Blog
CANDIDATE SELECTION: A NEW DAWN? (SPOILER ALERT: NO)
Firstly, the ‘high level objectives’ state ‘Our aim is to win the next General Election’. Great. My aim is to win the women’s 100 metres at the next Olympics. I am going to spend time producing a plan based on that outcome and I will commit myself to following it. That’ll do it, right?
Well no, it won’t. Guests to my home will not be finding an Olympic gold medal proudly displayed in my downstairs loo, ever. For any plan to be taken seriously, it has to be realistic. Just as I would do better to set my sights on a bit of jogging and a Parkrun, these proposals need to start from a place of realism to be trusted. How about a stated aim to ‘produce an approved list of excellent prospective Conservative candidates’. After all, this has to happen before we can get anywhere close to winning a general election.
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING: BOLD SWASHBUCKLING REQUIRED.
In the aftermath of the General Election of 2024, the Conservative Party was urged to use its time in opposition wisely. Well, the proof is in the pudding. Predictably, last week’s local elections were a bloodbath. Good and hardworking Conservative councillors across...
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY: THE QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ANSWER
As we enter the week of the first big political test since the disastrous general election of 2024, it seems clear that both Reform and the Lib Dems are going to profit from the electorate’s frustration with both the Conservative opposition and the Labour government....
A LOOK AT THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY BOARD
I have been concerned that the structure of the Conservative Party is little known to ordinary members. Clearly, 2024’s general election was utterly woeful for the Party. We have some excellent people at grassroots and not only do they need to be heard, they need to...
A Light on the Structure of the Conservative Party
One of the most surprising aspects of the Conservative Party is that so few people know how the various parts of the Party fit together. And as well as being surprising, to my mind this cloudiness of function acts as a suppressant to the proper functioning – and...
CANDIDATE SELECTION: THE CHANGE NEEDED TO WIN
My journey onto the Conservative Party approved list and onwards as a Parliamentary Candidate in 2024’s General Election was brutal and baffling and was clearly not the way to put forward a winning team. This...
What is the National Conservative Convention?
I stood for the Chairmanship of the National Convention in an election held late summer of this year. I didn’t win, but I learnt a great deal and enjoyed a thoroughly worthwhile experience. But what is the National Convention, I hear you ask. Well, you’re not...
The Conservative Party: What Next?
We have just been roundly rejected by voters. Those seats we held, we fought hard for. Let’s go back to first principles. We need to rebuild, but let’s start from the beginning. Let’s define who we are. Let’s be clear about the principles we believe in. And then let’s...