67 days until the next leader of the Conservative Party is elected...

The Conservative Party Board issued the following statement yesterday:

"The Board of the Conservative Party yesterday took a number of decisions regarding the forthcoming leadership election.  The ballot will close on 5th December with the result being declared on 6th December.  The Party will be asking Electoral Reform Ballot Services Limited, the independent electoral administrators, to send out, receive and count the ballot papers. They oversaw the last leadership election.  Under Article 9 of Schedule 2 of the Party's Constitution, the Returning Officer will be the Chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Michael Spicer MP."

Comments

[Richard Allen]

That is very good news. It also shows that Lord Hodgeson was right and that Howard-Maude-Monbiot were liars.

[Oberon Houston]

Bit harsh. Agree that this timetable is good news though.

Anyway, got to go now, and not back till after conference etc. so happy blogging in the meantime! Looking forward to lots more interest now the members will need to vote.

[malcolm]

Entertaining as it sometimes is on this blog,I'll be glad when it's all over.We Conservatives really know how to fight amongst ourselves don't we?
In addition to Bercows comments we've had Tim Yeo making a very serious attack on DD and I listened to Stanley Kalms on 'Today' this morning mercilessly laying into Ken Clarke.
When it's all over these people will all have to work together,whoever wins.
The only beneficiaries of this intercenine squabbling are our political enemies.The 1990 contest between Hurd,Major and Heseltine was a model of decorum in comparison.

[James Hellyer]

If you want harsh comments, Malcolm, check out this Scotsman article:

http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=2016032005

"Listening to Cameron was like listening to some vacuous PR man - it was revolting, it was disgusting, it made me want to be sick"

"Davis looks old and boring, and he sounds a lot like John Major,"

Another shadow cabinet member described Mr Davis as "truly loathsome"."

[malcolm]

Any idea who made these comments or are they 'all off the record'?

[James Hellyer]

They appear to have courageously offered anonymous sniping.

[Editor]

For once we are in complete agreement Malcolm - the tone and personalisation has often been disgraceful.

[Bruce]

If only all this effort was spent attacking Tony Blair and Labour, rather than fellow consevatives..... Has any army ever chosen its head by how well he attacks his fellow officers, rather than how well he attacks the enemy?

[Jack Stone]

This is the danger of the party electing David Davis. He is a man who followers are fanatacial about and opponents hate with a vengence.
He and his followers are just not people who will unite. They are people who will tear the party apart.

[malcolm]

Well editor, you never know,we might agree on many things in the weeks ahead!
I don't wish to sound pious but we (and I mean everyone in our party)should remember that what unites us is far stronger and more worthwhile than what divides us.We have often forgotten that in the last 10 years and it is to our detriment noone elses. For example just look at the post from Jack above.
As regards anonymous comments,I spent many years working for various newspapers,sometimes these quotes are accurate often they are not.
I really wonder what motivates those who make these comments as their only effect is to damage our party.

[Richard Allen]

"This is the danger of the party electing David Davis. He is a man who followers are fanatacial about and opponents hate with a vengence.
He and his followers are just not people who will unite. They are people who will tear the party apart."

David Davis is the only candidate who has attracted support from all sections of the party. He is well placed to unite the party, as long as keeps his more enthusiastic supporters under control.

[James Hellyer]

David Davis is the only candidate who has attracted support from all sections of the party

Apart from Liam Fox, Ken Clarke, and David Cameron who also all have sprinkling of suopporters from both left and right.

[Richard Allen]

"Apart from Liam Fox, Ken Clarke, and David Cameron who also all have sprinkling of suopporters from both left and right."

In the case of both Clarke and Cameron almost all of there support comes from what you could call a core vote. In Clarke's case it is the old tory left while in Cameron's case it's a new generation of 'modernisors'. With the exception of Ann Widdecombe I don't think that any of Ken's backers could be said to come from the right of the party and while all of Cameron's backers, apart from the newbies, backed Clarke or Portilo last time round. Neither have gone beyond their core support and shown any ability to win over those who would not normally back them.

Liam Fox has an interesting collection of supporters but they really are just a "sprinkling".

In comparison Davis has the backing of 18 MP's who supported Michael Portilo last time as well Ian Taylor and John Maples who backed Clarke. This shows that Davis can win considerable support outside of his traditional backers. No other candidate has shown that they can do so.

[Jonathan Sheppard]

Interesting comment Jack - do you mean to say that the 50+ MPs supporting David Davis want to tear the party apart??

No of course they don't
Funny - when Ive met them they just don't come across that way! I dont think Willetts wants to tear the party apart, or the some of the new MPs such as Phil Davies formerly of ASDA can really be described as fanatical.

[James Hellyer]

Richard, I'm not sure I can accept that past choices of leadership candidate can be used as an indicator of where people lie on the Conservative spectrum (there are far too many people voting against candidates rather than voting for what they believe in, for that to hold true as a model).

[Richard Allen]

James, I agree that past voting is not cast iron proof of where people lie on the political spectrum but I somehow suspect that most of the 18 Portilo supporters (who are now backing Davis) were broadly in favour of his agenda. Regardless of that my point still stands, DD has won a lot of backing from those who are not his natural supporters. He has a wider base of support than any of the other candidates.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

You couldn't make it up could you? Following posts by several bloggers about Conservatives needing to exercise restraint and avoid attacking each other, Jack Stone has a pop at David Davis. Oh the dreadful irony of it all. (Which I'm probably compounding by making these comments! Hypocrite, moi?)

[James Hellyer]

Well, according to Jack you're already but one step from the BNP (due to voting UKIP in a euro election). So maybe not hypocritical, but fanatical? ;=)

[Oberon Houston]

What a great blog. Whoever becomes leader I will support fully.

Does anyone remember the ,famous four, well I'm not quiting this party come hell or high water. No Shirley Williams for me.

[Oberon Houston]

Note to self "Dont blog full of wine"... anyway... sober now...

Just been listening to “Talking Politics” on Radio 4. They had a good muse over the leadership contest, but interestingly, they were reflecting on the increasingly frustrated “Ultra-Right” in the party who are growing impatient with even David Davis’s warm language towards the centre ground.

My old friend Edward Leigh is champing at the bit to enter the race. Or is he? Apparently they can’t yet decide how to ‘bounce’ Fox in between a Davis-Clarke race, in effect carrying out a repeat coup of the IDS selection. With so much neo-testosterone charging around the “Cornerstone 51st State Amateur Dramatics Society” at the moment, it’s difficult to decide, but for conspiracy fans it’s good. Hmmm.