Monday, June 12, 2017

Party Reform -Time for Action Now!

Today I sent the following letter to Graham Brady (Chairman 1922 Committee) and Rob Semple (Chairman National Convention).   I hope all Party members will support these proposals.   They are essential to get the revival of the Party going.

Re: Party Reform

            The disappointing result of the General Election has demonstrated beyond doubt that urgent changes are needed in the structure of the Conservative Party.   I have never known such a badly organised campaign.   It showed the danger of too much power being held in too few hands and the ground campaign highlighted the severe deficiencies in our membership.
           
The main changes needed are:
  • Replacing the National Convention with an Annual General Meeting to which all members are invited.
  • Party Chairman, One Deputy Chairman, Party Treasurer, Chairman of the Candidates Committee and the Chairman of the Conservative Policy Forum to be elected.
  • Changing the way in which the Party’s Constitution can be altered.

            We must now start to reform the Party to make it more inclusive and for those running the organisation to be accountable.   I attach hereto some alterations to the Party Constitution to start this process, which I hope the 1922 Committee will endorse.   I am sending a copy of these proposals to Rob Semple (Chairman of the National Convention).

Detailed changes shown below:

Constitution of the Conservative Party – alterations

Page 3 Delete: PART V
                        THE NATIONAL CONSERVATIVE CONVENTION
            Insert: PART V
                        ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Page 3                         Delete: Schedule 3
                        THE NATIONAL CONSERVATIVE CONVENTION
                        Insert: Schedule 3
                        ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Page 6 12.1     Delete: “appointed by the Leader”
                        Insert: “elected at the Annual General Meeting”
Page 6 12.2.1 Delete: “Chairman of the National Conservative Convention”
                       Insert: “ elected at the Annual General Meeting”
Page 6  12.3    Delete: “National Conservative Convention (in addition to the Chairman of the  National Conservative Convention)”
                        Insert: “Annual General Meeting”
Page 6 12.9     Delete: “appointed by the Leader”
                        Insert: “elected at the Annual General Meeting”
Page 6 15        Delete “and shall be Secretary of the National Convention.”
Page 7 17.11   Delete: National Conservative Convention”
                        Insert: “Annual General Meeting”
Page 8 PART V
                        Delete: The whole of “PART V”
                        Insert: PART V
                                                THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
20 The Annual General Meeting of the Party shall be held before the end of
March each year, being within three months of the Party’s financial year, for
the following purposes:
20.1 To receive and adopt the audited accounts of the Party;
20.2 To receive and adopt the Party Report prepared by the Chairman of the Party
20.3 To receive and adopt the Report by the Chairman of the Candidates   Committee.
20.4 To receive and adopt the Report by the Chairman of the Conservative Policy Forum.
21 The Annual General Meeting shall elect in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 3 the following officers: President, Party Chairman, One Deputy Chairman, Party Treasurer, Chairman of the Candidates Committee, Chairman of the Conservative Policy Forum.
22 The Annual General Meeting will also elect four further members to the Party Board in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 3
23 The Leader of the Party shall be invited to attend the Annual General Meeting.
Page 11 44 Delete “National Conservative Convention and on”
Page 13 63 Delete “National Conservative Convention”
                   Insert “Party Board”      
Page 14 66.1 Delete “appointed by the Leader”
                      Insert “elected at the Annual General Meeting”
Page 15 80.2 Delete “National Conservative Convention”
                      Insert “Party”
Page 16 80.3 Delete “the President for the time being of the National Conservative Convention”
                      Insert “the President of the Party”
Page 17 90    Delete
              91.1 Delete “Constitutional College voting”
                      Insert “Party in attendance and voting in General Meeting”
              91.2 Delete “Constitutional College eligible to vote”
                      Insert “Party in attendance and eligible to vote in General Meeting”
              92    Delete  
Page 20/21    Delete the whole of Schedule 3
                     Insert   Schedule 3
Annual General Meeting
1        A meeting of the Party shall take place annually, arrangements for such meetings     shall be organised and administered by the Party Board.
2        Not less than 56 days prior to the Annual Meeting, the Secretary of the Party Board shall communicate with all Party members by e-mail and by notice on the Party’s official web site.
2.1                      Giving notice of the date of the Annual Meeting
