Conservative Future

Help me win in Wentworth & Dearne

Michelle Donelan — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:20:30 +0000

I am writing to you as the first and only member of the Conservative Future National Executive to stand as a Parliamentary Candidate whilst still a serving CF member. I am standing in the constituency of Wentworth and Dearne in South Yorkshire, a seat occupied by Gordon Brown’s housing minister, John Healey.

I am determined to give New Labour a good solid run for their money in this seat. The people of Wentworth and Dearne want change and they deserve it and a real choice in this election. Scarily, voters are turning to the BNP in desperation.

I am campaigning to offer change from this dilapidated Labour government – to encourage, enable and empower residents. I want to ensure they all get a fair start and a stake in Wentworth and Dearne’s local communities and economies.

Funds are extremely tight for my campaign and time is running out. I’m appealing to you all to spare £1, £2, £5 or £10 via myconservatives.com to bring change to the people of Wentworth and Dearne. Let’s send a bold message to Gordon Brown that we are offering change and that it’s coming from a Conservative Future candidate. I hope to those of you who have the aspiration, that you will be in my position at the next opportunity- and that Conservative Future members will stand up for your campaign also.

Thank you

Monthly Bulletin from CF in Yorkshire and Humber 13

Philip Smith — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:31:59 +0000

The Monthly Bulletin from Conservative Future in Yorkshire and Humber
Friday 12th March 2010. Issue 13.

In this month’s update:

Overview by Regional Chairman| Area Chairman News| Upcoming Events| Website Links

Welcome to the thirteenth edition of Conservative Future news in Yorkshire and Humber

Yorkshire & Humber CF Overview
by Regional Chairman Philip Smith

The past few weeks have witnessed plenty of activity across the region as we step up our preparations for the General Election. Two highlights to mention. Our first annual Yorkshire CF drinks reception which was held in central Leeds. The event was a tremendous success with thirty members of Yorkshire CF attending. We also enjoyed hosting three of our distinguished parliamentary candidates; Jason McCartney, Antony Calvert and John Sharp. My special thanks to Antony for attending as our guest speaker. The event was a tremendous success.

Turning to Spring Forum there was a great sense of commitment to a clear vision, a vision for government and for the first time in years, a vision that could be realised in just a few months. What was also striking this year was the vast number of CFers I got chatting with, who were all very engaged and energetic. It was great to see Yorkshire members enjoying the two days talking about recent campaign activity and future plans. We all left Spring Forum energized and ready for the battle ahead. For opportunities in Yorkshire drop me an email at chairman@yorkshirecf.com

Area Chairman News

Dominic Trynka Watson for East Riding of Yorkshire and North East Linconshire

On February 20th I led a campaign day to Brigg and Goole which was a tremendous success. My thanks to Philip and other members who supported the days campaign. I have started approaching East Riding Councillors with a view to building a good relationship with the majority Conservative Group and hopefully working with them to improve the image of the Party amongst the young in the area. I would like to extend my thanks to those of you who have e-mailed me offering help, and also my apologies for having not yet put you to work! It is my intention to hold an informal meeting soon to gather your views on what CF should be doing in the area; what you would like (or are willing) to do for CF and of course what you think CF should be doing for you! If you wish to attend this meeting please ensure you are a member of our Facebook group, or if you are not a Facebook user please e-mail me.You can email Dominic at dominic.watson@yorkshirecf.com

Chris Southeran for North Yorkshire

On 7th February, we had a joint York Tories/CF Action Day in York Outer, campaigning for Julian Sturdy. We had an extremely positive turnout for such a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon! A big thank you to the York Association office who went out of there way to look after us. We are all focused now on winning the crucial seats required for a national majority in the general election. I am also hoping to investigate the potential for a second CF branch in North Yorkshire. I am aiming to meet the new PPC for Skipton & Ripon, Julian Smith, to discuss the feasibility of constructing a branch there. Finally I am pleased to report that the York Tories have elected Felix Bungay as their new Chairman. We wish him every success in his new role. You can contact me at chris.southeran@yorkshirecf.com

Gregory Rodwell for West Yorkshire

It’s been an exciting time here in West Yorkshire, with the setting up of two new branches. Emily Bailey has become chairman of Keighley CF and Samuel Fletcher has become chairman of Bradford CF. I wish them luck in their new positions and hope that the branches evolve into dynamic groups which are valued by local conservatives. We are now well into the general election campaign and we will be planning a number of events to help our local candidates. West Yorkshire is one of the key areas for our party in the election and I know that Conservative Future members will play an important role. I hope you can join us for our campaign day in Colne Valley on Saturday 27th March. If you would like to know anything more you can email me at greg.rodwell@yorkshirecf.com

