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UPDATED! Memories of Maggie - a very special evening

April 26, 2014, 8:52 am
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STOP PRESS: Iain Dale has just been in touch to say he would like to donate 100 copies of his book "Memories of Maggie" which we can sell at the event to raise money for Tracey Crouch's GE Campaign. 

The book contains stories and recollections from world leaders, members of her various governments, friends, staff and family. It is a super book, I bought a personal copy when it was first published, and includes a contribution from Sir John. From memory, Sir John's contribution is about a time he left two pages of an important speech behind, and stood in horror in the wings, unable to warn her that the pages were missing as she had already commenced delivery. His heart was pounding as she approached the missing pages, fearing she would stumble. But her impeccable memory won the day - she carried regardless, without pausing, delivering the two missing pages verbatim from memory. 

This is a wonderfully generous gesture from a man who has been an outstanding supporter of C&A and Tracey Crouch since her selection.  Thank you Iain!



What an exciting evening this promises to be. If anyone would like to come, please let me know by email to tonbridgeconservatives@gmail.com







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Tea and Buns for the workers!

April 28, 2014, 11:12 am
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West Kent Towers has been buzzing all day with envelope writers - in total 32 people in 4 hour shifts with eight people per shift. In fact, the evening shift are still here. It was a bit chaotic at times when shifts changed, especially as most helpers came early - but between us we have hand written 8,000 envelopes! Whether anyone will be able to read the addresses is another matter.

Just as the Romans kept the crowds onside with Bread and Circuses, so we provided Tea and Buns. In fact, so many buns were consumed I had to replenish stocks at 3pm!

Buns for the workers
It's quite amusing how campaigning (like so much else in life) is cyclical. I remember the deep joy 25 years ago when word processing made envelope writing redundant. Here we are, a generation later, hand writing again! 

So a big thank you to the workers - here is the late afternoon shift, hard at work.



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Keeping the blue flag flying in a sea of scarlet red

April 28, 2014, 11:00 pm
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I want to say how delighted and impressed I am that Conservative Associations in some of the toughest areas of London (politically speaking) are fielding full slates of candidates. 

I know hard we sometimes have to work in Kent to find candidates for leafy villages and towns, so to identify, train and nominate 50,60 or 70 candidates in Newham or Tottenham is a real achievement. 

So, without wishing to sound patronising, well done to people like Chris Buckwell and Justin Hinchliffe (to name but two) for keeping the blue flag flying in some of our most challenging council wards.
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My blood ran cold. Which candidate could write such a thing...

April 29, 2014, 3:46 pm
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Jon and I were proof reading 36 individual election manifestos. It's a painful process. 

We have developed a system for this. We each read half of them, then pass our corrected galleys to the other, so we can cross check each others corrections. This normally happens in an atmosphere of silence - two colleagues working away, respectful of each other's space and need to concentrate. 

Suddenly, from the silence, Jon spoke.

"What's a paedo meter?"

AK: I thought I had misheard. "Sorry, Jon - what's a what...?"

JB: "A paedo meter? What's a paedo meter...?"

My blood ran cold. Which candidate could write such a thing? In what context was it written?

AK: "Jon, say it again, slowly..."

JB: "A paedo meter".

AK: "Oh God. Jon, can you read me the whole sentence. In what exact context has it been used..?"

JB: "My trusty paedo meter testifies that every week I must walk 100 miles around the ward, meeting residents and delivering my regular newsletters." 

A wave of relief washed over me. 

"Pedometer, Jon!     P - E - D- O - M - E - T - E - R.
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The first West Kent Business Plan

April 30, 2014, 4:10 pm
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Last night was the AGM of the West Kent Executive.


"I was just saying to a colleague at CCHQ how nice it was to spend an evening
with a group who were wholly positive about the future."
- Senior CCHQ Staffer 

The West Kent Executive is the Management Committee for the West Kent Group. It comprises of two representatives from each member Association (normally the Chairman and Treasurer). The West Kent Group meets as and when needed, but it's annual meeting must be held by the end of April, after each member Association has held its own AGM. 

