Gazette

Former Conservative MP and MSP Phil Gallie has died

By Jonathan Isaby

News has just reached me that the former Conservative MP Phil Gallie died suddenly on Monday night, aged 71.

Educated at Dunfermline High School, he became an apprentice electrical fitter at Rosyth Dockyard and went on to work for the Electricity Supply Industry, working his way up from the shop floor through engineer grades to become a power station manager prior to his election to Parliament.

He held office in the Conservative Party at all levels, serving as a councillor in Cunninghame in the early 1980s and being a constituency and area chairman. He unsuccessfully contested Westminster seats at the 1983 and 1987 elections before being returned to the Commons as MP for Ayr in 1992, winning by a majority of a mere 85 votes.

After losing the seat in 1997, he became a vice-chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, and was then elected to the Scottish Parliament for the South of Scotland region at the 1999 election and again in 2003, serving as the party's spokesman on constitutional affairs.

He stood down from Holyrood in 2007, but remained active in politics.

Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie has issued the following tribute:

“Phil was that rare breed of politician: admired by friend and foe alike and a tireless advocate for the people of his beloved Ayr, his Party and Scotland. No one who knew Phil will ever forget the passion and enthusiasm he brought to everything he did.

“Phil was a great family man and his care and love for his late wife Marion as she battled with illness was humbling and inspiring to us all. He will be sorely missed by his children Kirsteen and Craig, and his grandchildren.

“He leaves a gap in our lives. I have lost a friend and Scotland has lost a shining example of a true public servant, someone who cared deeply about people and loved his Country.”

Roger Helmer steps down as Honorary Chairman of the Freedom Association

By Jonathan Isaby

It was only reading the latest issue of Freedom Today, the journal of the Freedom Association, that I was sorry to learn that Roger Helmer MEP recently stepped down as its Honorary Chairman "on doctor's orders".

He had served in that role since April 2007, during which time the TFA - under the energetic directorship of Simon Richards - has grown and been thriving as a campaigning organisation.

Simon said:

"It was with great regret that we accepted Roger's resignation and I would like to thank him for the superb work he has done on our behalf. It has been an immense pleasure to work with a man so committed to freedom in so many areas."

Roger is replaced as Hon Chairman by Professor Tim Congdon, who was last year defeated for the UKIP leadership, although he will remain on the TFA Council.

William Hague meets John Howard during Australian visit

Tim Montgomerie

WILLIAM HAGUE WITH FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER, JOHN HOWARD, YESTERDAY.

William Hague is downunder, undertaking the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary to one of our nation's greatest friends and allies since 1994. Not one of Labour's Foreign Secretaries bothered. Extraordinary.

There is a report on the visit from the BBC's Nick Bryant here. It has the appropriate title Ending the diplomatic neglect.

DEFENCE SECRETARY LIAM FOX IS TRAVELLING WITH MR HAGUE. THEY ARE PICTURED ABOVE MEETING THEIR COUNTERPARTS, STEPHEN SMITH AND KEVIN RUDD.

Lord Ashcroft's tribute to "50 Great Heroes"

Tim Montgomerie

In a special supplement in The Sunday Telegraph, Lord Ashcroft pays tribute to some of the bravest people in our nation's history. In an introduction he writes:

"Courage is a truly wonderful quality yet it is so difficult to understand. Those who display it are, quite rightly, looked up to by others and are admired by society. Wiser men than me have struggled to comprehend gallantry and what makes some individuals risk the greatest gift of all – life itself – for a comrade, for Queen and country, or sometimes even for a complete stranger. Brigadier Sir John “Jackie” Smyth, Bt, VC, MC, was the founder, first chairman and – after Sir Winston Churchill – the president of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association. With typical wisdom, he once wrote: “Who can say whether it takes more courage to attack an angry bull elephant with a spear, than to disarm a very sensitive mine, or to have your toenails pulled out and still disclose nothing, or to dive into a burning aircraft to try to pull out members of the crew when the rescuer was well aware that the plane was carrying bombs which might explode at any moment.”

Read the profiles of "fifty great heroes"; winners of the Victoria Cross, George Cross and other honours.

Aidan Burley appointed PPS to Philip Hammond

By Jonathan Isaby

It was announced last night that Aidan Burley - the Conservative MP elected last year for Cannock Chase on the biggest swing of any new MP - has been appointed parliamentary private secretary to Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary. He replaces Lee Scott, who resigned before Christmas in order to abstain on the vote on tuition fees.

Aidan's first job in politics back in 2002 was in fact working as researcher to none other than... Philip Hammond, when he was trade and industry spokesman in opposition.

Congratulations to him on his appointment.

> ConHome covered the last clutch of PPS appointments in November here.

John O'Sullivan remembers David Hart, the libertarian campaigner who helped Margaret Thatcher win the miners' strike

The Downing Street telephone operator was, as always, exquisitely polite: “Mr. O’Sullivan, may I ask if you are expecting a Mr. Hart?”

“No, I don’t think so. Doesn’t ring a bell, I’m afraid. Oh, hang on. Would that be one David Hart? It would. Oh, my goodness, is he actually here, I mean, in the building?”

“Yes, he is. He’s in the front hall in fact, and he says he’s here to discuss a speech for the Prime Minister with you.”

“Then I suppose I’m expecting him.”

