Proposed
Changes to the Conservative Party Constitution – December 8th 2018
The following changes
to the Party’s Constitution are being proposed at a meeting of the National
Convention on Saturday December 8th 2018:
1) “Candidates
Committee to establish Approved Lists for Welsh and Northern Irish Assembly
Members, Police & Crime Commissioners and Elected Mayors.”
The Candidates Committee is wholly
appointed, unelected and unaccountable to party members. This is a further
tightening of central control of the Conservative Party. Since this central control was established
after the new Constitution of the Party was `one with an overall majority. In the same period before this
centralisation there were five General Elections of which the Party won four.
Q.E.D.
2) Removal
of Past Area and Regional Chairmen from National Convention.
Historical knowledge of the
Convention will be lost. Why reduce the
size of the Convention?
3) “A
Volunteer to be known as “The Voluntary Political Director of the Conservative
policy Forum” shall be elected by the National Conservative Convention, for a
term of three years. Their
responsibilities shall include co-ordination of the policy-related activities
of the Associations, Areas and Regions.”
A power grab by the
Convention. Why isn’t the Director
elected by the Party membership? Why is
the election for three years? Where is
accountability if the person elected does nothing? Who determines which candidates can stand
for election? An opportunity to make the Party more democratic has been
lost.
4) “A
Vice-Chairman to be appointed by the board on the recommendation of the
chairman of the National Convention whose responsibilities shall include
reporting to the board on the work of the CPF.”
More power of patronage given to the
Chairman of the Convention!
5) Schedule
3 Article 5 Nominees for officers of the National Convention to have been
Convention members for the two preceding years.
Schedule
3 Article 6 Nominees for President must have been a current member of the Board
at the time of nomination.
These enshrine “Gubbins Turn” into
the Constitution. Why do they not trust the members of the Convention to take
these matters into account when voting?
6) Schedule
5 Article 14 Removal of the right to stand for more than one regional post as
it can leave unfilled positions when using postal or online ballots.
Why
is that? So now if you stand as
Regional Co-ordinator and lose you cannot also stand as Deputy Regional
Co-ordinator?
7) Schedule
6 Article 14 If an Association officer is removed by the Board, the replacement
does not have to be a member of the Association or Area management Executive if
the Board so decides.
More power to the Board, so they
can just fly in a CCHQ apparatchik to take control!
8)
Rule 5.7 Removal of the right of
Association Officers to be voting members of all committees and branches.
This reduces the powers of
Association officers. Bad move.
9)
Rule 13.3 Removal of Chairman’s casting
vote to bring into line with selection rules.
???
10)
Schedule 1 Article 1.2 Clarify
Definition of 1922 Committee
No information given as to what
this definition will be?
11)
Schedule 6 Article 6 The Chairman of the
Committee on Candidates (sub Committee of the Board) shall be nominated by the
Chairman of the National Conservative Convention.
More patronage for the
Chairman. Why isn’t this position elected
by and accountable to Party members?
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