Conservative Camaraderie

All applications are now in to be Spelthorne’s next Conservative parliamentary candidate.
Time to reflect on the research stage. Just as the public’s respect for politicians is at an all time low, I can vouch for the fact that there has never been a group of more worthy people applying to be Conservative MPs, and it’s really sad that so many will be disappointed.
I’ve met quite a few politicians in my time, and there are some charlatans and ambitious back-stabbers out there. Unfortunately a few of them are able to blag their way through both the Parliamentary Assessment Board and the traditional hustings selection meeting.
But we can take comfort in knowing that the vast majority of aspiring Conservative politicians are a conscientious and dedicated bunch -- they really do care.
I was particularly struck by the sheer camaraderie amongst the seasoned campaigners, never hesitating to help each other even at their own expense.
British altruism at its best.

Is Spelthorne Jinxed?

With just 24 hours to the deadline for applying to be Spelthorne’s next Conservative Parliamentary candidate I thought I relate just some of the calamities that have beset them.
One guy’s plans were interrupted by a leaking roof which caused the ceiling of his daughter’s bedroom to collapse, causing significant disruption.
Another candidate had the worry of tending his three-year-old son in hospital for a fortnight, suffering with an abscess on his lung -- fortunately now recovered.
The husband of a third contender suffered from whiplash after being T-boned by a young lady at a roundabout, causing the family car to be written off.
And a fourth hopeful had to abort his visit to the area when he wricked his shoulder.
Surely above average misfortune?

Ashford / Spelthorne College Protest

All day today I observed an impressive Unison inspired protest outside the Ashford Campus of Brooklands College. Unison’s primary concern is to protect the jobs of their union members, rather than the wider interests of the community.

The College has been dealt a hammer blow by Labour’s sudden withdrawal of all funding for the Learning & Skills Council. Responsibility for the education of 16-19 year olds reverts to Surrey County Council next spring.

The original building in Ashford has no future because it cannot be economically refurbished to modern standards. It is to be hoped that the superb Portakabins on the site can be retained, whilst more permanent facilities are found in Spelthorne for the education of our sixth-formers.

Stanwell Club House Wrecked

Without being complacent, Spelthorne doesn’t suffer too badly from the upsurge in crime under this Labour Government.
All the more shocking therefore was the attack on the Long Lane Recreation Ground club house in Stanwell over the weekend.
The place was completely wrecked, with an estimated £40,000 worth of damage. Every internal fixture was ripped apart, the ceilings pulled down and the whole place deliberately flooded.
Usually vandals from outside the area are responsible, but of course it’s local youths who will suffer, losing their changing rooms over the winter.

Gosport Open Primary Election

I’m really excited about the open primary election this week in Gosport constituency. It is only the second occasion in Britain that all electors in their area are being invited by postal ballot to choose their parliamentary candidate.
I believe it is the future, and will alter the political map for good.
Open primaries tend to prevent extremist politicians infiltrating mainstream parties. But more importantly they give everyone a say in choosing their MP even in safe seat, thus eliminating the argument for proportional representation.
We can get back to a proper two-party system, where the political debate is hammered out more clearly.
Gosport is even more exciting because there are only two ways in or out, so the four candidates have a captive audience. They can stand either at the Gosport ferry terminal which links commuters to Portsmouth -- one of my favourite ferry rides -- or alongside the heavily congested A32 main road, come rain or shine!
With just seven days to go the candidates are all blogging, using Facebook and door-to-door leafleting everyone as fast as they can.

North Surrey Bus Service Review

Again we find some campaigners are scaremongering, this time about the review of subsidised bus services in north Surrey.
The County Council spends £11 million on keeping uneconomic routes going, a figure which keeps on rising by about £1million each year which is unsustainable.
Yet some routes are seriously underused, so it is only fair that the network is looked at -- but without sacrificing vital services to vulnerable groups.
In fact Spelthorne Borough has a relatively high level of bus usage and is set to suffer minimally in the drive to save taxpayer money.
The Council is interested in residents’ views, so have your say.

Third Runway: Right or Wrong?

This is a divisive issue, pitching concerns for our prosperity against worries about the environment.
It is a fact that aircraft noise has reduced significantly these last forty years. You only tend to look up when you can hear a plane, and I’ve seen the Airbus A380 only three times, including the time I went and saw the first one land at Heathrow.
People overlook the amount of noise and exhaust emissions over areas like Cobham whilst planes are stacked in the morning rush waiting to land.
The odds are that Heathrow’s third runway will eventually be built, and it’s our job to keep the pollution to a minimum whilst protecting our economic interests.