The West Kent Executive has no legal basis within the Party Constitution; its authority rests on the Memorandum of Understanding, which has been adopted by the Member Associations. At the AGM the members elect a Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer, who in effect manage the operation. It is akin to a Board of Directors with me as the CEO. There is also a Staffing Committee to handle pay, appraisals, recruitment and disciplinary issues. 

The Interim Officers (elected last year to oversee the set-up) were unanimously re-elected for 2014. They are:

Chairman: William Rutherford (TW)
Vice Chairman: John Wilson (M&TW)
Treasurer: Allan Sullivan (C&A)

Staffing Committee: William Rutherford, John Wilson, Adrian Gulvin (C&A), Nick de Wiggondene (F&MK) and Alan Bristow (T&M). 

The other members of the West Kent Executive are: Jacques Arnold (T&M), Chris Garland (M&TW), Dave Street (TW) and Patrik Garten (F&MK). Ten in total.

A good, positive working relationship has developed between all five Associations and all ten members of the Management Committee. There is no grandstanding or peacocking; and long may that continue. Yes, there are differences - but these issues are addressed in the hope and expectation of finding a solution, rather than to produce a victor. Long may that continue, too.

Following the AGM attention focussed on our Business Development Plan. One of the joys of the way West Kent is constituted is it enshrines the absolute independence of each member Association; nothing is imposed. The plan was therefore more like an A La Carte menu which each Association could choose from; obviously benefiting from economies of scale from wider participation. I was therefore pleased at the almost unanimous buy-in from all Associations. 

The major projects are therefore as follows:


1. New helper recruitment campaign, spearheaded by our MPs. This will include a personalised mailshot to approximately 15,000 supporters in each constituency requesting assistance as we prepare for the GE (window / garden poster sites - newsletter delivery). The letter will not request money. New helpers will be personally contacted by a local co-ordinator and invited to a helpers Christmas Drinks party to cement their support. 
2. Each association will be targeting pledges in target wards (by phone) to build-up delivery networks. 
3. Teams put together by each DC Membership will be using the Phone Bank to contact every lapsed member to see if they will rejoin, then every donor to see if they would like to enrol as a member.  
4. Following Chatham & Aylesford's example last year, when they raised over £3,000 on the Christmas Draw by writing to pledges, this will be rolled-out across West Kent for Christmas 2014. Also, to overcome the lack of local winners with the NCDS draw, we are also implementing a local draw for "raffle ticket sellers" - with 20 local prizes.This will guarantee local winners and give people "two draws for the price of one". 
5. The Group also agreed to host a Champagne and Canapés reception in November (tbc) with a target of raising £5,000 for two nearby 40:40 seats. This support is in addition to our three coach-loads to Eastbourne to support Caroline Ansell.

So there we are - energy, commitment, planning for expansion and using our strength to work for the benefit of the Party. This is what can be achieved by working together; it really is the way forward.  
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The glamour of a builder's bucket for a sink!

May 1, 2014, 10:09 am
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It was all hands on deck this week having found out at a very late stage that one of our local councils was sending out their postal votes (14,000 of them) a week earlier than anticipated, and a week before the planned date listed on the Electoral Commission's website. 

As a consequence, rather than having 10 days to print and pack thousands of letters for postal voters, we had just three days - with everything being brought forward a week. This included printing all the local manifesto leaflets (20 versions) plus printing and mailmerging the letter for postal voters, packing them into envelopes in getting them onto the doormats before the ballot paper arrived. 



Firstly, my thanks must go to Jon Botten who went "above and beyond the call of duty" to help get everything ready. We were here from 8am - 10pm, including working over the weekend, too. Also to our printer, Jason Allen of DA Printers in Rochester, who cleared the decks and worked around the clock to design, print and fold our leaflets at such short notice. And most importantly of all, to a small army of helpers who worked in shifts to ensure every envelope was packed and sorted. In total, over 30 volunteers came into the office over a two day period, with help coming from four West Kent Associations. Teamwork at its best!


