Conservative Party - Dirty Tricks or Cock-Up. You Decide?

Conservative Party – Dirty Tricks or Cock-up – You Decide?

At the request of the Chairman of the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association (Santokh Chhokar) I had a meeting with him on Wednesday 27^th February 2019.   At that meeting I gave him the following letter duly signed and dated:

“To: Chairman, Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association

      Secretary, Executive Council, Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association  

                        Disraeli House, 12 Aylesbury End, Beaconsfield, HP9 1LW,

Dear Sirs

                                  Annual General Meeting 29^th March 2019

Motion for debate: proposed by John E. Strafford and seconded by Jo Sommer:

“The Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association has no confidence in the Rt. Hon Dominic Grieve, Q.C., M.P. as the Conservative Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Beaconsfield and should not select him as the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for the next General Election and the Association should immediately start the process of selecting a new Conservative Parliamentary Candidate.

Yours Faithfully

…………………………                                             ………………………

John E. Strafford                                                          Jo Sommer

Could you please acknowledge receipt of the motion, and confirm that it will be put onto the Agenda for the meeting?   Many thanks”.

The following evening, 28^th February, at the Bucks Supper Club I spoke to Santokh and he confirmed to me that the officers had discussed my letter and there would be a motion on the Agenda of the AGM.

On Saturday 2^nd March I met the Agent and Secretary of the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association (Philip Dumville) and expressed my concern that I did not appear to be getting any emails from CCHQ or indeed from the Constituency Association and in particular I had had no renewal notice for my membership subscription.   The Agent promised to look into this.

On Monday 4^th March I received the following email from the Agent Philip Dumville with copies to all the Association Officers:

“Hi John

Further to our conversation on Saturday – you are right – your subscription has not been paid and VoteSource records you as lapsed. 

As a result the motion you sent last week to the Chairman is not valid and is rejected.

 

Please check your email inbox and spam.  Both you and Caroline should have had separate emails from CCHQ Membership department requesting renewal and giving you membership code numbers to access your record.

 

Philip “

Needless to say I have not received any emails from CCHQ and neither has my wife, Caroline.   On a matter so important why did they not use recorded delivery?   Why would I raise the question with the Agent if I had received any emails?

I have been a member of the Conservative Party for 56 years, 46 years with the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association.   I was Chairman of the Association for five years.   Traditionally all membership subscriptions became due on 1^st January each year and we took great pride as an Association in getting the renewal notices out by 2^nd January.    Reminders were sent out on the 1st of February to those who had not paid.   I always waited for the reminder and paid in February.   It was clearly understood that members had three months in which to renew their subscriptions.   I paid my subscription last year on 5^th February to BCCA, although I did not get a receipt for it until 4th April 2018, i.e. just after the three months expired, so they presumably did a mass mailing when they knew which members had renewed.   On 24^th April 2018 I received an email newsletter from BCCA which said “Later this year CCHQ will start to collect all subscriptions centrally” so I was waiting for them to send me a notice telling me what I had to do.   It never came.

On 4^th March 2019 BCCA sent out to its members (not including me) the Notice of Annual General Meeting as follows:

Notice of Annual General Meeting

Members are cordially invited to the Annual General Meeting of Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association to be held on Friday 29^th March 2019 in the Bulstrode Suite, The Bull Hotel, Gerrards Cross at 8.00 pm.

AGENDA

1.       President – The Rt Hon The Earl Howe - welcome and opening remarks
2.       Minutes of 2018 AGM
3.       To receive and adopt the statement of Accounts for the year ended 31^st December 2018
4.       To receive and adopt the Chairman’s Annual Report.
5.       Election of Officers for 2019/20
6.       Appointment of Reporting Accountants
7.       Presentations for 2018
8.       Address by Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP
9.       Motion for debate:

“That the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association expresses its full confidence in the Rt. Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP as the Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield.”

I am told that the motion has been proposed and seconded by two Vice Presidents of the Association.

Incidentally, today I signed in as a Party member to the CCHQ web site and paid for my registration for the Party Conference.   The money was accepted!

Dirty Tricks or Cock-Up.   You Decide?

What Now

1)      Today, March 4^th I went to the offices of BCCA and paid my £25.00 membership subscription as also did my wife Caroline.   However, as a “new” member I am not allowed to vote or to propose or second any motion for three months.   This of course does not prevent me from attending or speaking at the Annual General Meeting.

2)      As there is a motion on the Agenda we can move an amendment to it.   I suggest the motion is amended as follows:

Delete “its full” and insert “no”

Add after “for Beaconsfield” “and should not select him as the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for the next General Election and the Association should immediately start the process of selecting a new Conservative Parliamentary Candidate”.

The amended motion to now read as follows:

“That the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association expresses no confidence in the Rt. Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP as the Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield and should not select him as the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for the next General Election and the Association should immediately start the process of selecting a new Conservative Parliamentary Candidate”.

Please note: Amendments to a motion have to be taken first, before the motion is put.

3)      Could all members of the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association who agree with the above motion write to me and let me know if they will be attending the Annual General Meeting.   My email address is johnstrafford@btinternet.com  

4)      Write to the Constituency Chairman Santokh Chhokar and Party Chairman, Brandon Lewis and complain at this cavalier treatment of the membership.

If the Conservative Party believes in democracy it must allow the members of the Party to determine who their candidate should be for a General Election.   This is an issue of principle.   It is time for Party members to stand up and fight for it.   If we lose the Party is finished.