Spelthorne College Set to Close

In my day it was Ashford County Grammar School, though I did not attend myself. In recent years the College underwent a series of mergers, culminating in becoming a victim of the Labour Government’s financial incompetence.
Cash for vital rebuilding work has simply run out, with the students now housed in Portakabins. The sixth form college is in limbo, because Brooklands College cannot afford to keep their Ashford Campus open.
It is the only one left in Spelthorne, and we have a relatively high number of NEETs.
Let's hope a solution can be found.

Rule Britannia!

Last night I attended a packed concert at St Peter’s Church in Staines performed by the RAF Association President’s brass band, and organised by Staines Rotary in support of DayBreak.
The funds will pay for extending to more than one day a week the service provided to carers and those with long-term illness whom they care for in our community.
I’m not normally into such music, but I couldn’t help feel that some of the military music would go down well in Afghanistan, and instead of our Governments pussy-footing about out there, we’d start winning.
Then came the politically incorrect Land of Hope and Glory, and best of all:
Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.
A good tune to be played outside the Parliament building in Brussels.

Beating the Liberals in Cornwall

This week Mark Prisk MP came to speak to the Spelthorne Conservatives.
Here’s a man who made it up through the ranks, starting out as “press officer” for the Young Conservatives in Cornwall, the lowest rung on the ladder. He is now Shadow Minister for Cornwall.
This involves beating the Liberals. They have all five MPs, but the Conservatives won control of the new Cornwall unitary authority this year. Five of the six new Cornwall constituencies are now target seats, with the Liberals likely to hang on only in St Ives at the far tip.
Thanks to Eric Pickles, who shut down the LibDem unit at Central Office, and ever since we stopped attacking them we’ve started winning.

How to become a Tory MP

Well, you’ve got to condense why you want the job into 400 words -- a bit like this blog -- and there’s just a week to go.
Please don’t waste time with a standard CV. Something's got to sparkle. What you’ve done is less important than what you’re going go to -- for the people you’ll represent. So what makes them tick?
People need to know you really want the job, but we hate overt ambition, and oiliness even more.
Find a way to get through to the key-players without hassling them, remembering they might want the job too.
My 100 words are up!

On the Edge

Windsurfing is about being on the edge.
At the coast; on the surface of the sea; balancing on the board; hanging on to the sail; edgeways on to the wind; life or death without precautions against wind, tide and the freezing cold water at this time of year.
Not much sign of the ongoing Conservative Party primary election in Gosport, though I was keen to get to the beach at Lee-on-the-Solent. The radio announced it was too rough for the Isle of Wight hovercraft. So not having been out since July, I was in trepidation.
In the event the wind died down a bit, so it was rather a relaxing day.

Direct Debit Fraud

A recent cash flow glitch at the local Conservative Party led me to check a couple of the less active bank accounts in search of funds. These are the accounts intended only to receive standing order receipts.
So payments from the accounts immediately look suspicious. Further enquiries revealed a whole series of fraudulent direct debit transactions. Charges for pet insurance, mobile phone insurance, magazine subscriptions, RAC breakdown cover, etc.
The accounts details are displayed online via the Party membership subscription forms.
Apparently the banks turn a blind eye to direct debits set up online (without a signature), even if the address does not match. As long as the amount is relatively small -- say under £50 -- all they process is the account number and sort code.
We’re trying to get our money back.

Ashford Hospital

Today I attended the official re-opening of four of the wards at my local Ashford Hospital, following their complete refurbishment.
A total of £850,000 has been spent upgrading the Chaucer, Dickens, Fielding and Wordsworth wards. The principal benefit has been the elimination of mixed sex accommodation -- and each bay can be alternated from all-male to all-female “overnight” if need be.
All rooms now have en suite facilities and meet all the very latest infection control guidelines. Also there is now adequate provision for bariatric patients (those over 18 stone).
In summary these improvements guarantee Ashford Hospital’s future in our community for some considerable time.

Liz Truss

Here’s hoping Liz Truss survives the outrageous attack on her well-earned nomination as Parliamentary Candidate for South West Norfolk at tomorrow night’s meeting (16th November).
To describe her detractors as Neanderthal is a bit harsh, but Conservative Party members who aren't able to Google, nor to consult with people who are computer literate, certainly are antediluvian.
They should not have a decisive say in the selection of parliamentary candidates in the 21st century Conservative Party, and consider the harm they have already done.