As well as keeping the riso-graph going at full speed, and feeding three laser printers, I also ended-up tea boy and washer-up in chief. Sadly, West Kent Towers does not have a kitchen, so an impromptu black bucket has come the sink. 
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Iain Dale and his very large box

May 1, 2014, 11:34 am
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I was tempted to say packet, but thought that would be a tad smutty. 

Seven very large boxes arrived at West Kent Towers today, between them containing 100 copies of Iain's book "Memories of Maggie". These have been very generously donated by Iain to be sold at the Tonbridge and Malling's "Memories of Maggie" evening a week on Friday. See HERE for further details.

The books are to be sold to raise funds for Tracey Crouch's GE campaign.

There is still very limited space available - but if any reader would like to attend this event, please email tonbridgeconservatives@gmail.com to reserve a seat.  It is free to attend, but we are asking for a donation of £5 to cover the cost of hiring the venue and the refreshments. 


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Who said the Conservative Party was devoid of Aesthetes

May 2, 2014, 2:02 am
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Just come across this gem on an In Touch newsletter...  


"My promise is simple, 
But for that it is true
I am a community champion,
Fighting for you."

Never knew we had such artistic talent in the Party.
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That's a long one !

May 2, 2014, 8:30 am
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A resident has recently contacted WK Towers regarding the EU ballot paper, wanting a bit more information on how the (D'Hondt) system worked and what the ballot paper might look like. 

I sent her a link to the D'Hondt website (having found it almost impossible to express the system in simple terms). I then Googled "EU Ballot paper" to see if I could find an example to show her.  Much to my surprise, up came a photograph of me, holding-up my 2009 EU ballot paper.  It was on Iain Dale's blog. You cannot actually see me - but it is me! The picture on the wall is one of Steve's creations. 


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We mustn't allow ourselves to be defined by UKIP's anger, intolerance and fear

May 3, 2014, 3:33 pm
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Matthew Parris wrote movingly in today's Times about how his eastern European cleaner would have felt had she read the UKIP leaflet lying on his doormat. His article exhorted David Cameron and the Conservative Party to FIGHT UKIP, FIGHT THEIR LIES. FIGHT THEM NOW. 

I couldn't agree more. 

Up to three or four years ago I had empathy with UKIP. I would never have voted for them, but I understood why people did. I have never liked Nigel Farage's world of black and white certainties, but he spoke for millions whose concerns about the EU were not being addressed by the mainstream parties. 

My empathy with the "better off out" brigade comes from within; I am fundamentally one of them. I have been opposed to the EU since before it was fashionable or trendy, though I don't allow the issue to define me.  Too many election defeats based on a platform of Europhobia have left me not only bruised but also realistic about the issue's resonance beyond the hard core. My last post of Europe, written nearly a year ago at the time of James Wharton's Referendum Bill sums up my position nicely : HERE

My opposition to the EU however is not an emotional response based on patriotism or fear of the unknown. I oppose it because I simply believe it is doomed to fail. The history of the 20th century is littered with the economic (and too often human) scars of mankind's attempts to control the free markets; Bretton Woods, the Gold Standard, the ERM and of course EMU. Each failed and left behind a legacy of debt, misery, depression, and even bloodshed and conflict. Yet we make the same mistakes again. 

And this is the root of my opposition to UKIP. 

I believe millions of people oppose the EU and EMU not because of the emotional arguments - but for economic and social reasons. But UKIPs Little Englander populism is not only hijacking the issue, but by linking them to the faux outrage of the Daily Mail leader columns, they are making it increasingly difficult to defend, define and spread the very rational arguments for leaving which will be vital in order to win in any future referendum. 

Just because I oppose European Union it doesn't mean I fear foreigners. I don't - in fact the opposite is true. As a free market Libertarian I welcome the free movement of people and I love living in a modern, progressive multi-faith and multi-cultural society.  

I don't for one moment believe that UKIP supporters are all racists or hompohobes. Nor do I believe Mr Farage is. In fact, I actually think some of the attacks have gone too far, and are probably reinforcing the conspiratorial views of their supporters. But what is certain, the language they use (and I see no evidence of them trying to moderate it) is designed to appeal to very demographic they claim to eschew.  The type of voter who affects a cloak of moderation with "some of my best friends are gay" and "I am not a racist but" before launching into a blistering attack on the latest threat *queers *coloureds *Romanians *gypsies *single parents (*delete as appropriate) pose to society. 

