Questions for you

It's that time of the month again when we poll readers of this site.  What questions should we ask?

Comments

[Jennifer Wells]

You should ask people if they are hares or tortoises and whether they are as Democrat friendly as an ever larger section of our MPs.

[HF]

How many of the shadow cabinet need to cutback on outside interests?

1. None
2. 1-3
2. 3-8
3. 8+

[Tony Makara]

Do you believe an incoming Conservative government would be justified in cleaning up mainstream television content?

[Will W]

Who was the greatest Tory PM of the 20th Century?

Which of these PMs would Cameron most be like if he came to power?

[Dale]

Do you beleive that in a democracy, power is wielded by the citizen and not the political elite? If so, when will you embrace an agenda of direct democracy?

[Comstock]

"Do you believe an incoming Conservative government would be justified in cleaning up mainstream television content?"

That's a whole questionaire in itself, Tony!

Personally in terms of *mainstream* TV (you mean terrestrial, yes?), I don't think the sex/violence factor is any worse than in the 80s or 90s, maybe even slightly less, so I'm not particularly convinced any 'cleanup' is needed. I am concerned about the amount of 'humiliation' based TV, but that is hard to legislate against, and hopefully will go out of fashion soon.

Of course with satellite, cable and t'interweb anybody can get just about anything at anytime.......

[Comstock]

Repbublican/Democrat would be a interesting one, but perhaps you should wait until the nominations are decided......

[Tony Makara]

Comstock, yes, I am referring the main channels pre-watershed. I've no objection to encrypted channels providing 'different' content. Actually its not so much the sex and violence that I'm concerned about, its more the debasing material, people eating maggots in shows of dare, BBC documentaries such as 'Can fat teens hunt?' etc. I'm very concerned by the way overweight people are abused on TV. Children's TV is a particular problem area with many programmes not on the radar because adults don't see them. In fact I've only been made aware of the nature of Children's programming through being a parent and being exposed to it that way. I'd like to see the future Conservative government introduce new standards in broadcasting to cover objectivity in news reporting, a clampdown on degrading material, and a serious look at Children's television.

[Tony Makara]

This is the sort of freak show that should not be broadcast on television.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/programmes/fat_teens/

[Moral minority]

How long should you have been a member of the Conservative Party before you are

a) Stand for council.
b) Attend a Parliamentary Assessment Board.
c) Stand as a Parliamentary Candidate in target or Conservative held seat.
e) Work in Conservative Campaign Headquarters.
f) Work for a Conservative MP, MEP or Peer in Parliament.

Options

0-2 years
2-5 years
5-10 years
More than 10 years

[David Belchamber]

How best can we demonstrate to the voters' satisfaction the difference, where Nulab policies are concerned, between what the Germans call "Schein und Sein" or appearance and reality?

It is crucial that people realise that this government's policies are reducing people's earnings at more than double the rate Brown publicly admits to and that only people's perceptions of the rise in violent crime will force action, not government statistics.

The current dispute about the EU Lisbon treaty is about Schein und Sein: surely it is not beyond the wit of a totally independent body (a panel of judges?) to compare the new provisions of this treaty with those of the proposed constitution and then inform the public whether we are now being asked to sign up to a European Constitution - or not, as the case may be?

[Iain]

Why aren't Conservative MP's better briefed to hold the Labour Government to account?

[mystery man]

COMMENT OVERRIDDEN FOR (ERRONEOUSLY) TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE'S PERSONAL LIFE

[HF]

How much confidence do you have in the Candidates Dept?

[Ay Up]

How about a repeat poll of US Presidential preferences? I guess people will go for McCain now instead of Rudi.

[anon]

I second HF at 13:54.

[North East Tory]

Should Tony Makara be allowed to post the absolute rubbish that he does?

[Comstock]

"Should Tony Makara be allowed to post the absolute rubbish that he does?"

Funnily enough, I think he's correct on this.

Mind you, like I say, 'humiliation' TV (like the programmes Tony cites) is nigh on impossible to legislate against.

[Geoff]

An obvious one would be for feedback on the Northern Crock shambles. What should we have done in the same situation if we had inherited it a few months ago?

I don't recall if we have done the "fixed term parliaments" question recently but quite a few blogs are picking up this issue up again for some reason and our opinions might be interesting.

In view of the EU Constitution, maybe also something about referenda. The Swiss model of them happening all the time, the US model of calling local/state ones when petitioned, our model of whenever MPs don't break manifesto promises or just excluding the option and relying on the HoC/HoL every time?

Just my 0.02p

[601]

Ask Moral Minority's question. I was going to suggest it.

[Veritas]

Agree on Moral Minority. Ideal question. We should naturally welcome those coming to our cause (how else do we win?), but I find the likes of Rehman Chishti, Helen Grant et al. very hard to take.