James Gould for South Yorkshire

It is a sign that we are edging ever closer to the election that February has completely flown by. With this in mind it was great to see Greg Rodwell bring a team down from West Yorkshire to P & S on Saturday the 27th February. Thanks Greg to and Simon, they were a great help and we look forward to returning the favour in West Yorkshire. Looking forward to the next month it will be more of the same, supporting PPC’s, social action and of course the odd social. I wish to congratulate Holly Smith who has been elected as the new Chairman of Sheffield Conservative Future. Holly is a hard worker and dedicated activist; Sheffield is in good hands. Contact me at james.gould@yorkshirecf.com

Other News

Spring Forum Roundup

http://www.conservativefuture.com/2010/03/01/spring-forum-has-put-a-real-spring-back-into-the-campaign/

Yorkshire CF Reception Held

http://www.conservativefuture.com/2010/02/25/first-annual-yorkshire-cf-reception-a-success/

New Regional Social Action Officer

http://yorkshirecf.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/new-regional-social-action-officer/

New CF Branches in Bradford and Keighley

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=274256554795#/group.php?gid=274256554795

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=274256554795#/group.php?gid=306981019147

More news available at www.yorkshirecf.com

Events

Send your events to chairman@yorkshirecf.com

Campaign dates for the diary:

Colne Valley: Saturday 27th March: Contact James Deighton at james.deighton@yorkshirecf.com

Social Events:

Yorkshire Curry Night Wednesday 24th March

Following on from the success of Januarys meal we have decided to make the Yorkshire CF meal gatherings a monthly curry event. Our next stop is Wakefield. Meeting at 7.30pm at Sandel and Aggbrig Station (one stop on from Wakefield Westgate) or 8pm at the Aagrah Restuarant. Do come along and meet the team. To reserve your place contact Philip at chairman@yorkshirecf.com

Website Links

Yorkshire and Humber CF Website: www.yorkshirecf.com
Yorkshire and Humber Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=56454121016
Hull CF: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15634863733#/group.php?gid=2246978528
Cleethorpes CF: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=517411872#/group.php?gid=34991471696
Leeds CF: http://leedscf.co.uk/
Huddersfield CF: http://huddersfieldcf.co.uk/
Sheffield CF: http://www.tories.union.shef.ac.uk/
Barnsley CF: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55852789834&ref=share
York St John CF: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=66415837283
York Tories: http://www.yorktories.info/
Yorkshire Conservatives: http://yorkshireconservatives.wordpress.com/
CF Home Page: http://www.conservativefuture.com/

The Next Bulletin will be published before 16th April 2010

A Year for Change on the NUS

guest author — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:35:30 +0000

From the Blue Blog: Conservative Future are standing for elections to the student body.

By Kit Friend

For a number of years, NUS elections have been contested by open Labour Students, and “Independents” who are often Labour Party Members (or at a push Liberal or Green).

But this year, I’m going to be contesting as an official Conservative candidate. I believe standing for office carries with it a responsibility to be open about affiliations, and that if the NUS claims to be a truly representative body, this should be reflected in the politics of its leadership.

As a keen supporter of equality of access to HE and opportunity for all, it’s been great to see the fantastic policies rolling out over the months from the Conservative leadership. We are the best party to lead this country out of recession and into a new golden age for Britain, and I look forward to proving that the NUS could really benefit from a centre-right approach to its leadership too.

Getting involved with your local Students’ Union, and the NUS both offer fantastic opportunities for making change. Few other channels will give you so much potential to positively improve the experience of others, and ultimately to support social mobility and empowerment that education can bring.

There is lots of misunderstanding within the Student movement about what conservatism stand for, and we cannot afford for Labour Students and other political movements to have a monopoly that implies they are the only ones who care about this section of our society. So get involved, stand for office and prove our left-wing critics wrong!

Join the campaign team on MyConservatives.

A fantastic weekend for CF in Wales

Michael Rock — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:58:12 +0000

Last weekend was the annual Conservative Welsh Party Conference, in Llandudno in North Wales. Fellow Exec member Richard Jackson and I made the trip to represent CF and to host a reception on the Saturday night. Arriving early on Saturday morning for David Cameron’s speech there was a great turnout from the Welsh Conservatives and really impressive atmosphere.

This carried on to the evening for the CF reception. We weren’t sure how many people would actually turn up, but by 30mins in the bar was packed – with over 60 CF members as well as 3 MPs and several Welsh Assembly members!

