Draft
New Conservative Party Constitution (14)
The following clauses are from existing
Schedule 6.
Candidate Selection – Committee on Candidates
NP- 1 7
Proposed by CCHQ
Remove reference to
English Parliament and PCCs; refer to Senedd and add Combined Authority Mayors.
Provide the option for a mechanism for mutual
recognition of candidates with the Scottish Party?
These points are agreed but still no
reference to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Why not?
8
Proposed by CCHQ:
The Candidates Committee shall
prepare a procedure for the selection and review of applicants onto the
Approved Lists and submit that procedure to the Board for prior approval.
The Candidates Committee shall
from time to time prepare mandatory rules as to the procedure by which
Associations and other bodies select candidates for all or any public elections
and submit that procedure to the Board for prior approval and publication.
This is an improvement on what was
originally proposed. At least now The
Board has to give approval. However the
Board requires radical reform if it is to perform this function.
The following clauses are from existing
Schedule 7/7A.
|
15.1 The Executive Council shall when
required establish a Candidate Selection Committee, the members of which
shall be: |
|
15.1.1 The Chairman of the
Association; |
|
15.1.2 Other members of the
Association appointed by the Executive Council in accordance with guidance
published by the Committee on Candidates of the Board (as established under
Schedule 6 of the Party Constitution); |
|
15.1.3 The Agent, who will act as
Secretary to the Candidates Selection Committee, and not be entitled to vote; |
|
15.1.4 Such person as is
appointed by the Board of the Party for the purpose, who shall be invited to
attend all meetings of the committee in an advisory capacity and not be
entitled to vote. |
CCHQ:
This is essentially
the Sift Committee. Should we enshrine
it at this level of detail in the Constitution or leave this to the rules to be
set by the Board, or something in between?
Change
reference to Agent to cover or other staff.
This wording must be kept so that if the Board decide to alter it
members are made aware.
|
15.2 Selection of Parliamentary
Candidates |
|
15.2.1 Whenever it may be
necessary to initiate the procedure to adopt a Prospective Parliamentary
Candidate, the Candidate Selection Committee shall, through the Chairman or
other Officer of the Association, act in consultation with the Committee of
the Board on Candidates and, as far as is practicable, shall follow the
procedure published by the Committee on Candidates of the Board (as
established under Schedule 6 of the Constitution). In any case the following
procedure shall apply: |
CCHQ: This is essentially the Selection
Council and Member Meeting. Should we
enshrine it at this level of detail in the Constitution or leave this to the
rules to be set by the Board, or something in between?
This wording must be kept so that if the Board decide to alter it
members are made aware.
PER
CCHQ: In the event of the motion to readopt a sitting Member of Parliament
being passed, no further approvals are required.
This is to
clarify that no member SGM is needed (which is a query often raised).
I am not surprised that this question is often raised. The motion should be put to all members of
the Constituency Association for their agreement at a General Meeting. I remember John Major complaining to me that
some MPs packed their Executives with family members so that they could not be
removed! This was not unusual!
Per CCHQ:
14 The Board may
refuse or withdraw the membership of an Association.
Clauses 16-19 Detail – for Rulebook (if it needs retaining
at all)?
These details are necessary to
ensure that there is a fair process in place and should be kept.
Proposed by CCHQ:
22.3 A Conservative group on a local authority
shall not enter any formal arrangement with another political party or grouping
without the prior consent of the Party Chairman, with such consent being
coordinated by the CCA.
What about an informal agreement, and what is the difference?
|
Association of Conservative Clubs |
|
25 (i) Where a Conservative Club is
affiliated to the Association of Conservative Clubs and a subscription, donation
or per capita payment is made on behalf of the members of the Club to the
Association in which the Club is situated, those members should be deemed to
be Club members of the Conservative Party (hereafter referred to as Club
members). (i) Club
members shall become Party members upon payment of such appropriate
subscription as shall be determined by the Board from time to time. (iii) In
order to represent a Club or the ACC in a representative capacity within the
Party such a representative must be a Party member. |
Is this still relevant/does this need changing?
Probably!
I was hoping that eventually the Party would see sense
and create a democratic Constitution.
It was not to be. The Dictatorship,
unaccountability of the Party Board and layers of bureaucracy remain. Transparency in the Party is zero. Why cannot membership figures be given on a
6 monthly basis so we van have an idea as to what Party members are feeling or
do the hierarchy fear that membership is into a serious decline. On the other hand perhaps that is what they
want, so then they would not have to bother with members!
