Since my last update in January I have been busy on a number of projects which I am now able to feed back on below.  Being on the Executive continues to be both rewarding and infuriating in almost equal measures!  I continue to support on a daily basis anyone that has requested help and information and I am usually able to find positive resolutions.  Some of these outcomes also inform improved communication on a wider level for example policy forums – see below.  We have a number of new branches with individuals contacting me from areas where there have not been active branches for a long time.  These people are now pushing not always smoothly but with a determination to succeed.

I have continued to travel around although not as much I would have liked – remember if you need some extra support at an event from a member of the executive – just ask! 

There was a good response to the consultation, it closed at the end of February and it has taken a considerable amount of time to sort through the results before I was able to report back - I am not going to duplicate these results here.

The consultation of CF members was an excellent initiative. The geographic impartiality of the internet, combined with the significant number of responses (768) make its results authoritative. I'm particularly pleased that CF Diary got such a positive rating and that the results have been published here for all members to see. For once we actually have some facts on which to base our opinions on the state of Conservative Future, and I'm sure this and other blogs will digest them over the coming weeks.

Message from Christian Walker (Exec member for Communications):

A big thank you to everyone that replied to the consultation.  The consultation with members was the first for a long time and was carried out with a zero budget but despite the knock-on drawbacks of this in terms of format it has provided information that will inform work this year and next year's NME in addition to the Communication Strategy I have been working on.

There were multiple aims of the consultation including getting people thinking about CF – how it operates, how they can contribute and how they would like to see it develop and also inform membership priorities. 

Until the new membership database is fully operational determining the number of CF members is difficult but it is widely agreed to be around 15,000.  768 replies were received to the consultation therefore it had a response rate of 5%.  Consultations of this sort would hope for a response of between 5% and 10% therefore while the response rate is not great it can be argued it is a representative figure.

Click continue to see the results in detail...

The long-awaited consultation website is now up. It is an excellent initiative - basically a month-long survey asking a number of questions about your experience with CF. I'm having trouble sending my results in though, if you are too it would be useful to let Christian know.

I strongly urge you to have your say on it, its results - to be published on CF Diary in a month will be very interesting indeed. While you're in the survey groove, have a go at this month's ConHome survey as well!

Message from Christian Walker (Exec member for Communications):

"I'm delighted to be able to launch a period of consultation for Conservative Future with its members - the first for a number of years.  Since its creation in 1998 CF has evolved into an impressive political youth movement now with an estimated 20,000 members that is progressively gaining the respect it has earned and continues to deserve.  However no organisation stands still and CF needs to constantly review and adapt when necessary to represent the face of the party’s future.  To this end www.cfconsultation.co.uk allows people to have their say.  It is of course never possible to cover everyone’s number one issue however the comments boxes provided allow for this inevitable frustration. 

Please also note that this consultation exercise has been produced at zero cost to the membership.  It will also not only inform the current National Management Executive but also those in years to come with the format established to allow for future more regular member feedback.  While delivering every request will be impossible we hope that this consultation also inspires debate about CF – what it represents, how it functions and its purpose and more importantly how the membership can contribute to this delivery.

All Area Chairmen have been asked to forward on details to their members and it will be advertised in the next Bulletin.  Following the closure of the consultation a summary of results will of course be made public to further fuel the aforementioned on going CF debate."

I got in trouble by disagreeing with an article on this blog promoting the use of newspapers on campus to influence student opinion. Not that newspapers are such a bad idea – I wrote for Student Direct in Manchester - but the thought of CF branches finding the start up costs, investing the time and running the risk of debt or libel suit fills me with dread.

Winning the battle on campus is important. Students comprise 49% of active members of CF. More importantly however, the political opinions formed there will last a lifetime. Hence the number of strong Thatcherites honed by the campus battles of the 80s, and the general apathy of the grown-up students of the Major era towards Conservatism.

Winning the culture wars is key, but newspapers, except those funded by an obliging Student Union, are a bad idea. The solution? Need you ask? You’re reading it…