Yesterday we catalogued the undemocratic 'fixes' that characterised the MEP selection process. We are grateful to other bloggers who have come to our support...
"This won’t be picked up on Fleet Street, as MEPs are such a boring business. But it raises serious questions about the Conservatives’ commitment to localism in running the country, if this is how they treat their own party members." - Fraser Nelson
"It is odd to say the Electoral Reform Society oversaw an election
where
candidates were not allowed to campaign, their election addresses were
censored, scrutineers were not allowed at the count, the number of
votes cast for each candidate was not made public, the turnout was not
announced, and the number of spoilt ballot papers was kept secret. The
Conservative Party often sends people abroad to teach third world
political parties how to run elections. I wonder if anyone has been to
North Korea recently... The battle for democracy in European selections
may have been lost this time, but the war has to continue." - Iain Dale
"The Tory modernisers under Cameron have made much of their supposed commitment to devolving power from the centre and seeking to encourage a regeneration of civic society. This is hailed, by some, as the development of an alternative theory of the state and is supposed to be the philosophical centre of gravity of Cameroonism. And then when it comes to the affairs of their own party they indulge in old-fashioned stitch-ups and anti-democratic practices. What does that tell the rest of us about their instincts? Cameron will refuse and hope it goes away, but he should order an internal investigation." - Iain Martin
"ConservativeHome, which is not just the premier Right-of-Centre blog in Britain, but one of the most successful political blogs anywhere, has launched a scathing critique of the system... Not that I’m complaining: I have, after all, just won under these
rules. But I do hope that, when the Conservatives come to repeat this
process in five years’ time, they will apply to their own party the
principles by which they aspire to govern: democracy, transparency and
maximum participation. The purest way to do so would be to hold an open
primary. Failing that, a postal ballot with minimal restrictions." - Dan Hannan MEP
"Conservative Home is telling the inside story of the outrageous way in which Eurofanatics in the Conservative Party have rigged the reselection process for MEPs. The piece records how sitting MEPs escaped democratic scrutiny from the party's member. Read the whole piece and weep." - Richard North, EU Referendum
"Political parties suffer from a declining sense of connection to the public. One of the ways they can overcome that is to rebuild their membership base, reversing decades of decline, and encouraging people to join, and even put themselves forward for public office is a core part of that. If, on the other hand, a remote clique deny ordinary members that right, they perhaps shouldn't be surprised if the politically active go elsewhere to express themselves. I wish Tim Montgomerie and the ConservativeHome participants every good fortune in winning their battle for greater democracy within the Conservative Party. It isn't in anyone's interests to see the politics of the closed shop be successful, regardless of party..." - Liberal Bureaucracy
"It pains me to see the party, of which I am proud to be a member, employing selection processes that would frankly embarass a corrupt dictatorship. This should not be swept under the carpet or dismissed as 'one of those things'. Conservatives should stand up and make clear the way the selections have been handled by CCHQ is unacceptable ." - Cllr Tony Sharp
Thanks too to Jonathan Isaby, Glyn Davies, Guido Fawkes and others for linking. There were also lots of interesting and supportive comments on our post, such as:
- Richard Robinson on the benefits of open democracy
- Association Chairman points out Caroline Abel Smith's role
- John Strafford believes the Chairman should be elected
- Jules notes the lack of any refutation
- Former European Candidate outlines similar problems in the previous selection
- Dontmakemelaugh reveals an extract from The Sport of Foot Shooting