UPDATE 9pm on 16th November: Congratulations to Liz Truss on winning the vote (by 132 to 37).
Common sense prevails.

Garden Grabbing

The top issue which the Liberals consistently criticise the Conservatives in the Borough of Spelthorne is for alleged over-development, and in particular “garden grabbing”.
Interesting that over in Kingston -- where they run the council -- the Liberals place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Labour Government, for rules which encourage developers to buy up people’s back gardens.
But then the Liberals have never been ashamed about saying one thing to one group of people and the opposite to others.

Regeneration

A great thing going on in Ashford and Stanwell at the moment is the major regeneration of tired and outdated housing estates.
However I do take exception to the term “decanting” when referring to the temporary relocation of residents (both tenants and owner-occupiers), whilst their houses are being rebuilt.
You decant wine from a bottle to leave the dregs behind. I accept that overuse by officialdom has allowed dictionaries to include the decanting of people in this context, but I think it treats them like commodities.
So just stick to the term temporarily rehouse.

Another UKIP MEP Jailed for Fraud

To think that earlier this year we Conservatives spent a load of money on extra promotional material across the Borough of Spelthorne, all for a measly 126 extra votes in last June’s elections (as compared with five years before).
In the end too many Tories voted UKIP in the mistaken belief that they were voting for a Party untainted by the MPs’ expenses scandal.
Today former UKIP Member of the European Parliament Tom Wise was jailed for two years for stealing £39,000 worth of parliamentary expenses.
This comes after local UKIP MEP Ashley Mote served a nine-month prison sentence for £67,000 worth of benefit fraud.
It makes you pig sick.

Poverty

How dare people question David Cameron’s integrity on the issue of poverty. The Tories have been tackling poverty since long before the Labour Party came into existence.
Despite Labour’s vast increase in Government spending in the last decade, the gap between rich and poor has at best remained the same over the cycle, and is currently on the increase.
More money now goes out on welfare payments than comes in from income tax alone.
So let the state get of our backs and allow everyone more personal responsibility.

Afghanistan

I was always a bit sceptical about the conflict in Afghanistan, bearing in mind Britain’s chequered history in that country.
At the turn of the century the Taliban regime almost eradicated opium production, but in the last few years it has returned to record levels.
Afghanistan currently produces over 80% of the world’s supply, responsible for 100,000 deaths (far more than have died in the conflict itself). However there are several other poppy growing regions around the world that would take up the slack.
The issue for me is that a lot of the profit from opium production is financing the insurgency. I am no historian, but most wars and conflicts are resolved in the end by economic strength, rather than military might or political will. The loser is often the one for whom the money runs out first.

PS: I very rarely sympathise with Gordon Brown -- in fact the last time was when Osama Bin Laden insulted him -- but he really doesn’t deserve such a hard time for the genuine mistakes in the letter of condolence to Guardsman Jamie Janes’ mother.

Remembrance Sunday

Twelve years ago I was on board Le Truck (a kind of six-wheeled lorry converted into a bus), making it’s way around Moorea, an island in the South Pacific. All of a sudden the thing pulled over and stopped at the roadside.
I checked my watch and it was 11am, and of course it was Tuesday 11th November -- Armistice Day in this French territory. Ever since I have preferred the idea of honouring the fallen on the exact day.
However this Remembrance Sunday there were as many people as ever at the Ashford War Memorial, perhaps 1,500 souls. Far more than could be there on a weekday unless it was a public holiday.
So maybe we have the best of both worlds -- just don't forget to stop for two minutes on Wednesday.

Europe

Seems like the Tory bust up on Europe was a damp squib. You see we really do want to win the Election so much, and Europe is close to the bottom of most people’s priorities.
Funny thing is, we did get some red meat from Cameron, though it was not immediately obvious. Of course a referendum on future treaties is academic because Lisbon allows for greater federalism without the need for any more treaties.
Referenda are only symbolic anyway (except in Switzerland which remains outside the EU), because the result is usually dependent upon the context (i.e. how the question is phrased, and how popular the Government is at the time).
So let’s take heart that a Cameron Government would be the most Eurosceptic since Churchill, and his pledges to return powers over employment legislation, human rights and criminal justice are not empty threats.

Leap of Faith

Whilst I spend this weekend waiting to know if I’m allowed to be a potential parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party, I reckon there are two types of politicians. Those who work together, supporting each other’s prospects, so that genuinely the best person succeeds, and those who work to trash their rivals in trying to further their own personal ambition.