It’s a difficult time for Tory members. Down to barely 123,000 at the last count, the annual conference passed off well, given the circumstances. But while Kemi Badenoch’s speech received a thumbs up from the commentariat, those running local groups continue to complain of problems. For a leaked recording has revealed what senior members and councillors really think of their party.
A fortnight ago, Tory group leaders, councillors and activists turned up to speak at a members-only Conservative party conference event titled ‘Local Government Selection Rules – consultation with Association Officers and members of the CCA’. The quotes offer some classics of the ‘disgruntled Tories’ genre. According to one member, the party is saddled with ‘too much centralism, democratic centralism – which is a Communist party concept – and we need to get rid of it.’
Discussing selections, a council group leader complained that he was not allowed a role in selecting candidates. Speaking of ‘the preposterousness of not allowing the group leader to have a vote, and a say’, the man argued that he ‘had candidates who are the laziest, most useless candidates who never go to an event… he’s a lazy bastard’. He went on to suggest that only if there are no good local candidates should the Tory party open up selections ‘to some sort of fair process’, and argued that putting candidates ‘in front of local members’ for approval was to ‘demean them’.
Another group leader complained that he had no ability to ‘veto’ some of the ‘wastrels’ coming forward to stand as councillors. These comments provoked a furious backlash from another member of the audience. Slamming the two previous speakers, she said that ‘I didn’t really like the idea that we should have some kind of nepotism, that doesn’t seem to be the Conservative way to me.’ She went on:
This isn’t the time of Cardinal Wolsey, we’re the Conservative party! What about meritocracy? Let’s show people why they should be good councillors, why they should should want to be Conservative councillors, so we’re not scrabbling around finding the right people and tapping people on the shoulder like it’s MI5 at Oxford.
Talk about happy families eh? Good luck fielding full slates next May…
Comments