Actually as someone in her prospective constituency, I am going to have real trouble supporting her unless she clears up these contradictory statements on her Labour past.

[Geoff]

I disagree with Moral Minority's question. Why do we need to set an artificial benchmark of loyalty or service?

This question would challenge the intelligence and common sense of the good burghers of Maidstone and The Weald who were actually sitting in front of the candidates, questioned them and listened to them unlike those of us sitting many miles away who may never even meet Mrs. Grant.

Veritas has a small moral advantage by being local there but not an overwhelming one in my opinion.

If this question is posed then I'd need a "Judge Them On Their Individual Merits" option.

[John Trudgill]

Should part of the T.V. licence fee be offered to a radio network to compete with the BBC?

[Dale]

Not sure what I was on when I typed my question, but somehow i managed to type it almost entirely wrong. What I meant to write was:

"Do you beleive that in a democracy, power should be wielded by the citizens and not the political elite? If so, should the conservative party embrace an agenda of direct democracy?"

[graeme archer]

I second john trudgill's suggestion.

[David Jones]

Questions relating to the economy and how the Conservative party/Cameron should respond to the current situation.

Maybe a question about performances at PMQs?

[Moral minority]

Geoff wrote "disagree with Moral Minority's question. Why do we need to set an artificial benchmark of loyalty or service?"

Because we want to be sure that our MPs are genuine Conservatives, with Conservative values and principles and respect for our members.

Frankly, I do not believe that anyone who has been a member of the Labour Party in the last 10 years should be allowed to stand in a target or Conservative seat. Anyone who has fallen for Blairite spin or Brownite socialism is too thick, gullible or opportunistic to be a Conservative MP.

Rehman Chishti and Helen Grant have not proved themselves. COPOV told the story of a Conservative councillor with 13 years experience who was not even allowed to sit a Parliamentary Assessment Board.

Defectors should have to prove themselves. Giving them preferential treatement because of their former political affiliations, race or gender is unacceptable and is a kick in the teeth to party loyalists.

[David Belchamber]

i. ask for suggested questions for PMQs.
ii. ask for suggested advertising slogans.

[Geoff]

Moral Minority, I agree with you that we need genuine conservatives.

That's why I suggest trusting interview panels - we were not present to listen and then cast our own vote. I simply don't know if Mrs. Grant is a suitable PPC so therefore I choose to not to make a judgement on something about which I do not know.

My request to our gracious hosts is simply that if they choose to pose this question then I am allowed the option to vote that I believe people in a constituency have a better opportunity to choose well (or poorly) for their area than I do.

[thaggie]

ask some questions about boris and ken

[Bill]

My point is this: i do not think this website covers issues as well and enables feedback regarding issues that really matter to conservatives as well as it used to.

[Moral minority]

Geoff, I am willing to trust interviewing panels too. Such panels, can only ask questions based upon the information (CVs etc) provided by CCHQ.

My question did not specifically deal with Ms Grant. The comments by the Chairman of Maidstone Conservatives suggest that he was not aware that Ms Grant was a Labour party member and donor from July 2004 until early 2006 (when her husband corresponded by email with Croydon Labour Party on her behalf). We therefore have two possibilities.

The first is Ms Grant lied on her candidates application form and her CV. The Mail on Sunday reported that she said she had always voted Conservative in her first interview with the paper. That would have been odd as she was a Labour member and allowed her business telephones to be used by the Labour Party for campaigning during the 2005 election. The second is that she told CCHQ and the Candidates Department about her Labour activism and donations in kind.

If so, it is likely that this support for Labour was either not revealed or concealed from the Chairman, officers and executive members of Maidstone Conservative Association. In short Ms Grant and/or the Candidates Department lied or were less than honest with them.

If the Mail's allegations are true, who is going to take responsibility for this fiasco - Ms Grant, Shireen Ritchie (as Chairman of Candidates) and/or Caroline Spelman. IMHO, all three should resign or be sacked. They have undermined the integrity and credibility of candidate selection.

[David Belchamber]

A moral question: if we agree that the CPI (c2.1%) does not correctly reflect the rising cost of living but that the old RPI (c4.3%) does, should the tories not plug this fact and commit to returning to the RPI?

It would be expensive, as the unions would use that as the benchmark figure (as the NUT is already doing) and pensions would be compared with it.

However, if that is the most realistic figure for inflation, surely we should press for its reintroduction?

[Geoff]

Moral Minority, we are both making completely opposite and equally valid comments but on basically two different subjects.

Yours would be more appropriate across on "Seats and Candidates" but the Editor has closed that thread because of the bile spilled there. I doubt that he would welcome you reopening that thread over here.

I suggest that we quietly stop this to allow Tim and Sam to choose the questions from all of the comments and the two of us should drop the editorialising.

