Tory Party Censorship

 Tory Party Censorship

I have just attended the Virtual Conservative conference session "Meet the Chairmen". This was a question and answer session so I put the following question to the Chairmen: "Why do you refuse to give Party membership and would your answer be different if you were elected by and accountable to Party members? The question was submitted at 7.36pm and was shown as "Your question is currently waiting to be reviewed by the event organiser." I waited only to see many questions including anonymous ones submitted after mine be approved and put to the Chairmen.

Eventually I put another question "Why do you refuse to answer my question? Censorship! Guess what it went in "waiting to be reviewed" These were the only questions put in that category. Will the Party ever learn?

Over the last thirty years I have invariably managed to put a question to the Party Chairman. Not now. With this new technology you just get freezed out,

"When the members fear the Party you have tyranny, When the Party fears the members you have liberty" with due acknowledgement to Thomas Jefferson.

Success at BCCA AGM

 Success at the BCCA AGM. Three of our four candidates were elected. A new team can now take the Constituency Association forward. Thanks for all your support.

Voting by Zoom for a Constituency AGM!

 

Democracy turned upside down – Updated 18 September

            Last night the voting by Zoom took place for the election of officers for the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association.   (see previous post).   How did it go?

·         The total membership of the Association was not given so no one knew the size of the electorate.   It is believed to be about 1,350.

·         The total number of members registered to vote was not given.   It is believed to have been about 300.

·         The total number participating was shown on the screen as 216.   This is considerably down on the number registered.   Why?   Were there technical problems.   Research should be done on the reasons for this.   In more than one case there was no sound so the instructions from the CCHQ manager were not heard.

·         No time limit was put on the voting.   It was left to the CCHQ Manager to decide when to stop.   There should have been a time limit.   In practice, he stopped when he said everyone had voted.   Astonishing that there were no abstentions!

·         The candidates were not asked to provide their own scrutineers.   This is essential to ensure that the vote is fair.   People appointed as scrutineers by CCHQ are not necessarily wholly independent.

·         There was no vote at all on the election of the Vice Presidents, even en bloc!

·         Transparency and accountability are essential elements of democracy.   It is clear CCHQ still have lessons to be learned!

 

 

Back to politics - Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association - Update 15 September

 

Democracy Turned Upside Down!

 

Last year the members of the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association fought hard and long to exercise their democratic rights relating to their MP Dominic Grieve.   See “Selection of Parliamentary Candidates below).   Fortunately, he went, and in December 2019 the Constituency elected a new MP, Joy Morrissey who has done a splendid job.

The Officers of the Association who frustrated and blocked the members exercising their democratic rights and gave scant support in getting Joy Morrissey elected, would in normal times been accountable to the members at an Annual General Meeting this year.   However due to the COVID-19 crisis the AGM has not yet been held.   It is now due to held by a Zoom meeting on 18^th September.   Voting for the Officers will take place before the AGM on 17^th September.   This is the procedure set down by CCHQ   Is not this the wrong way round?  

The two Deputy Chairman from last year have both resigned.   The Chairman is not standing for Chairman but is standing to be a Vice President.   The Treasurer is standing to be Chairman.   So, votes will be taken on the 17^th September without having had the opportunity to question the Chairman on his actions during the year or the Treasurer on the Accounts of the Association.   What is it about democracy that these people including CCHQ do not understand?   Democracy is about transparency and accountability.   How do you hold someone accountable if the votes are taken before any questions have been answered?

Fortunately, we have some excellent candidates standing for the officer positions, candidates who believe in party democracy, and I urge every member of the Beaconsfield Constituency Association to vote for them.   They are:

Chairman                                 Dr. Rhiannon Rowsell

Deputy Chairman Political       Cllr. Guy Hollis

Treasurer                                  Rashpal Hullait BA (Hons) FCA

The Deputy Chairman Membership is Kirsty Griffiths who has been elected unopposed and is  excellent.

I understand that the Vice Presidents (all eight of them) will be elected en bloc, including last year’s Chairman, none of whom publicly stood up for the rights of the party members.   In a democracy each individual should be voted upon and isn’t it time that there were time limits on the President and Vice Presidents terms of office of say five years?

                                                *************

2 September

Many of you will remember the undemocratic way the Association was run last year when the members had lost confidence in their MP Dominic Grieve.   Now is the opportunity to put things right.   This letter is for all the members of BCCA:

Dear Colleague,

You will be aware that the BCCA AGM will be held by Zoom on Friday, 18^th September at 8pm.   Voting for the Officers of the Association will take place by Zoom on Thursday 17^th September  at 8pm.   Further details to follow from BCCA.

