their children will be lauded as being ahead of their time.
Abhishek writes his own blog – check it out here.
YOU can write for TheYoungConservative. We accept submissions from any young activist of any pro-liberty political party, or no party at all. To dicuss, email us: edward@theyoungconservative.co.uk
At the invitation of the Young Britons’ Foundation, I’ve written a guest post over at YBF.org.uk. Given a free rein as to topic, I took my inspiration from a bumper sticker I found at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February. In the article I argue that Britain doesn’t need change, it needs liberty.
“In the wake of recent events, and for as long as politicians have sought votes, the buzz words have been ‘reform’, ‘change’, ad nausea. But all this is just so much window-dressing. Brown can fiddle with how they’re elected, and Cameron can fiddle with their roll call, but none of this gets close to the heart of the problem: Government is the problem.”
Continue reading the full article over at the Young Britons’ Foundation website
If you go down to Southampton University you’re in for a big surprise – the Tories are having a tea party…Southampton University Conservative Future’s Michael Shields guest posts on importing a modern American phenomenon – the TEA Party.
My Conservative Future colleagues and I will be hosting a Southampton TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party on Tuesday 26th May at the University of Southampton.
As a massive pro-American I regularly keep up with US news by checking out Fox News.com every day. I was so glad to see that ordinary Americans came out in their thousands to organise TEA Parties, inspired by the Boston Tea Party, all over the country to protest against the new economic policy of the new Democrat administration – higher taxes, large government borrowing and huge increases in public spending. And I thought, if the Americans are protesting against this, then why not us Brits, considering that the Labour government under Gordon Brown is steering our economy in the same awful direction?!
While we give away free tea and coffee under our Union Jack and Stars and Stripes decked out gazebo on the Uni concourse, we shall be informing students that thanks to Gordon Brown and the Labour government they will be saddled with debt that not only they will have to pay through years of tax increases, but also their children and grandchildren will probably have to pay too.
I think it is so important that Conservative associations at universities across the country are visibly active on campuses. Leafleting and posters are great, but an event like the Southampton TEA Party will send a visual message to everyone that the Conservative Party is alive and kicking at Southampton University. We hope to have a few local Conservative Parliamentary Candidates who will be able to hear what students concerns are today, and in return the candidates can spread the Conservative message.
Hopefully the sun will be out on May 26th and so come and have a cuppa on us! We shall also be selling raffle tickets with the chance to win a hamper of quality teas, all money raised going to a local charity.
TYC’s Verdict: Here are some pictures of American TEA Parties which show the scale, and non-party-political nature, of these protests. When you see children begging Obama to stop spending their future, it feels like home, and Brown mortgaging ours.
If you had spent $1,000,000 an hour, every hour, from the birth of Christ up to the present day, you still wouldn’t have spent as much as Barack Obama has spent in less than two months as President.
Matthew Robinson is a British conservative activist currently residing in America, where he interns with the Leadership Institute and moonlights as our American correspondent. Here he offers a perspective from America on the bailout frenzy.
Bailing out America – it doesn’t come cheap
I have had the chance to observe some amazing events in my short life. I arrived in Moscow to watch the Communist’s parade through Red Square on the Anniversary of Lenin’s birthday. I watched Manchester United win the Community Shield twice at the old Wembley Stadium (that’s a personal high). Last year I interned at the Jesse Helms Center in North Carolina last when the former US Senator passed away. But the atmosphere around Washington DC and the events currently unfolding have been very interesting to watch.
On Tuesday, Barack Obama signed the $787 billion ‘Bail-Out’ Bill, (I refuse to use the s-word to refer to this billion $ package, as it totally misrepresents the implications of this bill for the United States). The bail-out has been sold as a bi-partisan fait accompli that will create or save 3.5million jobs and rebuild confidence in the economy. But I can tell you that when you are here in the belly of the beast the mood is very different.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have (for the most part) remained defiant, refusing to be kowtowed and wanting real debate on the issues. Even some Democrats have voted against this ‘bail-out’ and their new President, despite incredible amounts of arm-twisting coming from some senior sources.
