Were you up for Twigg?
Guido bows to no-one in his mocking of the Cornerstone crowd of head-banging, Christian, old school Tories. Yet their latest publication (Were you up for Twigg?) seems eminently sensible - local candidates do better than A-list mincing (or otherwise) metropolitan metrosexuals foisted by CCHQ on constituencies.
Exhibit A is Andrew Rosindell, a campaigning machine in Romford, a local champion who defied the trend in 2001 winning Romford from Labour. He is "Mr Romford" in tune with his voters and viewed as a local son and "our MP". He is as far from being an identikit A-lister as it is possible to get.
It is all very well Dave and Frankie changing the Tory party's face, but if they really want the Tories to be more representative of Britain and in tune with their voters, maybe local candidates should be the emphasis?
27 comments:
Agreed....but Opus Dave likes the mincing metro types....its all part of modern compasionate conservatism.
I think thats a very valid point Guido, There is a need for your MP to be local and have extensible knowledge of the area and the issues that effect the constituents. Its so crap when you live in Leeds and you have some namby pamby southern git, with no idea about where he is representing, as your MP.
And Andrew is genuinely a nice bloke; something that cannot be said for a lot of the thrusting A-list types itching for a seat.
Needless to say, during the 2001 campaign, he got virtually no help from CCHQ and it was unwise to mention his name there either.
Meanwhile, should we not also be exercised by the prospect of gritty northerners being foisted on we 'southern softies'?
Andrew still doesn't have a girlfriend does he...? Pressures of work, no doubt.
A spanking good point Harvey. But you're not suggesting he's a mincer are you?
liam fox front -the film "the dead Zone" - I think Liam fox looks like Greg Stiltson - (Blokes a nutter and he represents the Corner Stone group of the tory party - unelectable nutters!!! Stilson launches a nuclear attack in a predicted future - think fox would do the same as he is a cunt!!!
To be fair, it's not just Cameron's Conservatives, wasn't Mandelson MP for Peterborough, hardly Notting Hill.
Guacalome dip anyone?
If I advertise on your blog will I reach opinion formers?
You see, you got the message - advertising works!
The whole "local" candidate thing makes sense, until you realise that many so-called associations are actually mom-and-pop-shops or an extension of the local bridge club.
Most of these associations are in no way representative of the wider constituency at large and the claim of wanting someone local is really just a cover for nepotism or favours. You'd be surprised how many wanna-bes have their mothers and mothers-in-law sitting on the association board!
Give me a mincing London metrosexual ANYDAY.
At the risk of unnecessarily disparaging Burrowes and his massive swing, it's worth remembering Southgate had one of the top 10 swings to Labour in 97, and again to Labour in 2001. The tactical unwind or whatever was always going to produce a big swing back.
As for Rosindell, well, horses for courses... anyway, why is this blog being taken over by chat about the A-List as if it was ConservativeHome? More tittle tattle and mocking the steward's cocktail sausage please. :)
Whose Ed Vaizey?
anyway, why is this blog being taken over by chat about the A-List as if it was ConservativeHome?
According to Mr Dale, Guido has made a pitch to get on the A-list. He is eminently qualified for it.
So , in my "Observers Book of Tory Mincers" I see not more than 27- are we to include the "Friend of Spike" or not? I ask only for the sake of completeness, you understand...
Cicero, only 27?
You must be missing half of Central Office and the National Society of Conservative agents.
C'mon, doesn't everyone know by now that the only reason outlying ridings vote for glossy carpetbaggers is an abject fear of getting left out of the spoils of victory, should they fail to take orders from Headquarters? Left, Right or Centre, it's always the same story. Any riding with real crisis-point local issues will be a deathmarch for these A-listers.
Can't wait.
Guido bows to no-one in his mocking of the Cornerstone crowd of head-banging, Christian, old school Tories.
So what's the beef with Tories being Christians, then?
Mr Linford,
Guido is very particular on the type of Christian. While Cornerstone has a few of his co-conspiratorial Papists, the Evangelical Protestant wing is on the ascendancy. Of course Guido is worried. Latimer's candle is being re-kindled.
Cranmer,
Crypto-Catholic Blair will invite His Holiness to England this week.
The re-Catholicisation of England continues. Last year Prince Charles went on bended knee before the Pope.
AMDG
What a ghastly idea.
Our here-today-gone-tomorrow political 'leaders' can sell out to His Holiness if they wish, and so can the Heir to the Throne. Fortunately, the blessed Church of England and the Monarch are constitutionally protected from infection.
England will never again be Papist. The Act of Settlement is watertight. Not even gunpowder can shift it (excuse oxymoronic fusion of metaphors).
Thomas, dear chap, you are aware of the convention that Parliament cannot bind itself, aren't you? In the (alas, unlikely) event of a government wishing to pass a law unwinding the act of settlement, the crown-in-parliament has every right to do so.
How true. I cannot bring myself to vote Conservative - voting is hard enough with such empty shelves - but my local Conservative MP has a personal franchise since he performs sterling work for his constituents even as he is not Cameron-flavour
unwinding the act of settlement, the crown-in-parliament has every right to do so.
Yes but it would bring down the Monarchy, Parliament,The Crown and The Church of England simultaneously. Not one component of the Constitution of the English nation would remain in place.
A sort of Fort Sumter Moment
Thomas, old bean, the Act of Settlement is not a mere parliamentary statute; it is a constitutional treaty between the Monarch and the people. It cannot simply be ridden over roughshod like statute law. It is the basis of the Oath sworn by every MP to uphold the authority and status of the Monarch, and his/her heirs and successors. If Parliament were to begin the process of challenging the status of the Monarch vis a vis the Establised Church, it would be treason. Guido should know.
Still if some politicos did tamper with The Act of Settlement the judges could be removed and the Army could take over. It would be like 1789 or 1917 or even like 1641 which is after all what they tried to avoid in 1688..........on the other hand if we had a modern-day Cromwell and could behead the political classes there might be compensations.
I am not keen on being invaded by a Dutch Army this time though as I fear the social diseases would ravage our pure and undefiled people.
Oh and it would create constitutional crisis in all Commonealth countries - do read 12 & 13 Wm 3 c2 1701 it is most interesting.
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