[Tanuki]

Should the Conservative Party reject all forms of 'affirmative action' and shortlist-manipulation both in its candidate-selection policy and in recruitment for government jobs, and mandate that all such selections to be purely on the basis of the-best-candidate-for-the-job?

[Geoff]

David Belchamber, good question about RPI/CPI. However wouldn't that give a DC government a similar issue with the long-term sickness/dole fudge? Or a NHS waiting list/unaccounted backlog dodge?

I've now just done what I complained about in my post above about muddying the waters on off-topic threads but you pose a reasonable question.

TB/GB fiddled the figures. Do we deliberately un-fiddle them? It'd be honest but politically the numbers would look awful.

This is Off-Topic so I suggest we don't incur the wrath of our hosts by starting a debate on this one either.

Tanuki, interesting question. In the course of my life I'd probably never see a Government job advert because I don't buy the Guardian.

That is where the problem lies. Left wing politicians promote left wing civil servants who place adverts in left wing papers bought only by left wingers. What do we expect as a result? In a few years time when we win the new civil service will not be friendly to our ideas.

I agree with the question, however I think that every true conservative would vote that merit should be the only issue.

[Moral minority]

Fair point, Geoff. The key issue is the length and quality of track record that members should demand from candidates. Defectors should prove their Conservative credentials for a minimum of two years before they are eligible to sit the Parliamentary Assessment Board. They should only be considered for a target or safe seat after they have fought an opposition seat with a significant majority.

[Patsy Sergeant]

I agree with Iain's question @ 13.29 - -

Why aren't Conservative MP's better briefed to hold the Labour government to account.

Regarding people who have either worked or voted for labour for some years and then suddenly apply to be Conservative candidates, what would the situation in the constituency be if that same person was successful in the seat and became an MP, and then decided to change sides again????

[Geoff]

Moral Minority, we'll never agree on this and I appreciate your good grace in responding politely. If the Editors do post this question then I'd still ask for a button to completely disagree with you.

I look forward to debating with you on other threads in the future. Even when I don't agree with your views I still always read and respect them.

[Moral minority]

Thanks Geoff for your kind and civil response. A VERY good friend, with a superb record at all levels in our party, missed out narrowly in Maidstone. He has lost out to defectors - Labour and Referendum.

I place a high value on loyalty and track record. It is easy to be "loyal" when the party is on the up. I prefer to reward those who stayed with us when we were at our lowest in 1997-8. I swear before God that I have NEVER voted for any other other party in my entire life. Take note Malcolm Dunn - LOL!

Going back to main subject, what's your question(s) for the Ed's poll?

[Geoff]

Moral Minority, I'd have liked Iain Dale to have got the spot personally and have personally committed to campaign on the pavements for him wherever he is nominated, but if we have a candidate that we have selected correctly then that person will always have my support.

Your question ref - main subject: January 27, 2008 at 14:37 on this thread.

Hopefully I'll come up with a few more ideas before Tim/Sam start the poll. This site lives on its feedback and debate.

[Michael Davidson]

"Should Tony Makara be allowed to post the absolute rubbish that he does?"

Couldn't agree more - if it's not attacks on free trade, it's calls for censorship. Christian socialism in all it's failure.

[Alex Swanson]

(1)If you are not currently a member of the Conservative Party, have you ever been?

(2) If you are not currently a member of the Conservative Party, why not?

[Malcolm Dunn]

Who are the best Conservative performers in the media and who when they see a micrphone or TV V camera should be forced to run a mile.

[George Hinton]

Has this country lost its independance, been subsumed by the EU?

Have personal freedoms been eroded over the last 10 years, by the legislation that has been enacted by NuLab?.

A recent article by Dan Hannan explained the steps that Hans-Gert Poettering has taken to side-step democratic process in the EU Parliament. Does this not give greater emphasis for a referendum? and the need to get out of the un-democratic EU.

[Eveleigh]

Should British troops continue to risk their lives in Afghanistan when Mr Karzai appears to wish them gone?

[Stuart Ellis]

Your standard question number 5 , repeated below, has always greatly concerned me:

5. Do you think, as a whole, the Conservative Party is on the right course or on the wrong track?
The right course
The wrong track
Don't know/No opinion

I don't believe the two choices can possibly reflect party opinion in any meaningful way. I am sure the majority of Conservatives would say that whilst the current direction is yielding some results it does not take us to where we really want to go and that is towards a revival of the party's core values - smaller but better government, lower but less wasteful public
spending,repatriation of powers from Brussels, an end to uncontrolled immigration,toughness on law and order issues,NHS freedom from Westminster interference, revolutionary measures in education ( such as the return of grammar schools) to stop the rot. The list is nigh on endless but unless you change this question the key players like Cameron and Osborne won't get the message.