One problem the Republicans have is that there maybe a split between their Governors. Some such as Charlie Crist (Florida) and Schwarzenegger (California) have supported the bill to plug the holes in their own states budgets. California is of particular note as its budget is huge, and it is rumoured that the Golden State may be running close to bankruptcy.
But other Governors such as Sarah Palin (Alaska), Mark Sanford (South Carolina) and Bobby Jindal (Louisiana) have all spoken out against the ‘bail-out’ package. They have noted the detrimental future effects of the bill and that many of the programs included do not respond to the problems the US economy faces. I would say at this stage that I expect all 3 Governors to be touted as 2012 Republican Presidential contenders.
Obama commented on Tuesday “I don’t want to pretend that today marks the end of our economic problems, nor does it constitute all of what we’re going to do to turn our economy around, but today does mark the beginning of the end”. At least Obama is humble enough to know that you can’t end boom and bust, Prime Minister please take note! But Obama’s short-term solution will have ramifications that extend far beyond his own Presidency and knock-on effects for other economies around the world.
In the last week Obama has been travelling around the USA trying to sell the ‘bail-out’ to the American people. The new President made a speech at a rally in Indiana, which I watched on TV. It seemed like Obama was still in the ‘election campaigning’ mind-set, rather than in the much more appropriate and necessary ‘getting on with the job of governing’ mind-set (sorry Prime Minister I have stolen your phrase, oops).
Some have called this Obama’s first big test, but the size of this ‘bail-out’ means that this will be at least a 4 year on going examination.
Matthew has previous written for TYC covering the 2008 US election.
Here Donna discusses her experiences of setting up a branch, why Facebook shouldn’t always be trusted, and echoes our thoughts on growing your membership.
Last night Lewes Conservative Future had our first (informal) pub meeting. The last few weeks can only be described as a huge learning curve for me, as a newcomer to activism, so I was really interested to see how last night would turn out.
Lewes is a country constituency. Lewes town itself is well known for being ‘a little odd’; with a strong history of activism and revolutionary tendencies, it is probably best known for two things:
- Thomas Paine, author of Rights of Man lived here.
- We hold the biggest bonfire celebrations in the country, with the whole town turning out year after year to carry burning torches in procession.
However, the constituency also takes in Newhaven, Seaford and Polegate to the south east, and many villages to the north west, so despite the liberal tendencies of the denizens of Lewes town, the seat had been Conservative for 130 years before the current (Lib Dem) incumbent won his place in 1997.
So we do have a lively and varied population who aren‘t afraid of a bit of activism. What we don’t have are student union steps to shout from, a fresher’s fair, or a captured population who are looking for ways to take on the world!
The big issue for us, at this very early stage of setting up our CF group, is how to identify possible members, and how to make ourselves known to them.
My first stop was the ever popular Facebook. I was encouraged to see my new group gain 25 members within a day or two of creation. We were on a roll! I thought. Soon we’d be tapping into the army of conservative supporters all hiding behind closed doors all around town, fearful of speaking out about their conservative beliefs as I have been for many years now! I thought.
So, excellent, 25 members, time to get something done. Suffice to say, 25 people were not at the pub last night. However, those who turned up were an interested, committed, and lively bunch full of excellent ideas and enthusiasm, so for a first, informal meeting of minds it was highly encouraging. There was lots of talk about what the group should and should not be doing. I personally am in agreement with the school of thought that encourages as many varied activities as possible, as a way to appeal to as many people as possible, and also to widen our publicity as far and wide as possible – essential for a group such as ourselves who are not all on campus, or, as I say, have union steps from which to shout.
This Saturday, 15th November I have organised a meeting with two speakers chosen to give an overview of the constituency and how we as a CF group can help the Conservative cause locally. In addition, our MP candidate Jason Sugarman has requested the opportunity to meet with our fledgling group to find out who we are and what we are planning on getting up to. It will be a good opportunity to ask him the same! I believe that this will be an excellent event for local people with an interest in Conservative politics to just wander over to, find out what sorts of things are planned, and – most importantly – to give their input.