And that is why I dislike UKIP; with their shrill narrative of "take back control of our country" they are stigmatising tens of millions of people who don't fit into their self defined world view. And in doing so they are poisoning the well for moderate Eurscepticism.

And that is why Matthew Paris is right. We must fight them. Fight their lies. Fight them now. 

UKIP's moons are in alignment. The EU elections are co-terminus with the local elections at a time when they are at their highest in the polls and trust in politics remains weak. The mood music for UKIP has never been better. Yet even now, with all these factors in their favour, they are still likely to poll 30% of the votes at a 35% turnout.

In other words, at their strongest, nearly 90% of British voters don't want anything to do with them. 

Those in my party who believe we should adopt the UKIP narrative are wrong. We won't win the middle ground (the 90% who will have no truck with UKIP) with dog whistle gestures. 

We are fundamentally a decent, moderate, honourable and generous nation. The next generation are more multicultural, socially liberal and laissez faire than their grandparents would think possible. A few weeks ago I wrote about our three intern applicants who all argued furiously with Tom Tugendhat when he played 'devil's advocate' and pretended he was against equal marriage; they were all quite simply baffled and incredulous that anyone should hold such a view. 

The biggest mistake the Conservative Party could possible make is to allow ourselves to be defined by UKIPs narrative of anger, intolerance and fear.
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Take no notice of this notice

May 5, 2014, 1:24 pm
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The one issue which causes more grief and anguish between our candidates and their agent is the production of window posters for local elections. Or not, if I have my way!

I stress local elections because for a General Election I hold a different view. For Parliamentary campaigns a strong poster display is vital for all the reasons I believe they should not be used locally. At a General Election we are not fighting a battle of differential turnout; everyone who has any desire to vote will do so. 

Although I am passionate about my tribe, and go out to win every single campaign, I approach campaigning in an unemotional way. I am an apparatchik, fully signed up to my friend and colleague Louise Parry's view that winning elections isn't difficult, it's just hard work.  

For me, winning an election is not an emotional battle, but a mathematical exercise. If we need 1,200 votes to win a ward, we must identify 2,000 pledges, as I know we can get 60% of them to vote. However, to increase the pledge turnout to 60% we must also do (x) (y) and (z) on certain dates leading up to the poll. If we have identified our pledge target and have delivered (x) (y) and (z) we will almost certainly win the poll. 

Candidates, however, look upon a campaign from an understandably different perspective. A candidate, especially if an incumbent, is emotionally involved with the issues, as often they have helped develop the policies and wrestled with the alternatives. It is therefore natural that a candidate wishes to promote their achievements, argue for their success and defend their record. That's why candidates will spend so long on every doorstep as they engage with voters and try to persuade the doubtful of the righteousness of their view. 

For me, canvassing is a dry, information-gathering exercise. Personally, I don't really give two hoots about the council's plastic recycling rates or how many miles of cycling lanes there are. What I want are ticked boxes and straightforward quantitative data. 

This is why when canvassing a candidate will always look crestfallen when a voter is an opposition pledge; to them it's a personal rejection. To me, however, a firm Labour or Lib Dem pledge is just as satisfying as a firm Conservative one. Knowing who isn't going to vote for us is just as useful as knowing who will. 

And this is the nub of the never ending arguments about window posters!

When the turnout is 30% - 35% the candidate who wins is the one who is able to 

(a) maximise turnout of their supporters and, just as importantly, and 
(b) not give their opposition a reason to come and vote against them.  

Therefore, the real skill of a campaigner is to know who you need to target, which messages they will respond to, and who to avoid as doing so will irritate them and increase the chances they will come out and vote against you. 

And that is exactly why I don't like window posters or loudspeaker cars. They are indiscriminate. Their use may well cheer up 'our' people, but they anger the supporters of our opposition, and probably do as much harm as good in driving turnout. After all, if we have done our job properly, we should know who our supporters are and can then write, email and visit them to remind them to vote. Why on earth should we spend good hard earned money on shiny blue posters to remind every passing Lib Dem to vote against us? 

