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Another distortion of Democracy in the Conservative Leadership Election?

 

Another distortion of Democracy in the Conservative Party Leadership Election!

Shown below is an edited version of an Article by

Ben Quinn – in “The Guardian”  

It raises a series of questions:

Is it right that Candidates can spend £400,000 on their Leadership campaign and how many candidates may be excluded by this? A maximum of £150,000 seems a reasonable limit.

Why should a Candidate pay anything to CCHQ just to get into the last Four?  When did democracy have a price attached to it?   Even worse than this why do they then have to pay a further £150,000 to be in the last two Candidates.?   Each Can should pay a Deposit of £5,000 to CCHQ which is forfeited if they receive less than %5 of the votes.

It cannot be right to raise money for the Leadership Election from Corporations and Non UK Citizens.   For what?   Donations should be limited to £7,500 per individual who must be a UK citizen.

CCHQ say the monies received are to offset the costs of the Party Conference but in recent years the Conference has made substantial profits so why charge the Candidates now?   There are minimal extra costs involved.

This whole process is going down the road similar to the United States system where money dictates politics – a dangerous route to tread.   The Presidential Election in the USA costs billions of dollars.   Do we really want to follow suit?

In 2006 a Director of CCHQ told me that the Conservative Party should be like the Republican Party in the USA.   The Republican Party does not have members.   When there is a Presidential Election they set up a Committee to support the candidate.   Billions of dollars are raised to fight the election.   As a result pork barrel politics dominates.   States are promised government money, Companies are promised contracts, gerrymandering is rife!   Big donors dominate policy.   Democracy disappears!   Every Senator is a multi- millionaire!

Over the last 20 years we have seen the Conservative Party travel down that road moving ever closer to the USA system:

·        Members rights have effectively been eliminated.

·        No longer do Constituency Associations have an open list when selecting their MP

·        No longer can they deselect their MP without vigorous opposition from CCHQ.

·        The members vote in a Leadership election is distorted in the process.

·        Membership has become worthless and has declined to its lowest level in Conservative Party history and the Party has done nothing about it.

·        Motions at the Party Conference have been scrapped so members have no influence on policy.

·        There used to be a limit on the amount an MP could give to his Constituency Association to prevent Associations being bought, but that has now been abandoned.   Jeremy Hunt MP has given over £100,000 to his Constituency in the last couple of years.

·        Now we see the big money syndrome creeping into the Tory Party.   How many promises will be given when candidates are raising money for their campaigns? We  now know that large donors to the Labour Party have been given jobs in the Labour Government administration.   Could the same happen in the Tory Party?

·        How many candidates will be put off by the requirement to raise such large sums of money?

 

The following is an edited version of an Article by

Ben Quinn – in “The Guardian” 

Fri 26 Jul 2024

The Conservatives have set the spending limit in their leadership contest at £400,000, as the party tries to use the race to cover costs.

Robert Jenrick, a frontrunner who has been preparing for the contest for some time, had pressed for a higher cap. The £400,000 limit is £100,000 more than it was in the last contest, two years ago.

The contest will also be a “pay to play” affair, with candidates needing to have raised £50,000 to reach the final four, who will make their case to party members at the Tory conference in the autumn. Money raised will go towards the cost of that event.

Candidates will then need to have £150,000 to make the final shortlist of two, which will be put to party members.

The higher spending limit reflects what will be a longer race, but it also comes as the party’s coffers are badly depleted after a disastrous election campaign in which many donors who supported the Tories in 2019 turned their backs.

The ability to attract donors is likely to be brandished as an asset in the race. A friend of Jenrick’s said: “In order to build back we will need a leader who can raise funds. Rob has a track record of not only being a significant fundraiser himself but also as someone who has helped other colleagues.”

The former immigration Minister had already raised £50,000 from three donors in the months running up to the general election.

Records show they included a donation of £35,000 on 3 April from Quantum Pacific Corporation UK Ltd, owned by Idan Ofer, a London-based shipping and mining heir whose father, Sammy, was once Israel’s richest man.