I’m sure that we have a huge range of talents and abilities here in Lewes constituency, and, first and foremost, I want Lewes CF to be somewhere where people can bring those talents to further the conservative cause while (most importantly) having fun and socialising with like-minded people.
I am a firm believer that once people see things happening they are much more likely to take a bit of an interest and get involved – on all sorts of levels. I think that this is going to be key to finding those possible members, and encouraging them to join.
Meeting this Saturday is at 1pm – 3pm, at the Constitutional Club, Lewes; Facebook details here, and I can be contacted at DonnaEdmunds@hotmail.com or via my Facebook page.
Donna was featured on TheYoungConservative because she contacted us and expressed her interest in writing this article. If you’d like to be featured on TYC then contact us too! edward@theyoungconservative.co.uk or tarasyn@theyoungconservative.co.uk.
MATT ROBINSON REPORTS LIVE FROM THE US ELECTIONS IN OHIO
Barack Obama vs John McCain in a bare knuckle election bout that will be remembered through the ages. On Wednesday 5th November, one of these men will be the President-elect and history will be made.
I am not going to speculate on the result, but I will say watch the following states- Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and North Carolina. The polls in these states are all over the place, and a huge amount of Americans really are undecided, and will choose their President as they stand in that booth looking at the two names of the candidates. 
About 10 Brit’s have been in the state of Ohio for a week campaigning for John McCain thanks to an opportunity offered by the Young Briton’s Foundation. And if you think you have been in a rough, tough, hellaciously paced election campaign before then come out to the US and join the fun.
Example- A John McCain and Arnold Schwarzenegger rally in Columbus, Ohio. Imagine Conservative Party Conference on speed! From the ‘thunder-sticks’ and pom-poms given out to the crowd, the home made signs that people had taken the time to make, the Pledge of Allegiance and US national anthem, the country music been played from loud speakers (inc dancing) and entertainment to warm up the crowd… I was ‘pumped up’ as Arnie would say when the main event hit the stage. A full arena cheered the Governator and the Mac as they delivered speeches that almost took the roof off the Columbus National Arena.
I was impressed by the McCain rally, but was even more impressed two days later when Governor Palin (alone, no warm up act) went to the a small town fairground and had 7,000 supporters there to greet her! And the hottest Governor from the coolest state delivered a great speech. Is she divisive? Yes. Has her rise been meteoric? Yes. But, does she have supporters? Yes….millions!
The morale among Republican volunteers has been incredible. Never have heads dropped, or have they contemplated giving up. When told that the polls show an Obama lead these people give up another hour to phone voters or knock on doors. It was fantastic to come back from 3-4 hours canvassing to be greeted by the worlds biggest barbecue, cooking what I can alone assume was a herd of cattle! Volunteers are well looked after, and are always smiling while they work.
I must be honest: the Americans are confused as to why 10 Brits are here helping them, but they are loving it. They are learning a thing or two from us (mostly that we are British and not European), and we are learning a great deal from them about life in the USA, election campaigning, and the priorities of US citizens.
I have stopped turning on a TV now, as it is saturated with election adverts, mostly Obama adverts on TV and McCain on radio because of the huge disparity in funding.
The US certainly knows how to do elections on all levels, from Presidential down to dog catcher, and to see history unfold is incredible. The atmosphere is electric and it really is impossible to call here on the ground in Ohio.
On the cusp of the launch of York Central CF, local PPC Susan Wade Weeks speaks exclusively to us about youth, activism and politics in York.
One of the most striking things about York is that it is full of young people, many of whom have never voted and have as yet no political allegiance.
Their only experience of Government has been under Labour. They are feeling the effects of an increasingly threatening and intrusive state, a growing benefits culture, the steady erosion of family life, steep rises in the cost of everything and the huge burden of debt that is affecting everyone.
Many young people in York work hard for a living in offices, shops, hairdressers, bars and at market stalls. Sometimes seven days a week. Yet buying a home of their own is out of the question. Marriage seems like an impossible and expensive fairytale doomed to failure. Rents, council tax and bills are at an all time high.