Down in the hall, David Hart squirmed impatiently in an armchair with the detectives lurking nearby just to make sure. On that occasion he wasn’t wearing what Ferdy Mount in his wonderful memoir, “Cold Cream,” claims was the fashion he pioneered: namely a three-piece pinstripe suit worn with tennis shoes. Even conventionally clad, however, David made a vibrant and sometimes a clashing impression. He always came on blazing.

So it seemed odd to me that he was slightly furtive this time. He jumped up, pumped my hand, muttered something about coming “as quickly as he could” in a conspiratorial manner, and more or less escorted me forcibly to the lift. Once inside he explained that “they are trying to stop me seeing the PM, you know. Good of you to help me get through.”

This alarmed me more than somewhat. But I knew what he meant. “They” were the bureaucrats, the civil servants, the private office, and all the conventionally-minded people who stood in the way of the radical Thatcherite changes that David could help the PM to bring about. “They” had banned him from Downing Street, he confided, because he was able to supply the PM with the evidence to justify greater boldness. “They” were the grey consensus that had held Britain back for generations.

Lord Forsyth thanks friends, colleagues and political opponents for helping him smash his fundraising target for his Antarctic expedition

By Jonathan Isaby

Earlier in the week I noted Lord Forsyth's successful arrival at the summit of Mount Vinson on Antarctica.

He is now on his way back to Britain and has learnt that he has smashed his second revised fundraising target of £350,000, with donations to Marie Curie Cancer Care and Children in Need India now totalling a brilliant £366,514.

He writes:

"There is a lot of criticism of Parliament and the City at the moment - some of which is fully justified - but there is another side to the story here.  Jan Royal, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lords has sent me the most generous messages of support and concern, as has the Lord Speaker. Parliamentarians of all parties and none have rallied to support these charities - including every living former Prime Minister.  The current Prime Minister, David Cameron, had three attempts at putting a kind message of encouragement on my website prior to summit day.  Unknown to me it was being rejected automatically by the server.  It turns out that it was the inclusion of the word 'God' in 'Godspeed' that triggered the anti-spamming software.

"The Chancellor has sent me a note enclosing a donation, with comment that he was not sure he should be supporting me in my insane enterprise.  I have replied indicating that I was supporting him with his, and that reward does not come without risk.  Competitors and colleagues in the City have been hugely generous, as have senior figures in the regulatory institutions.  The United Kingdom is a great country, and when it comes to charity the things that divide us all melt away.  Thank you."

Click here to read more of his blog entries from the trip and follow this link should you wish to make a donation towards his fundraising efforts.

This year's Spring Forum is to take place in Cardiff during the Welsh Party Conference

By Jonathan Isaby

CCHQ has just issued a statement announcing that this year's Conservative Party Spring Forum will take place at the Welsh Conservative Conference, at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, over the weekend of March 5th and 6th.

Conservative Party co-Chairman Baroness Warsi, said:

“I’m thrilled to announce that the Conservative Party will be holding this year’s Spring Forum in Cardiff as part of our annual Welsh Conference. It’s been a fantastic year for Conservatives in Wales – winning eight seats in the General Election and achieving our best set of results in two decades. And following on from David Cameron’s historic visit, when he became the first Prime Minister to visit the Senedd, this Spring Forum is another sign of how much we value our supporters in Wales and how Welsh issues are right at the heart of our plans.”

Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan, added:

“I welcome our decision to hold one of the biggest Conservative Party events of the year in Wales. It will be an exciting opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to Wales and celebrate the achievements we have made in recent years as well as showcase what Cardiff and Wales has to offer. The Conference will also serve as an important backdrop to our Assembly election campaign where all Conservatives will be working together to prevent Labour using Wales as a springboard for a renaissance across the UK. It will also give us the opportunity to highlight how Labour has failed Wales, and how Conservatives are laying the foundations for economic stability, prosperity, and a brighter future in Wales.”

All the details of how to apply for accreditation and so on are on the party website.

Lord Forsyth reaches the summit of Antarctica's highest peak - raising hundreds of thousands of pounds along the way

By Jonathan Isaby

Just after Christmas, Tim noted former Cabinet Minister Lord Forsyth's charity climb of Mount Vinson, the highest peak on Antarctica, to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and Children in Need India.

By the wonders of modern technology, Michael has just emailed me the above picture of him reaching his destination, as he reports:

I decided to make a summit bid yesterday morning as the weather was perfect - with light wind and bright sunshine. The cold is still intense and it is essential to wear googles and a face mask to protect from frostbite.  I was apprehensive, as I had not slept well and had not acclimatised fully.  But it was the right call, as we enjoyed a perfect day on the mountain and reached the summit at 5.00pm local time (8.00pm GMT).  It was very hard work and at one point I thought I might have to turn back as I fought to breathe in the thin, cold air.

Vinson is a spectacular mountain with a tiny summit and astonishing views of Antarctica.  The summit ridge is ice-covered and very narrow with big drops on either side. Getting there had involved a lot of hard work and training. Oddly, my first thoughts were about getting down again safely with all my digits intact.  We have been so lucky with the weather and reached the summit in an amazing five days.

Many congratulations to him. Click here to read more of his blog entries from the trip over the last few days and follow this link to make a donation towards his fundraising efforts. His total currently stands at a highly impressive £336,554 towards his target of £350,000.