Candidates will almost always disagree - and I will stamp my foot and turn purple as I explain yet again that I am not being mean or unhelpful; I am simply trying to help them win.  

But one statistic is worth remembering; the borough in Kent which has produced the strongest local election results at every poll in the last decade is Tonbridge & Malling - where never a window poster has been seen!
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Two become three! Welcoming Matt Boughton to the West Kent Team.

May 6, 2014, 10:43 am
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UPDATED - see below!



We were delighted to welcome our full time intern Matt Boughton to the West Kent team today.

Matt is actually seconded to Tom Tugendhat's Parliamentary Campaign (in fact, his salary is being covered by a donation specifically given for this purpose). However, he is a welcome addition to our team and will be a huge asset to both Tom's campaign and the office. 

Matt will be well-known to many local members as he has been a successful Chairman of Kent CF for the last 18 months, overseeing the growth in branches and activists across the county. Matt has just completed his course at University of Sussex, reading politics. 

Welcome Matt - good to have you on board!

I am grateful to Mr Steve Bell, Senior Vice President of the National Party, for this helpful addition to this blog post.

"Good luck Matt, you'll need it...
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The Election Fairy

May 7, 2014, 3:53 am
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Overheard from the envelope packers working away next door, 

"I don't think new candidates appreciate how hard work elections are."
"No, I suspect they think the 'Election Fairy' does it all"

Pause, as the penny dropped... "In our case, he does" 

Cue raucous laughter. 

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Nothing worse than dry flaps

May 7, 2014, 4:16 am
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Hot on the heels of the Election Fairy, I have just over-heard the following gem...

Today's packing team: Owen Baldock, Chris Baldock, Vivian Branson, Brenni Wilson, Barbara Cobbold and Bill Hills.
Out of photo: David Cure, Thelma Huggett, David Godfrey, Glynis Coates and Gill Levine

Packer #1 : I do like these new envelopes he has given us.

Packer #2 : Yes, they look a bit pricey, though.

Packer #1 : Last week I had very dry flaps. Made the job very difficult.

Packer #3 : Not as bad as last year's raffle - we had to lick the flaps to seal.

Packer #1 : Mustn't complain, at least the office doesn't smell of damp dog and fag smoke like the old days. 




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Weigjht loss - one last push to raise £3,000!

May 7, 2014, 7:19 am
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It's been a while since I have updated readers about progress of my sponsored slim. 

The good news is I lost a further 5lb last week (after 2 weeks of no change). Not only great for moral but also takes me down to 18 stone 1 pound; a total loss of 3 stone and 10lb since I began the diet on 1 January - and just 4lb away from my target!



Thanks to the generosity of our members and donors, I have raised almost £2,500 for Party funds.  I am grateful to the West Kent Chairman, William Rutherford, who is making one final push to help me reach £3,000 by the end of May (see below). I have already raised sufficient money to pay for the installation of a ten-line Phone Bank at Campaign HQ. I am now hoping to raise a bit more to cover the running costs up to the General Election. 

If you have not yet sponsored me and would like to do so, please email westkentconservatives@gmail.com with your name and the amount you would like to sponsor me for.

Thank you. 


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Thank you, Mr Browning !

May 8, 2014, 5:49 am
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There are a group of people who are as affected by politics and campaigning as much as we are, but more often than not they never chose to be, and often have no interest or involvement. I am talking about our wives / husbands and partners. 

My long-suffering partner Steve has put up with my politics for 12 years now, without complaint. He often tells the story of how, on our first date, I spoke passionately about Libertarianism and how, in the UK, we have coalitions within political parties.  I remember him looking interested and nodding enthusiastically, which probably encouraged me to talk about it even more. I only found out years later that he didn't have a clue what I was prattling on about!

The consequences of being married to a politician or an apparatchik is often higher than many of us realise. Whilst we engage with voters, attend evening meetings, stop off for post-canvassing beer or work late night after night and most weekends too, our partners are left alone at home. This struck-home a few years ago when the weekend after polling day I apologised to Steve for being exhausted and not wanting to do anything. "Don't worry love, it's just lovely to have you back." 