Now we can vote for a new team who will actively support our MP, Joy Morrissey.

We need a fresh start with enthusiastic people to take the Association forward.  People who believe in democracy within the Constituency Association and who will unite the Association at this critical time for the Conservative Party.   All three candidates played a major role in the General Election in getting Joy Morrissey elected.   Further details of their CVs will be sent out in due course.

Please support: Chairman                                           Rhiannon Rowsell

                         Deputy Chairman (Membership)       Kirsty Griffiths

                         Hon. Treasurer                                   Rashpal Hullait

Please let me know if you can support the above and also if you can help in the campaign to get them elected?

John E. Strafford

The Battle of Monte Natale -- What happened to Private Ernest Strafford?

 See   https://battleofmontenatale.blogspot.com/p/4-february-1944-father-is-buried-to-be.html   

A view from the Grass Roots

I used to think I was pretty much normal.

BUT I was born white, into a two-parent household which now, whether I like it or not, makes me "Privileged".

I am a fiscal & moral Conservative, because I plan, budget & support myself and my family.

Never look for handouts or rely on other people.

I went to an Ordinary School and not University so by today’s standards a bit of a Thicko.

BUT I have never been out of work have always held a job down and never had any financial support from the government and paid all taxes in full.  BUT I now find out that I am not where I am today living off a small pension because I worked very hard and earned it, but because I was "advantaged".

I am over 70 which makes me a waste of space and resource who doesn't fully cope with Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat.

I think before I speak and try to reason with people and to understand their point of view although I may not agree with it.

I completely doubt 95% of what "mainstream" media tells me, which now makes me a "Right-wing conspiracy nutcase".

I am proud of my heritage & our inclusive British culture, making me a xenophobe.

I believe in hard work, fair play, & fair compensation according to each individual's merits, which today makes me an anti-socialist oddball.

I believe our system guarantees freedom of effort - not freedom of outcome or subsidies.............. which makes me a borderline sociopath.

I believe in the defence & protection of Great Britain for & by all citizens, now making me a Militant.

I am proud of our flag, what it stands for and the many who died to let it fly, so I must be an imperialist and a racist.

Help me come to terms with the new me.   It's like I am an outsider in my own country!

Funny – this all took place over the last 5 or 6 years!

But the Pubs are open so I will have a few beers and sensible conversations with likeminded friends, forget about all this rubbish for a few hours.   Then start the fight back to reality.

Mike C

Smile and the whole world will smile with you

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner
and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realized
I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine
could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin,
don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!

Stay safe, keep well, be kind

Battle of Monte Natale

On this the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe we should remember the sacrifices made during World War II when democracy was under threat.   Go to this web site to see what happened in one small battle in Italy in 1944.   The Battle of Monte Natale

The Candidates Committee - shuffling the chairs!

At a time when the World is dealing with the corona-virus pandemic CCHQ have been shuffling the chairs at the Candidates Committee.   The Party Co-Chairman, Amanda Milling (unelected and unaccountable to ordinary Party members) has told us that the Chairman of the Committee, Amanda Sater has stepped down.
Matt Wright has now been appointed the new Chairman of the Candidates Committee.
Gareth Fox who was the Director of Candidates will now be the Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Candidates Committee.
The new Director of Candidates will be Matt Lane who was the previous Deputy Director of Candidates.
Andrew Sharpe, (Chairman of the National Convention, unelected and unaccountable to ordinary Party members) and Julie Marson MP will be Vice-Chairmen of the Candidates Committee.
Does this matter?   This small group of people, none of whom are elected by or accountable to the ordinary members of the Party will be deciding who our parliamentary candidates will be.   From these candidates we will get our Members of Parliament and from them we will get Conservative Government Ministers.   That is why it is critically important.   It makes a mockery of democracy within the Conservative Party and democracy within the United Kingdom.   
At the last General Election candidates were imposed on Constituencies despite being promised that this practice would not happen again after the same thing happened at the 2017 General Election.   Do not be sure it will not happen again and the people mentioned above will be the ones who will decide who these candidates - MPs - Government Ministers will be.
There needs to be fundamental reform to bring the Conservative Party into the 21st Century and create a genuinely democratic Party and Nation.
The Chairman of the Candidates Committee should be elected by the Party members at an Annual General Meeting of the Party to which all members are invited and present an Annual Report which can be questioned by the members.

COPOV Forum - Date for your diary 18 April - Gerrards Cross

The next COPOV Forum will be on 18th April at All Saints in Gerrards Cross.   An Agenda will be sent out nearer the event.   Meeting is now postponed until further notice.