2.2                      Inviting nominations from the Party members for election of the President, Chairman, One Deputy Chairman, Party Treasurer, Chairman of the Candidates Committee, Chairman of the Conservative Policy Forum and four members of the Party Board.
2.3                      Stating the date by which nominations must be returned, being not less than 28 clear days from the date of the notice, nor more than 21 clear days from the date of the Annual Meeting
2.4                      Stating the address to which the nominations must be returned.
3        Only those members of the Party that are fully paid up not less than 28 days prior to the Annual Meeting shall be entitled to vote.
4        Any nomination for any such office or post referred to in Paragraph 2.2 herein must be submitted  on Official Nomination papers signed by not less than twelve members of the Party together with a signed letter from the nominee accepting nomination.
5        Any nominee for any such office or post referred to in Paragraph 2.2 herein shall have been a Member of the Party for not less than two years.
6        Any nominee for the office of President shall have been an elected member of the Board for one year.
7        No member of the Party may hold office
7.1                      as one of the elected representatives of the Board (other than as President or    Chairman) for more than five consecutive years;
7.2                      as Chairman of the Party for more than five consecutive years;
7.3                      as President for more than one year.
8        At the Party’s Annual Meeting the members shall receive, prior to elections reports from the elected Officers referred to in Paragraph 2.2 herein, such Area Management Executives and Recognised Organisations as the Meeting shall determine.   The Meeting shall also consider any proposed changes to this Constitution in accordance with such procedure as the Meeting shall determine.
9        The Secretary of the Party Board shall act as Chief Returning Officer in any election at any Annual Meeting of the Party.
10    An Officer of the Party who is not standing for re-election shall assume the chairmanship of the Meeting during the election of Officers.   If all the Officers are standing for re-election, then the Secretary of the Party Board shall assume the chair.
11    Elections shall take place at the Annual Meeting of the Party and shall be held by secret ballot. Provision may be made at the discretion of the Party Board for voting to take place prior to the meeting.
12    Upon a petition signed by not less than sixty Constituency Chairmen to the Secretary of the Party Board the Chairman of the Party shall call an Extraordinary Meeting of the Party.
13    The Secretary of the Party Board shall give not less than 28 clear days notice of the Extraordinary Meeting by email to Party members and by notice on the Party’s web site together with an Agenda for the meeting.
14    Subject to the provisions of this Constitution the Board shall be advised of the rules governing the conduct of General Meetings and rules of Procedure to be adopted at the Meetings.
Page 22  1   Delete “ National Convention”
                     Insert “Party”
              5    Delete “National Convention”
                     Insert “Party”
              6.1 Delete “National Convention”
                     Insert  “Party”
              6.2 Delete
              6.3 Delete
              6.4 Delete     
Page 69 1.2 Delete “National Conservative Convention”
                     Insert “Annual Meeting of the Party”
              1.5 Delete
Page 71 1.1 Delete
              1.2 Delete “10,000”
                     Insert “1,000”
              2   Delete
              3   Delete
              4   Delete
  



1 comment:

  1. The following letter was sent by Cllr. Allan Glass:
    After the fiasco of the last election I felt I had to comment on the naivety of the campaign and disregard for anyone outside the M25. At CPF we have put forward as party members many ideas and commented upon ideas by Central Office to make the ideas firstly acceptable to PARTY MEMBERS and most of the people in the country. We need a good communicator who will both rebuff BBC questions from the left wing and let the electorate know that we are not voting for a President, we are voting for our local MP and Party. We need to listen to the PARTY MEMBERS not some paid nonentity adviser, who to keep a well paid job will say what you want them to. To create a live party we need to give the members the voice they join the party to use. We need to set a manifesto, cost it, and stick to it come hell or high water. Let the members who agree with Conservative principles vet ideas or come up with them. CPF is free to the party and has lots of fine minds considering the ideas. These ideas would give people a good reason to pay to join the party they follow. I think also we must realise that the UK expands past the ring of the M25. There is life out there.
    Any good manager should use the available talent and give a reason for the workforce to want to do their job. I hope that we can learn, listen and win with a large majority next time, not kick own goals at election time.
    Cllr Allan Glass

    ReplyDelete