It is these people that I hope to attract to York Central Conservative Future, so that they can help us spread the message that the Conservative Party is not a private members club, but a movement for genuine change with the best interests of all the British people at its heart.
York Central’s predicted Labour majority has shrunk from around 26% when I was selected six months ago to around 3% today. Conservative Future is without doubt one of the most potent factors in the campaign success of today’s Conservative Party. With a thriving CF that reaches out to and includes every part of the community, well beyond the very loyal student core, York Central Conservatives will have the best possible chance of winning this historic seat.
You can follow Susan’s campaign here on Facebook. We certainly wish her, and York Central CF, the very best.
In our inaugural guest post PPC Nigel Huddleston lays out why it’s so important for young conservatives to stand for election.
Personally, I regret not having applied to become a candidate much earlier in my life. I mistakenly believed that the path to becoming a parliamentary candidate required decades of dedication to the party and being a Councillor or Constituency Chairman first. Not so. Already holding an office is indeed considered a great indicator of political talent, but so are many other things… Being good at your job – whether that be a teacher, a nurse, a banker, a lawyer, a builder, a soldier, a pub landlady or a mother while simultaneously having been active in your local community or society at large and having a passionate belief that you can play a part in making the world a better place is what really counts.
Having candidates stand for election who voters can relate to is vital. And age plays a vital part in this equation because about 42 percent of the British (and Irish) population is under 30; and the argument for having young candidates is even more compelling amongst ethnic minorities as 60 percent of the West Indian population and 70 percent of those from the Indian subcontinent are under 30.
In contrast, less than 2% of our MP’s are under 30, and even in the 1997 election less than 14% of the largely fresh new batch of MP’s were under 40. Age will also be a key differentiating card we can play at the next election. Of those MP’s elected at the 2005 General Election, Labour MP’s were on average 3 years older than Tories (52 years old versus 49 – and a sprightly 46 for the Lib Dems) and by the next election the gap will widen even further as those same Labour MP’s will be four to five years older, while the average age of our candidates will be substantially lower.
The practical political advantages of youth are many; do not underestimate how attractive it is for a constituency association to have a candidate in front of them who:
- is clearly young, eager and energetic;
- has a lot of similarly youthful friends who will eagerly deliver leaflets (quickly) and liven up the constituency social events; and
- could potentially be a representative for not just the next term of office, but for several decades.
Don’t believe me? Ask James Wharton. He was just 23 when he was selected last year for the winnable seat of Stockton South. One of the interview panel members apparently took a shine to him because he reminded him of his son!
The Parliamentary Selection Process
The selection process goes like this… You first have to fill in an application form which asks you to draw on your political, personal and professional skills. You also need to provide a couple of references, at least one of which should have a political element. You may then be invited to interview with a Regional Director and following that you may be invited to attend a PAB (‘Parliamentary Assessment Board’) which is a full day, interactive interview session not dissimilar to the process many of you will have recently gone through for your current job. The day involves role playing in a round-table discussion, public speaking and an in tray/ prioritization of tasks exercise as well as one-on-one interviews with senior party figures often including current and former MP’s. Questions will likely include such things as ‘Why are you a Conservative?’, ‘What gets you angry’, as well as behavioural questions requiring examples of how you have demonstrated leadership, tenacity, diplomacy, willingness to compromise etc.
If you pass the PAB you will then be put on the ‘approved candidates list’ which means you can then apply for seats which are periodically advertised by CCHQ. You send a standard format political CV off to CCHQ who then filter the applications along with representatives from the Constituency Association and the top 12-20 candidates are then selected to interview with the Constituency Association selection panel. Usually there are several rounds of interviews before a selection is made. The ultimate decision and power still lies with the local Associations. The only way you can guarantee never becoming a candidate is if you never apply in the first place. If selected, you are then the official prospective parliamentary candidate – and then the hard work really begins!
So, up for it? Here’s the official Party guidance on becoming a Conservative MP :http://www.conservatives.com/pdf/howtomp.pdf
Nigel is the Conservative PPC for Luton South. You can follow his progress and join is campaign at http://www.nigelhuddleston.com/