Jenrick also received a £10,000 donation in May from Financial Recovery Technologies UK Ltd, which is controlled by two American brothers, Howard and Jeffrey Wolk.

As well as their staffing costs and their contribution to the party conference, each candidate will be spending money on polling and advertising. “It’s hard to convey just how you burn through money in campaigns like this,” said one source.

Donors are expected to open their wallets now that the full slate of declared candidates has become clear. A breakdown of what has been donated in recent weeks will be declared at a later date.

A source in one of the campaigns said: “It might be the case that at least one of those running has already raised a considerable sum. But also when you start running, that is when you can really go in front of someone and ask for that support.

In 2022 Liz Truss was given more than £500,000 for her leadership campaign, with about half coming from donors linked to hedge fund bosses and other City financiers.

A Conservative party spokesperson said: “There is always a spending limit set for each campaign during  a Leadership contest.”    

CCHQ strikes back!

 At last action from CCHQ in response to my post Conservative Clowns Head Quarters:

See https://www.conservativepolicyforum.com/cpf-papers/conservative-values-in-policy-making 

Conservative Clowns Head Quarters! At last a response to a letter written 9 months ago!

On 21st December 2023 I sent the letter shown below to the Leader of the Conservative Party, The Chairman of the 1922 Committee, The Chairman of the Party and the Chairman of the National Convention.  Sir Graham Brady promptly replied. No replies received from Rishi Sunak, Richard Holden or Peter Booth.   I saw Richard Holden and told him I had not received a reply to which he shrugged his shoulders!   I then raised the issue with my constituency MP Joy Morrissey who vigorously pursued the matter.

 Eventually I was told that Rishi Sunak's office had forwarded my letter to CCHQ in February for them to respond to. and had emailed me, an email which I never received!  Still no reply  from CCHQ but Joy Morrissey would not give up and continued to pursue the matter.   On 9th August Joy sent to me a letter which she had received from CCHQ which read as follows:

 Joy,

 As Secretary to the Board and as Secretary to the Constitutional Review Committee which is a sub committee of the Board I have been asked to reply.

 

The new Officers of the National Convention will be elected in September.

 

Once they are elected they will be initiating a consultation with the voluntary party on the Party’s constitution.

 

I will ensure that the views of your constituent are submitted as evidence to the Convention Officers and through them to the Constitutional Review Committee.

 

I hope that helps your constituent

 

If you have any queries please let me know.

 

Very best wishes

 

Roger

 

Roger Pratt CBE | Secretary to the Board of the Conservative Party

     So 9 months after writing to The Leader of the Conservative Party I at last get a reply, be it through the sterling work of my MP.

    But what is the result?  The Officers of the Convention will meet in September, then they will set up a review of the Party Constitution, then they will consult with the membership, which last time there was a review took a year!

    Do you wonder why we lost the General Election?

    I now understand what CCHQ stands for Conservative Clowns Head Quarters!     

    It reminds me of a herd of circus elephants, continuously going around in circles, their only forward view being each others backsides!

The Original letter:

 Campaign for Conservative Democracy

C. O. P. O. V - CONSERVATIVE ONE PERSON ONE VOTE

 

The Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak M.P,                                                          21^st  December 2023

10 Downing Street,

Westminster,

London SW1A 2AA

 

 Dear Prime Minister,  

Conservative Objects and Values

The Conservative Party Constitution emphasizes the  objects and values of the Party:

 

“PART 1 NAME, PURPOSE OBJECTS AND VALUES This is the Constitution of a political party which shall be known as “The Conservative and Unionist Party” (referred to in this Constitution as “the Party”).  .  1          Its purpose is to sustain and promote within the Nation the objects and values of the Conservative Party.   PART II MEMBERSHIP The Party is a political Party for the Nation, open to all who share its objects and values and who undertake to be bound by this Constitution.”

Nowhere within the Constitution does it state what the objects and values are!

Many loyal members of our Conservative Party, and perhaps more importantly, the General Public are no longer clear exactly in what the Conservative Party believes.  We feel it is imperative that our Party’s objects and values are clearly outlined so that it will help the Conservative Party win the next General Election.

