The Spectator's James Forsyth has written another account of the resignation and reinstatement of Joanne Cash as the Tory candidate for Westminster North.
Rightly or wrongly, Cash's constant name-dropping got under activists' skin: "There were grumblings that Ms Cash ‘was too busy walking Michael Gove’s dog to go leafleting’, others complained about how she talked about ‘Dave and Sam’. One might have thought that the Tory leadership — one that looks certain to deliver general election victory — would be popular with the constituency party, but the reverse is true. Here in central London, the conditions were brewing for a repeat of the ‘Turnip Taleban’ fiasco in Norfolk North. If the row about her selection went public, it would again fill the headlines with stories about Tory splits."
Over the last few days I've received at least a dozen calls/ emails from Westminster North activists. Joanne Cash's name-dropping has been the most mentioned criticism of her. 'She needs to spend more time on the doorstep and less time with the high ups,' was one typical comment.
Eric Pickles is being blamed by Team Cameron: "There is now considerable concern that there are other candidate disasters waiting to happen and that these could derail the opening weeks of the Tory election campaign. The failure of Pickles’s office to resolve this situation earlier and without fuss has left his future prospects looking bleak."
This strikes me as unfair, if true. The Chairman's office spent a great deal of time attempting to address this problem. The fact that he struggled to do so reflected the difficulty of the underlying situation. There are many situations in Associations we never hear about because they are defused quietly behind-the-scenes.
It's personal, not political: "Cash’s experience proves that the Tory wars are far from over. The internal battles and factional fighting may now be about personality not policy, but they are all the more vicious for it."
This argument builds on something James Forsyth wrote two weeks ago; Cameron needs to do more bridge-building.
Meanwhile Eric Pickles has written to all Associations telling them that any Association Chairman wanting to stand for a fourth year must get CCHQ's permission. The new rule was agreed at a recent meeting of the Party Board and is designed to ensure new blood at the top of Associations.
Tim Montgomerie
