Barry Legg - a former Conservative MP - has launched the 'Better Choice' campaign to protect party democracy.
The campaign wants to put the option of an electoral college before September's Constitutional Convention. At present the party high-ups wish to present the Convention with only one option and to railroad that option through.
The Telegraph reports that a move to an electoral college would end Ken Clarke's leadership prospects and make David Davis a near certain winner. Ken Clarke is much less popular with the Tory grassroots than Mr Davis.
Mr Clarke's team have been trying to counter concerns that he is too old for the Tory crown. Clarke supporters are promised The Telegraph "an an "old pope, young cardinals" regime in which he would pack his shadow cabinet with young talent."
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Posted by: James Hellyer | 29 July 2005 at 10:51
"Ken Clarke is much less popular with the Tory grassroots than Mr Davis."
That's not supported by this week's Populus poll. Among Conservative voters, Clarke secured 29% support compared to Davis's 26%.
Of course, earlier polls did show that Clarke was unacceptable to a large number of party members. Either way, there's no real groundswell of support for any of the candidates.
Posted by: James Hellyer | 29 July 2005 at 12:00
'Either way, there's no real groundswell of support for any of the candidates.'
Just to report that the ground is definitely swelling round our way.
Posted by: Wat Tyler | 29 July 2005 at 12:05
"Just to report that the ground is definitely swelling round our way."
Probably a burst water main ;=)
Posted by: James Hellyer | 29 July 2005 at 12:13
Sadly to date none of the candidates have particularly excited me with their ideas or even really given me any reason to believe that the Conservative party will change much under their leadership.
David Willets and Liam Fox have I think been the most thoughtful contributors to the debate but there really has to be far,far more if the party is to start to gain ground with the public at large.Otherwise we can only wait for Labour to fail and after all thats happened since 1997 and the fact that Blair still leads a cabinet stuffed with gross incompetents (Hoon,Straw,Prescott etc)we will have a long wait.
Posted by: malcolm | 29 July 2005 at 14:20
Something concerns me about the pressure for Party members (like myself) to have a direct vote in the election of the leader. We are, by definition, self-selecting and unrepresentative, but that is not my major concern.
I am more worried by the fact that we are feeding, however unwittingly, into a lack of trust in parliamentarians. Just three short months ago we were standing on doorsteps presenting our then parliamentary candidates as the people who could best represent the views of their constituents, and ensure they were taken into account on important issues. How hypocritical would it appear if we were to send the message that they could not now be trusted to represent our views on who should lead the Party?
This has hardened in my mind in recent weeks the fact the the real choice now is between a vote of the parliamentary party (who have been mandated by the electorate, albeit only in just under a third of constituencies), and open primary elections, which I would love to see more widely discussed within the Party.
Posted by: RichardC | 02 August 2005 at 00:01
At the last election we were saying that we trust public sector workers, doctors, teachers and nurses. If we remove our party members' voting rights, we will be saying that we trust everyone but our own supporters.
Posted by: James Hellyer | 02 August 2005 at 08:43