Another vindication of open primaries

Austin Barry

Fred's daughter was always going to win. We love celebrity, particularly when it is blond and female.

Holly ......

I loved Fred.
HOW?

Vulture

Glad that chinless wonder Lord Bethell didn't win it. If ever there was an out-of-touch Tory toff he is it - and there are far too many of his ilk in Dave's party already.

Watt Tyler

Yeah, no, call me an old traditionalist (or just call me someone who doesn't like spin - take your pick), but I just noticed that she is married to a man named Carlos, and she seems to be using the surname of her celebrity dad.

Now, having invited judgement, I now have to say that this isn't about her womens rights.

Yeah, I think she is absolutely the right sort of material for David Camerons New Conservative party.

steveal

I thought you spell it Dibnah - Fred Dibnah?

Holly ......

Verity,
What you are saying is downright nameist!
How do you think I fared at school this time of year? Did I change my name? NO.
I am just grateful Mr Holly's surname is not tree or bush.
This is the same troll like attitude to the Eton rubbish.
People do not name themselves at birth.
Maybe Sam Gyimah is very proud of her name & achievements and so she should be.
You are a disgrace.
You would do well to look up the meaning of your name and react accordingly?

Sir Graphus

The drawbacks to open primaries are:
(a) low turnout, which means an energetic or well sponsored campaign can skew the results
(b) you might elect local celebrities, or highly parochial people, who know an awful lot about the local hospital or the standard of bus services. All well and good, but that’s not what you elect MPs to do. They must decide on national issues; whether to go to war, whether the budget ought to be passed. They should be of a calibre that could run a major ministry. We’re a bit short of big beasts in Parliament, and this process doesn’t tend to find them.

David Ossitt

This is so funny; go to:-

Portsmouth North Conservatives - Photo Gallery - Photo Gallery

/www.pennymordaunt.com/bigpics/raceforlife.jpg>Penny (and Caroline Dinenage) enter the "Race

There you will see clear evidence that she is able to stand in front of all sorts of buildings to be photographed.

I suspect that she isn’t very good at anything else.

David Ossitt

Verity

"And is "Sam" short for Samantha? Otherwise, how did a man manage to sneak in to a Cameron-Conservative short list?"

Simple; he is a black African.

I'm therealVerity

Peace, friends.

Our sister Verity suffers greatly and is not to be blamed for her afflictions. Please treat her as you would any damaged mind.

Verity, peace be upon you. I shall burn candles all night and chant for you, that your problems may ease.

namaste to you, my sister, namaste.

Snowman

Sir Graphus @ 3.19:

You obviously don’t share the sentiment of William F. Buckley, the one who maintained that ‘he would rather be ruled by 100 people taken at random from the Boston telephone directory than by the faculty of Harvard University.’

I do, and would emphasize the word random.

Seriously now, can you honestly believe that 635 random Ken Dodds in the House would mess things up any more? You see, but add to it the unceasing laughter and the boundless merriment and the joyful frolicking…

denis cooper

Holly

I once knew somebody who had married a Mr Grove and become Mrs O Groves, and yes her Christian name was Olive.

denis cooper

I note that Eric Pickles referred to:

" ... an all-postal primary which really does give power to the people."

OK, so precisely what power does it really give to the people?

Well, it really gives the people the power to decide which of four individuals, carefully pre-selected and short-listed by the Tory party machine, shall be endorsed as the official Tory candidate for the general election.

Which is a very small measure of power indeed given to the people, compared to the power retained by Eric Pickles on behalf of the party leadership.

It could be increased, by allowing the people to nominate alternative potential candidates in addition to those short-listed by the party, but that is not on the agenda.

And if the Tory candidate was subsequently elected as an MP, the views of the people in her constituency would count for nothing compared to the views of the Tory party leadership as communicated by the whips.

Whipping should be stopped, but that essential reform is also not on the Tory agenda.

And however dissatisfied the people became with her performance, they would have no way to force her to resign before the end of her five year term so that they could have the chance of electing somebody else - not unless the Prime Minister decided to call an early general election.

Now, that really would be giving power to the people, but that's another reform which is not on the Tory agenda.

The way some people talk about the introduction of primaries for the selection of Tory candidates one might think that it was a major, even historic, constitutional development - perhaps not as important as Magna Carta or even the Bill of Rights, but certainly ranking above the Great Reform Act.

I wouldn't like to think that the Tories are using them as a distraction, as a kind of hollow substitute for the real reforms we need.

David Ossitt

I'm therealVerity

“Peace, friends”

We are not your friends; you’re asinine post will not win you any friends.

However; misusing the name ‘Verity’, the name of a lady who is a much admired regular contributor to these blogs, might well have made you a few enemies.

I'm therealVerity

Where there is love, there can be no enemies, David.

I shall light another candle. Tell me you're (do you prefer that way of spelling it, Davie?) favorite scent. I think it's daisy. Am I right?

Verity

David O - Thank you for the gallant defence, sir, but I hear the husky, breathy delivery of the female impersonator here. He won't stick around.

JohnAnt

Surely they had to choose a woman. The menfolk of Gosport were where they usually are of an evening.
Anyway, she looks very wholesome. Has she done anything in life, apart from being a local councillor? Any business experience? Any ideas? I mean, apart from the usual 'determination to demand more government resources for this hard-working community where insufficient NHS/police/education services desperately need more urgent....' etc etc
Or is she just more blonde cannon fodder for the Cameroonies?