Monday, November 16, 2009

Good Luck to Liz Truss

Today is the day Liz Truss will find out whether she is to fight the next election in South West Norfolk or not. My views haven't changed since I first wrote about this several weeks ago. I hope she pulls through and then goes on to prove her critics wrong. And there's little more to say.

Over the past 24 hours I have turned down countless interviews with the BBC and Sky on this subject - several involving the tantalising prospect of a repeat bout with the dreadful Anne Atkins. I have resisted temptation. Why? Because it's going over the same old ground, time after time. The arguments now are the same as they were three weeks ago. And Anne Atkins and Sir Jeremy Bagge are doing such a good job in making Liz Truss's case for her, I thought I would leave them to it.

19 comments:

Bob said...

If the wingnuts win this one, it would seem that the Tory party does want to eat itself whole.

The whole point about getting elected first seems to be missing from the minds of the complainers in this instance.

Have they also googled "how to elect a candidate for dummies" before tonights meeting?

Anonymous said...

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake" - N. Bonaparte.

Obviously, still good advice today.

Anonymous said...

I hope she gets through too Iain and well done you for the support and common sense you have given

Paddy Briggs said...

Anne Atkins: "I believe that sex outside of marriage is wrong ."

What planet is she living on?

Twig said...

I'm sure she will be very loyal to her leader.

Anonymous said...

I like the quote from the one that's pushing for Liz Truss to deselected, Sir Winde Bagge, who calls himself a "Taliban Turnip".

Fits better than Turnip Taliban, especially if Liz Truss is deselected.

Rush-is-Right said...

I'm with the Turnips on this one.

It seems that Ms Truss belongs to the clique that you might refer to as Friends of Dave. She's seen as too metropolitan for a rural constituency.

In fact, with her LibDem background should she really be on the A-list at all?

The local party is right to stand up for its rights. An open primary might be the best answer.

Anonymous said...

I hope Elizabeth Truss remains the candidate. Elections should be fought over issues, not what candidates get up to in their private lives.

Johnny Norfolk said...

Iain. Do you agree that local people should pick their candidate or not.
I think they should and if thery have loss of trust. I quote Rebal Saint who I think speaks for many of us.

"Even after all this time, MP’s just don’t get it. Integrity is about what you do in private NOT just what you do in public. Integrity is about being the same person in the dark as you are in the light.

More than being politically competent I want MP’s of integrity – honourable members not competent members. The biggest betrayal of trust is breaking of marriage vows … ask anyone who’s been on the receiving end of it.

Truss compounded the problem by not being up front about it to the selection panel. Apparently it’s their responsibility to look into people’s past not the candidate’s to be honest about it in the first place!

All these things don’t bode well for her as an MP IMHO, or for the current batch who defend her.

No doubt NuLabour would introduce Adultery Discrimination laws to ensure that adultery can no longer be grounds for discrimination."

Scary Biscuits said...

When we selected the MP for Windsor I sat on the selection committee and we were very careful to select an MP who was sound. By that I mean a genuine conservative, in tune with local opinion. We were less bothered about where he or she came from. Liz Truss in fact made it onto the short list but didn't make it to the final two for ths reason.

We were also a bit remiss, in retrospect, in enquiring about people's sex life. The successful candidate not only charmed the membership, enabling him to win the final vote, but also cleverly disguised the fact he was going through a messy divorce at the time. He even pursuaded his estranged wife to accompany him at the speed networking competition, which formed the second round. Of course, it later came out but it wasn't a problem because we had selected him on more important matters and we were happy with our choice.

Nic Hurd by contrast, who came second and who has since been a very successful member for Ruislip, might not however have been so successful had he had a personal problems (which he didn't). This is because the issues of policy that he was wet on (he gave a very equivocal response to questions on Europe, which probably lost him the selection) would have been more likely to have motivated members against him.

* * *

I hope Liz Truss fails for the same reason I voted against her in Windsor. She's not one of us.

She'd be more suitable representing a marginal in a city. It's unfortunate that Norfolk didn't come to this conclusion earlies and avoided a confrontation with Central Office, who have now unfortunately made this a trial of strength and a lose-lose for Cameron. If she's selected it's the finger to local democracy and his devlolution agenda. If she loses, he'll look weak and ill-advised.

If I was Cameron, I'd be working hard to get her selected for Julie Kirkbride's seat. In Birmingham she'd find herself in the mainstream of the party, or even to the right of it, as opposed to so far left to be completely out of touch in Norfolk.

As for the Labour Trolls above, I don't think it is a mistake to deselect her as Norfolk is secure whoever gets selected and a candidate in tune with local opinion is more likely to be a success long term (when issues such as gender and affairs fade into the background). Likewise if she could get selected for a more urban seat then long-term, everybody would be a winner. It's a matter of whether you care more about tomorrow's headlines and opinion polls, New Labour style, or about acutal votes in 3-6 months' time.

golden_balls said...

Lets see how much the "nasty party" has changed

if these people believe so strongly about Truss they should resign from the party if she wins through.

will this happen not on your nelly but its good fun to see the conservative party get back to what they do best which is fight with one another.

Johnny Norfolk said...

Why is that people who live their lives by deceit think everone else should do so as well. and they then go on to rubbish those who dont.
We need MPs who we can trust not to decive us.

Scary Biscuits said...

Golden Balls, I don't think there's anything nasty about what I've written above. Why are you suggesting that it is?

On the basis on recent events it seems pretty clear to me that Labour is the nasty party by a considerable margin. Brown has conducted vicous personal campaigns against Labour MP's who didn't support him for the leadership. Labour then tried to smear Opposition MP's wives (McBride). After 12 years in power Labour clearly care nothing about poverty in Glasgow, just so long as they keep voting Labour. No party, apart from the Tories, has an alternative to failed socialsm for helping the most disadvantaged in society.

It's true we haven't changed much: we've always believed in helping the poor. It's just these days we're no longer prepared to accept our opponents smearing us as self interested toffs, especially now that the venality and hypocracy of Labour people like the former Speaker have been exposed.

Ben said...

Paddy Briggs asks "What planet is [Anne Atkins] living on?"

This one. The same one that you are trying to wreck with clichés and shallow thinking.

golden_balls said...

@scary biscuits

The Tories don't need to smear anyone they have the Sun and Daily Mail to do that job.

With respect i assume its you and others of your mindset that cameron needs to take on and defeat.

I'm just enjoying the show while you fight one another.

steveal said...

Being a Blackburn lad, I've no sympathy with "the special ones" being parachuted in from politics central.

Try to get someone local.

Surely the fabulous Ms Truss must be local to somewhere? Go and stand there.

Analogue Junkie said...

To Iain.
Sounds like I was off message !
I posted something on this thread and it hasn't shown up ? ( I would have been reply No 16)

Iain Dale said...

Think you must have pressed the wrong button!

Analogue Junkie said...

Ahh... Apologies. I think I did hehe....