Both Cheryl Gillan and David Jones gave fantastic speeches and I am very grateful for the support they give us. It was also great to have the full Welsh CF ‘team’ together; Paul (North Wales RC), Grant (South Wales RC), Naomi (North Wales AC) and Sarah (Mid Wales AC) – they’re a great bunch and I know will lead CF in Wales to great things.

Welsh Conservatives have put a lot of work in the last few years and this really showed in the spectacular European election result last year – let’s all work to make sure this is duplicated on GE night!

Click here for photos from the Conference.

Watch the video below for more:

Worcestershire CF Call for Change at GenEVA

guest author — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:57:01 +0000

By Chris Morrall

Last week beginning Tuesday March 2nd saw Worcestershire Conservative Future kick off its new campaign at the flagship CCHQ GenEVA callcentre to boost the pledge base of Worcestershire based PPC’s. They began with Mark Garnier, the PPC for Wyre Forest.

We linked up with City future, interns, volunteers to campaign on behalf of Mark Garnier, PPC for Wyre Forest. The Wyre Forest Constituency is famous, being the only current seat to host an Independent MP, Dr Richard taylor elected in 2001.

The three evenings of campaigning proved a resounding success with well over 1000 calls made and nearly 500 voting intentions recieved, this, achieved in less than 6 hours of canvassing was a great achievement and the group look to expand its operations and lend support to other PPCs in need of support. Credit goes to the Geneva staff including John Hazzlewood and John Benjamin for making this happen and helping the campaign run smoothly.

Thanks also go to Nick Vaughan ex Conservative Future Chairman, Ed Clifton Brown (son of Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Investment) Dan Yates of City Future and Starbuck Coleman and Amy Bannister staff for Andrew Rosindell (the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs) who all campaigned tirelessly throughout the week!

Next step for Worcestershire CF is to continue the campaign for Mark Garnier in London and to start off the campaign at its sister headquarters in Coleshill, Nr Birmingham next week! We also hope to offer support and assistance to other PPCs in the Worcestershire area – so anyone needing help contact worcestershire@conservativefuture.com

Spring Forum ‘Brightons Up’ Conservative Campaign

Clare Hilley — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:15:17 +0000

With just weeks to go before the general election, the Conservative Party couldn’t have picked a more vibrant and forward-looking town than Brighton to hold its Spring Forum for 2010. The conference centre was buzzing with ideas and aspirations as activists gathered for one last time before voters head to the polls to decide on the next Government.

David Cameron delivered a bold and striking address to delegates, clearly defining the modern, progressive vision of the Conservative Party and the plan for change we will deliver for our country. This was in stark contrast to Gordon Brown’s tired, disinterested and backward looking campaign, which offers more of the same dithering and debt and not a sparkle of innovation or change.

The polls are tight, and we have all have a very tough fight on our hands, but we must pull together to convince voters we can offer a genuine alternative to this decaying Labour Government. Our action teams from London Conservative Future have a rigorous and relentless timetable of action days and telephone canvassing sessions lined up, and it’s essential that as many people as possible join in and make a difference.

The next action day is on Saturday 13th March for PPC Mary Macleod in Brentford & Isleworth. To register your attendance please contact Daniel Emmet Gulliver on 07738583302 or click this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=385928465399

Saturday 20th March is and action day for PPC Mark Clarke in Tooting. Please RSVP by going to this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=337917162478

Friday 26th-28th March is another London CF road trip and this time we’re going to Hereford to help PPC Jesse Norman in his fight against the liberals. To RSVP email london@conservativefuture.com

As always every Tuesday evening we host a GenEVA session from 6.30pm for one of our PPCs in a marginal seat that we must win and to register your attendance at these sessions then please contact Peter Cuthbertson at: peter.cuthbertson@gmail.com

Want to stand for NUS elections?

Helen Roberts — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:59:37 +0000

Student Life’s new target it to expand our remit from focusing primarily on setting up new CF branches, to engaging directly with Student Unions across the country.

Up until recently I was working at CCHQ and loving the buzz and excitement at the prospect of a Conservative government. But, the general election is not the only election just around the corner where the Conservatives have the chance to make gains. The National Union of Students is well known as a Labour Students strong hold. It seems the opportune time to start the fight for Conservative students to be representative’s at the most powerful and influential Students’ Union in the country.

As a former Students’ Union hack I can vouch for the hard work of so many sabbatical and executive officers who work tirelessly to help improve students’ experiences at university. Whether it be helping keep down costs at the university bars or in your halls, or whether it be campaigns to keep libraries open for longer or campaigns to improve teaching standards, the chances are, when real change happens at your university, the Students’ Union has had a lot to do with it.

