Tory MPs' away weekend

Upbeat Conservative MPs are spending some quality time together this weekend.

We won't go into details about what they're getting up to but there's lots of discussion about the policy agenda for the next election campaign, and Adam Boulton and Matthew Parris were on hand to talk about handling the media - particularly 'modern media'. 

Boulton spoke about the internet's role in the US elections and was kind enough to say the MPs were lucky to have ConservativeHome as a sophisticated place for people to go that wasn't part of the centre.

Comments

[Joe Mooney]

Adam Boulton is correct. The internet is going to play a big part in future campaigns and of course fund raising.

I would urge CCHQ to update their site and make better use of it for fund raising.

Perhaps they could try something on the lines of the Canadiian Conservatives. geogle the site today.

Well done to Tim and his team for setting up this excellent conservativehome site.

[Patrick Ratnaraja]

Conservativehome site should be made the official party website.

[RichardJ]

I hope this doesn't mean Jeremy Hunt will be missing the Farnham Carnival, an annual event in his constituency!

[Tony Makara]

The internet is the way politicians can re-connect with voters and take soundings on policy. It is going to change the way political thought develops and in many ways is a departure from top-down politics, empowers grassroot political supporters, and hopefully will draw the passive voter into a more active interest in politics generally.

[michael mcgough]

Item 1;expenses

[Paul Oakley]

Joe and Patrick are right. I suspect that people access ConHome far more frequently than the official site (which is dire). In my own case I only ever use it as a portal for finding constituency details.

[Torymory]

(i) We should learn lessons from the Obama campaign which used the Internet to solicit small donations from voters and engage them in the campaign.

(ii) Re expenses - the Riot Act should be read to all MPS. The golden rule is not "is this claim technically within the rules" but "how would I justify the reasonableness of this claim if it became public."

e.g.It may be within the rules to claim £30.OO day for food when in the constituency/when at Westminster/or near the London home. However I can't think of any employers who would regard eating near an employers work or their home as a untaxable expense - unless they were officially entertaining clients. So the general public would regard this food allowance as unreasonable. Ditto the Wintertons and Ball/Coopers double 2nd home claims.

[David Belchamber]

Patrick, I think ConHome is the stronger for not being the official party website. We don't always like the comments made by our opponents when they post here but, if they have a valid point, we should welcome them.

I see us more as an unofficial focus group and I only hope that CCHQ keeps a good eye on what we say. It is all too easy for politicians in high places to lose touch with what oridnary people are thinking.

[Sally Roberts]

I think it is good that MPs are spending "quality time" together on this weekend when they'll be able to discuss policy (and no I don't imagine expenses will be number 1 item on their agenda!)
It is a shame that we don't do this as much as party activists as used to happen some years ago. The CPC (Conservative Political Centre) used to run superb Summer Schools which were held each July, usually alternating between an Oxford and a Cambridge college - although latterly visiting other universities such as York, Durham and Nottingham. The calibre of speakers used to be incredibly high and you felt that you were really having some serious input into Party policy. A lot of fun was had at these Summer Schools and I wish the Party might think about bringing them back!

[Bill Brinsmead]

An ironic comment from Adam Boulton?

[Ay up]

I see from Sunny Hundals latest boring missive for the Guardian that the Greens are planning to launch their version on ConHome. Sounds exciting. Really

[Graeme Archer]

I met a nice green in broadway market today who shamed me into replacing the plastic bags that were carrying my veg with one of those re-usable ones. However! When he urged me to change our leccy supplier I was able to say "oh we've already done that- all Conservatives are urged to do so. Vote blue go green you know". Nice man. He made me nostalgic for my younger, bead-wearing self.

Sally I agree. There's a gap in the political thinking market for professionals whose life is not 100% politics. Thinktanks are so important but are run - obviously - by people who work in politics. Why not have themed summer schools which could bring together thinktanks, politicians, and interested party members with professional experience of the topic at hand? Or run such an enterprise back-to-back with conf or spring forum.

[Sally Roberts]

Glad you agree, Graeme! Let's work on this and try and get a few more people interested.

On the carrier bag thing - I carry around in my handbag a little material fold up bag which I bought in Fenwicks - it only cost about £4 and unfolds into a large shopping bag. It is bright pink with piggies all over it but they do various different patterns should that one not appeal!

[Dontmakemelaugh]

Post by: David Belchamber | June 28, 2008 at 14:59

I agree with the comment by David: Con/Home should not be the official mouthpiece of the Conservative Party, but a cross between a sounding board, safety valve, think tank and source of information/opinion - which means that it stays the exellent blog that it already is, thanks to industry of the editors

[Dontmakemelaugh]

Post by: David Belchamber | June 28, 2008 at 14:59

I agree with the comment by David: Con/Home should not be the official mouthpiece of the Conservative Party, but a cross between a sounding board, safety valve, think tank and source of information/opinion - which means that it stays the exellent blog that it already is, thanks to industry of the editors

[Ay up]

I see from Sunny Hundals latest boring missive for the Guardian that the Greens are planning to launch their version on ConHome. Sounds exciting. Really

[Graham Checker]

Since when has Adam Boulton been a Tory?

All of New Labour was at his wedding to Anji.

[Jonathan]

I've been able to vote since 1998 and I've voted conservative every time and am looking forward to finally being able to vote for a winning party... However we absolutely need to be saying more about what is going on in the economy at the moment and how a conservative government would sort it out.

I'm looking at buying a house for the first time and have been researching a bit. Websites like housepricecrash are showing up some scary things on that front, e.g. houses at auction going for a third to 50% less than what they were only just bought for. A lot of these are turning up in areas that are already very deprived and where people's safety net is limited. This might be extreme at the moment but if this starts to feed into the rest of the economy then things are screwed for the next few years.

So far most of the conservative response seems to have been fairly 'political' rather than practical. While its right and important for people to realise how much Brown has messed up and that we need to get rid of labour, the tragedy would be if the conservatives get into power and don't have any ideas about how to solve the current economic problems / limit them in the future. I read a profile of George Osborne (in the Independent / New Statesman ???) the other day where he came across as capable but also as more interested in political manoeuvring than anything else. Obviously its from a hostile source but Labour are now so destroyed that we need to start coming up with economic solutions rather than just good ways of point scoring.

J

[Libertarian]

Are there nannies available to take the meeting notes?

[michael mcgough]

"Are there nannies available to take the meeting notes?"

They might be too busy changing nappies.

[Tory granny]

Yes, young Jonathan! Glad you can see the present Tory leadership problem. Pity our front bench can't.

[Sally Roberts]

All very amusing Michael McGough, but we shouldn't forget there is a serious point behind all these weekend get-togethers, study days and conferences our legislators have. It is a time when they can all get together as a group, bond and discuss policy and the direction of the party in the future. All political parties have them, all think tanks have them and a great many Conservative Associations (including my own) have them. They do a great deal of good.

[Sally Roberts]

Editor, It would be quite nice if one of the MPs writes something for us on their return next week - obviously not giving away all the weekend's "secrets" but giving us some idea of what they talked about.

[yeoviltory]

Away days and regular get togethers are important but i cannot help but feel that the grassroots workers views are not even considered. A shame when you consider that we have a wealth of knowledge and experience of living life in the big wide world rather than being confined to the Westminster Village