  It has become apparent during 2023 that many Conservative voters are staying at home and not voting. We believe that a reminder of Conservative objects and values will give our supporters good reason to turn out and vote for Conservative candidates.

 The attached document has been developed with that in mind. The statement is concise and expounds what we believe is the central core of the Conservative Party  It has been seen and endorsed by the Campaign for Conservative Democracy, and we hope that you will approve it and incorporate it within the Party’s Constitution.  A copy is also being sent to Richard Holden MP as Chairman of the Conservative Party,  Peter Booth, Chairman of the National Convention and Sir Graham Brady, Chairman of the 1922 Committee  

 We want the Conservative Party to win the next General Election.   We want the Party’s message to be clear and concise and hope you will agree this document will clarify both for Party members and the general public what are the Party’s objects and values.

 Yours sincerely,

 JOHN E STRAFFORD

Chairman of the Campaign for Conservative Democracy

 

c.c. Richard Holden Esq MP;  Peter Booth Esq, and Sir Graham Brady MP

Conservative Leadership election - MPs or members to decide?

 

My response to William Atkinson article on Conservativehome

William, my views on the election of the Leader are set out in the link you provided in your article. However I believe in Party democracy and if the members wish to elect the Leader that is their right. That is democracy! So has it been successful?

William Hague elected by the MPs - lost the General Election.

Iain Duncan Smith elected by the members but kicked out by the MPs before he could fight a General Election

Michael Howard elected by the MPs - lost the General Election.

David Cameron elected by the members won the General Election

Theresa May elected by the MPs - lost the General Election

Boris Johnson elected by the members - won the General Election

Liz Truss elected by the members - kicked out by the MPs before she could fight a General Election

Rishi Sunak elected by the MPs - lost a General Election

So what is the score?

Two Leaders elected by the members won a General Election

Four Leaders elected by the MPs lost a General Election

Two Leaders never got a chance to fight a General Election because the MPs kicked them out!

It seems to me the members so far have proved to be right!

Failures in Government - Another Letter to the Party Chairman

 

2nd August 2024

Richard Fuller CBE MP

Chairman, Conservative and Unionist Party

Dear Mr. Fuller,

 Congratulations on your appointment as Party Chairman. And thank you for your email dated 14th July announcing a review into the General Election and, more broadly, into the Party.

You wrote: “I want people across the Party to have the chance to say what worked, what didn’t and how we can improve. And as part of that review I want to hear from you.”

You also wrote: “we lost this election because of how we conducted ourselves”, which is only part of the story. The real question is: “why did we lose the election?”.

 Therefore please find enclosed a statement, with two attachments, to address that question and to set out how the Party can improve. I hope this will be helpful as you rebuild the Party.

Yours sincerely,

Graham

Why did the Conservative Party lose the General Election?

We the Conservative Party lost the election because government policy, CCHQ and the parliamentary party lost touch with Conservative Principles and Values.

 Manifesto promises such as those on immigration and EU regulation were not delivered. Nonconservative (anti-growth and nanny state) policies were introduced, and more were trailed.

A Tory Left emerged that seemed to embrace the “centre-left” woke philosophy and the pandering to institutions usually associated with the opposition parties. The government itself moved towards the “centre”, thus exposing our “right” flank to Reform. It failed to roll back the liberal-socialist changes of the Blair years.

 Therefore many Conservatives (up to 4 million?) voted Reform UK at the General Election. Many more found themselves liking much of the Reform UK contract but could not bring themselves to vote for it; many of those simply did not vote.

 Too many voters have lost trust in the Conservative Party and its MPs. Actions over the past two years have eroded that trust to a point where a majority is disillusioned. But the loss of trust started with costly and undeliverable projects such as “net zero” and HS2. A list of “failures of party in government”* was compiled in 2023 but not updated for the recent torrent of dangled carrots and wishful thinking. It illustrates the long-term degradation.

 Members elected Liz Truss as leader but neither the “Tory Left” nor the “institutions” were proactive in supporting her, instead they undermined her. The Bank of England was, we now know, largely responsible for the crisis, due to its failure to understand and act on risks such as LDIs and QT.

