Scotland (and Cornwall) have already been chopped from Conservative Abroad's plans (see image) but, very slightly more seriously,
The Telegraph's Vicki Woods has been following this site's debate on the Scottish party's looming identity change:
"I haven't kept up with Cameron in Scotland (the news from abroad being so lately compelling), but Fraser Nelson's piece in the current Spectator was brilliant about difficulties with Scots. "The Tory leader has not so much tried to lead the remaining Scottish Tories to victory, but to check their pulse." And (in Scotland): "Voting Tory is seen as a harmless perversion, like Morris dancing or cricket." Nelson's suggestion that the Scottish Tories are considering a name-change has excited the grass-roots and is endorsed, he points out, by "the influential ConservativeHome website" (www.conservativehome.blogs.com). I looked it up on Thursday, and its editor, Tim Montgomerie, had a post saying: "Yesterday's news that the Scottish Conservative Party may be given a new name and separate identity after next month's elections features in most of this morning's newspapers. Although the official CCHQ response has been denial of the plans, other unnamed Tories have confirmed the Spectator story." "What do you think the new name should be?" Montgomerie asked his blog-readers interactively, adding: "The Scottish Unionist Party is probably the favourite." This sensible suggestion was immediately knocked down by several posters who pointed out that there already is a party in Scotland of this name. (Registered in 2000 - is that annoying or what?) Many posters suggested Monty Python variations on the Scottish People's Front/People's Front of Scotland drollery, but frankly, they were not clever and not funny. One suggested "Scottish Conservatives, as in C.U. (Jimmy)", which is quite funny if you're English. Montgomerie went a bit Pythonish himself after reading through all these unhelpful suggestions and wrote: "You've all got very silly, but I suppose it is holiday time!" I still can't work out if I preferred having Scotland in my country, or as somewhere "where we go on holiday" with a passport."
I blame you William Norton. I blame you. This will probably (big news events permitting) be my last post until mid-morning tomorrow. Sam Coates has gone skiing for a week and I'll be at the 5am Easter service in Salisbury Cathedral tomorrow and after a bacon roll and glass of champagne with the Bishop (the Anglican Church at its best) I'll be returning to the blog. The 5am service is my favourite of the year. The Cathedral is like a tomb until daylight slowly enters through the windows. The service records the life of Jesus until the moment of Resurrection. When the Resurrection is announced there is an almighty noise with the organ keys slammed down in a seemingly random way and lots of celebration from the congregation. Celebration includes congregants ringing bells and banging drums. I am determined not to sit near that lady with the cow bell this year. Happy Easter everyone.
Happy Pesach.
Posted by: David DPB | April 07, 2007 at 11:55
And a very happy Easter to you too Tim. Enjoy your 1 day holiday!
Posted by: malcolm | April 07, 2007 at 13:34
A very happy Easter to everyone at Conservativehome.com, lets hope the ressurection of our Parties popularity continues too!
Posted by: Oberon Houston | April 07, 2007 at 14:18
Happy Easter! Will go to the church in Saffron Walden, where the in-laws live, and have a G&T with the gay priests after mass (can't make All Saints, St. Margaret's Street...) followed by an Easter egg-hunt with my 18 month-old nieces
Posted by: Justin Hinchcliffe | April 07, 2007 at 14:44
May the peace, blessings and joy of the reality of the Resurrection be with all.
+Cranmer
Posted by: Cranmer | April 07, 2007 at 14:45
Happy Easter AND Happy Pesach! Enjoy the service Tim and take some ear plugs with you just in case!
Posted by: Sally Roberts | April 07, 2007 at 14:59
Argh, I'm hooked to the net! I've only been in Austria for an hour and I'm online! Happy Easter all.
Posted by: Deputy Editor | April 07, 2007 at 15:46
Why have Iranian New Year Greetings been ommitted?
Posted by: Tieless Tory | April 07, 2007 at 15:54
Happy Easter. Delighted to hear that 'Bubbles' Stancliffe is continuing to crack open the Paschal champers despite the
nickname it has earned him.
Posted by: johnC | April 07, 2007 at 21:10
Hapy Easter one and all - weather great, cousins visiting with three children under 5 so the Easter Egg hunt to be set up and the Sunday Times and News of the World have good Easter gifts for the Conservatives in latest polls.
Posted by: Ted | April 07, 2007 at 21:48
Sam, your a dedicated star!
Posted by: Oberon Houston | April 07, 2007 at 21:56
Tim, your description of Salisbury 5 am service almost made this good Catholic consider getting up at 4 am to get to the Cathedral by 5 - then I remembered the 60-70 hour weeks I've had since September and ....to sleep, perchance....
Posted by: Ted | April 07, 2007 at 22:17
It must have been a good description because I, an atheist, was also tempted.
Posted by: Mark Fulford | April 08, 2007 at 00:13
Oh dear, I am ashamed to admit an alarm clock failure and I have only just woken up. My guest for the weekend and I will now be going to a later service.
Posted by: Editor | April 08, 2007 at 07:49
So which one of you is Peter and which is John?
Posted by: Opinicus | April 08, 2007 at 09:51
Oh hang on that's Good Friday
Long time since I was at Sunday School.
Fortunately the Chapel Royal is 11.15 and the organist would expire, if anyone brought a cow bell. Straight 1662 too.
Posted by: Opinicus | April 08, 2007 at 09:54
Forgot that the Brompton Oratory had moved the Easter Vigil mass to 9.30pm and arrived too late. Sung mass at my local parish church at 11am having almost overslept! Happy Easter.
Posted by: Cllr Nicholas Bennett | April 08, 2007 at 12:35
It would be nice to say Happy Easter but I feel such deep heartfelt sorrow for the 4 soldiers killed in Iraq. You see their young smiling faces in the media yes young 19 year olds with a whole lifetime in front of them, cruelly cut down in a place we no nothing about to quote Chamberlain.
There is nothing more tragic than seeing a younge person die. I,m 56, if I died now I,ve had a reasonable innings but the young 19 yr olds, their lives had only just begun.
So this Easter lets make a resolution and stop bad mouthing our young people. True there are young scallywags but every generation (including myself) has had its share, it mostly part of growing up.
Todays generation of young people are equally as fine and honourable be it serving in the forces, hospitals etc as those that have gone before.
I pray this Easter that all our young people are able to survive the dangers they have been subjected to in Blairs misbegotten wars in Iraq and elswhere and return to their homes safe and sound.
Posted by: John F | April 08, 2007 at 13:37
David McEwen Hill's note as to why the new Scottish Conservative Party should NOT adopt the name the Scottish Unionist Party is thought provoking . It would seem that there are overtones to such a name in Scotland that are not evident to anyone in England .
Another name then .
---------------
My thoughts on this Easter Sunday to our heroic casualties in the Middle East .
And damn that ignorant fool Blair for ever allowing this situation to arise in the first place .
Posted by: Jake | April 08, 2007 at 16:34
I hav'nt been to the paschal ceremonies since boarding school at St Hilda's. No alarm clocks to miss Tim, the Nuns Order of the Holy Paraclete, High anglican) dragged us all out of bed! We had to wear our uniform white dresses that we wore for mass, and special blue veils. Probably the only time in my life I have ever looked angelic. The Chapel was lit by loads of candles, and I c an still remember the smell of the incense, and the c andle wax.
That was in the 1940s, but that school is not running any m ore. Modern youth couldnt hack it!!
Posted by: Annabel Herriott | April 08, 2007 at 22:58