It cannot be any fun for our non-political partners to live with someone who leaves home at 7am and returns at 10pm and are seldom seen at weekends either. Even on "days off" we spend our time semi-detached; more focused on our Blackberries and emails than life around us. Admittedly, the two months leading to elections are worst, but I suspect we're not the easiest people to live with any time!

So here is a thank you to Steve Browning for his love and support. 
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Dropping onto doormats now!

May 9, 2014, 7:41 am
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Now that is dropping through doormats, I thought you might like to see some of our election literature in Tunbridge Wells. 

Here are our SYWO cards



And the manifesto (obviously pages one and four changing for each candidate




Last week, the Planning Inspector gave the go-ahead for dualling the A21, a major local issue for people in West Kent and Tunbridge Wells in particular. Within 36 hours 30,000 localised leaflets celebrating the announcement were dropping on doormats.




More to follow - when the time is right ;)
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The Election Fairy strikes again!

May 9, 2014, 8:29 am
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Following Wednesday's "Election Fairy" comment, which appears to have caught the imagination of our members (they really need to get out more), I now have to endure the Maidstone Chairman, John Wilson (and his wife Brenni) bringing in gifts with "Election Fairy" gift tags!

 
Though the content of said bag was a welcome addition to my Friday afternoon!


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Memories of Maggie

May 10, 2014, 5:01 am
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Forty footsore activists made their way to Tonbridge Castle after canvassing last night, to hear Sir John Stanley recall his personal "Memories of Maggie". Sir John was Mrs Thatcher's PPS from 1976 to 1979 and then served in her three governments as Minister for Housing & Construction, Minister for the Armed Forces and finally as Minister for Northern Ireland. 
Iain Dale kindly donated copies of his book "Memories of Margaret Thatcher"
the sale of which raised £300 for Tracey Crouch's Campaign Fund
 
Sir John spoke movingly about some of the less known and little publicised acts of kindness from Mrs Thatcher, which seldom made the headlines; personal notes and cards to staff and their families at times of sadness or celebration, and a fierce private loyalty to her team.

Sir John was asked about any "amusing incidents" from his time as her PPS. He told of her visit to China in 1979, which coincided with the downfall of the "Gang of Four" and the end of the Cultural Revolution. Though only Leader of the Opposition at that time. Mrs Thatcher's visit was the most high profile for many years and she was awarded all the pomp of a Head of State, with armed police escorts, flashing motorcades and private trains. The Chinese authorities were keen to use the visit to draw a line in the sand under the Cultural Revolution and used every opportunity to blame the Gang of Four for the countries woes. At a steelworks, the low production was down to "than Gang of Four's inability to mine sufficient iron ore". At the Beijing shipyards, slow progress was blamed on "the Gang of Four's poor naval architectural skills" and so on. On the final day, they visited a factory which made hand-spun Chinese silk. The work was so fine and precise that the spinners produced, on average, about 4 square inches per day. "I wonder how the Gang of Four will be blamed for this", said Sir John.  Right in cue, the official government guide introduced himself, and said,"regrettably, due to the Gang of Four's policies, silk worms are not producing silk as fast as they did before the Cultural Revolution hence the slow progress of this factory...

Sir John also let slip (though I suspect not accidentally) "when I leave politics and start writing down my thoughts..."  Is there an autobiography or memoirs in the offing? I do hope so.

The event also raised £300 for Tracey Crouch's election campaign thanks to the generosity of Iain Dale, who donated copies of his book Memories of Margaret Thatcher, which includes a contribution from Sir John entitled "The Best Boss I Ever Had".

Owen and Chris Baldock with their "Maggie's a Winner" thumb
from the 1983 Rally at Wembley Arena.

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Almost there! 2 lb to go.

May 10, 2014, 5:41 am
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Long days and pounding the streets has given new impetus to my sponsored slim of late; last week I recorded a 5lb loss and this week I shed a further 2lb, bringing me to a total loss since 1 January of 3 stone and 12lb.
 
I am now just 2lb away from my target!


 
 
 
 
  
 























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