 Rishi Sunak made promises for his leadership “election” and when appointing Suella Braverman, which were not delivered. Sunak and Hunt then introduced anti-growth policies such as raising Corporation Tax and the oil and gas “windfall” tax, while failing to correct anti-growth policies such as IR35 and the “tourist tax”.

This descended into farce when Sunak claimed that illegal boat crossings were down when they had increased greatly this year; and everyone knew it. Hunt’s dangling of the old carrot of inheritance tax reform was an insult to the intelligence (why now, why so late?). Trust was lost. There was anger. There was no point in voting for “this lot”.

The Way Forward? The party must remember that it is empowered by the democratic support of its members. Those members are centred to the “right” of the Overton window. The “left” will vote for other parties. Our party must present itself to voters with coherent policies based on Conservative Philosophy and Values. The common-sense centre-right is an election-winning majority.

 The Way Forward for the Party is to listen to its members and trust them. The Chair of the Party Board and senior post-holders must be elected by members and exercise governance over CCHQ. The MP candidate approval process must be reformed and Constituency Associations must have more say in the selection and deselection of their parliamentary candidate. Party conference must be organised transparently and admit members’ motions for debate and voting.

Attachment: * “Conservatives - Failures of Party in Government” – a one-page indictment to late 2023 

 CONSERVATIVES – FAILURES OF PARTY IN GOVERNMENT

General

 - Failure to implement policies based on ConservaƟve principles and values

 - Policies contradicting Conservative principles and values

 - Excess regulation and red tape

 - Failure on Brexit opportunities such as to reform EU legislation in UK law

 - Windsor framework with “single market” elements by stealth

 - Failure to recognise fundamental difference between UK and EU legal systems and methods

 - Sacrifice of Northern Ireland

 - Surrender of sovereignty to WHO, ECHR (and other supranaƟonal bureaucracies)

 - Climate Change Act and Climate Change Committee

 - HS2 vanity project (£100bn+, belatedly curtailed)

 - Self-harming measures in the name of “climate change”

 o War on farming

 o War on motorists

 - War on private landlords (“green” requirements, section 21 etc.)

 - Excess immigration

 o Pressure on homes and housebuilding

 o Pressure on NHS and social services

 - Illegal immigration unstopped (and Channel taxi service)

 - NHS worsening failures – money pit with no accountability

 - Care fees cap (promise not delivered)

 - Attempted anti-free market tariffs on imported steel

 - Ban on bogof offers on “junk” food and attempted price cap on basic goods in supermarkets

 - Failure to speak up for women and children subjected to gender extremism

 - Failure to manage civil service

 - Failure to focus Quangos on their core funcƟons

 - Failure to focus Police on policing

 - Leadership changes and witch hunts on senior Party MPs, bypassing democraƟc accountability

 - Self-serving leaks from government and civil servants

 - Apparent cover-up and dishonesty in Cabinet Office Energy

Energy

 - No coherent energy strategy

 - Net zero target with no idea how

 - Sunset of petrol and diesel vehicles

 - Sunset of domestic gas boilers

 - Tinkering with short-term targets

 - Ban on fracking

 - Confiscatory “windfall” tax on UK oil & gas production, discouraging new investment

 - Inadequate national electricity grid for forecast demand

 - Green levies on energy bills

 - VAT on fuel and energy bills

 - Electric vehicles based on “zero tailpipe” emissions without regard to whole life (cradle-to-grave) environmental impact Tax

Tax

 - Largest tax take for 70 years

 - Frozen tax thresholds

 o Income Tax

 o Inheritance Tax (IHT)

 o Stamp Duty

 o Average earners to be in upper income tax bracket

 - National Insurance increase (since reversed)

 - Threshold for highest tax reduced to £125k

 - Earlier promise to abolish IHT broken

 - Corporation Tax 25%; sign-up to OECD floor

 - Capital Gains Tax allowance halved

 - Dividend allowance halved, then quartered

 - IR35 reform reversed

 - War on non-doms

 - Removal of VAT refund for tourists