This is why I urge you all to consider standing in the upcoming NUS elections; it is a worthwhile organisation with considerable influence and Conservatives should get stuck in.

We already have a candidate standing for Sabbatical (clear here to join his Facebook fan page) but we are looking for Conservatives to stand for Block of 15. Deadlines for standing is the end of March so time is ticking as you need to have lots of endorsements and a manifesto sorted by then.

If you are interested in standing for Block of 15 or as a delegate at your university then please contact me on helen.roberts@conservativefuture.com

CF Voter Registration Drive launched

Edward Hallam — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:00:36 +0000

Further to Owen’s recent post that 50% of students will not vote, a study published last week by the Electoral Commisson suggests that the 17-25 year old age bracket has the lowest level of voter registration. A shocking 56% of young people are not on the electoral roll. It’s one thing if students haven’t been engaged to vote, but even worse if they aren’t even enfranchised! The is the cornerstone of our democracy, and yet a vast tranch of the age range from which Conservative Future’s membership is drawn isn’t even entitled to be a part of the democractic process – regardless of who they vote for.

So today we’re launching a CF Voter Registration initiative as part of our General Election “Time to Get Involved” campaign. We’re urging all CF members to carry out a ‘friend audit’, if you like, and make sure that everyone you know is at least registered to vote, even if they don’t vote, or don’t vote Conservative. They owe it to the untold millions of Britons and non-Britons alike who made the ultimate sacrifice for our way of like to endure to “be bothered” about at least registering to vote. In some countries, voting itself is a daring and revolutionary act.

Our sixth form university branches might even like to take it one step further and try flyering, etc, fellow students to make sure they’re registered.

Do take a look at the Time to Get Involved. It already has several different ways for CF members to play an active roll in bring change to our country in the upcoming General Election – and over the coming weeks we’ll be expanding the ways you can get involved.

Let us know who it goes, keep us up to date with your efforts and we’ll post your hard work for change here on ConservativeFuture.com

Conservative candidates will stand in this year’s NUS elections

Michael Rock — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:02:21 +0000

As most of you will know, students form a significant component of the CF membership and we have activists working with student unions up and down the UK.

This April the National Union of Students have their annual elections, and I’m pleased to announce that for the first time in years there will be Conservative candidates standing in these elections.

We are looking for additional candidates for the ‘block of 15′ that form the part-time component of NUS’s leadership, but are proudly supporting Kit Friend as a candidate for the role of Vice President (Higher Education).

Kit has the benefit, as I do, of having a pun-friendly name and we’ve suggested a few options, including running a facebook campaign to find a slogan, which I understand has been a successful tactic previously…

Helen Roberts, who is helping organise Student Life, will be writing a post soon with more info on these elections; and how you can stand as a Conservative candidate. We’ve got a team here to support you so there’s no excuse if you are keen to be involved with the NUS: it’s Time to Get Involved!

Celebrating Commonwealth Day

Christian May — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:21:33 +0000

If you’ve opened a paper, turned on the radio or watched TV today, then you can’t have failed to see that today is International Women’s Day. I think it’s important to highlight the plight of women in under-developed nations, and to look again at the massive health and economic challenges that many women face around the world.

However, here in the UK the occasion is being used by Labour’s rabid “equality” agenda to slap men around for not employing enough women, or for lingering too long on Page 3 of The Sun. I wish they’d spend half as much energy celebrating Commonwealth Day, for it is today, and the liberal middle-class guilt about Britain’s colonial past means that not a lot of people are mentioning it.

One person, however, was not going to let the day pass without a few wise words. Her Majesty the Queen has delivered her annual Commonwealth Address, to all those fortunate enough to have her as their magnificent Head of State. In her address, the Queen speaks of the massive importance of technology in bringing her Commonwealth together.

Developments in communication mean that the world is accessible and connected; whether it’s a medical centre in the Himalayas or a school in the South Pacific. The Queen also speaks of the great benefits that communication technology can have on the fortunes of small businesses, and general economic development. Perhaps most strikingly, we are told that over half the population of the Commonwealth are under 25. It is this generation that takes Facebook, Blackberries, Twitter, YouTube and the internet for granted in most countries. But we can see the incredible effects of the internet in places like Iran, where the “Green Movement” communicated with the world via Twitter and YouTube. I’ve seen for myself the great work that Commonwealth projects are delivering around the world, bringing young people together for lasting partnerships. This is what should be celebrated.

For millions of young people, the Commonwealth gives them a chance to be part of something bigger than their village, town or country. It represents a shared history and a bright future. Members of Conservative Future, and young people in general, should know more about the Commonwealth and the great work it does in uniting young people all over the world.