Sunday, January 03, 2010
A Walk With Rory the Tory
Rory Stewart has an excellent article in the Sunday Times, telling of his mammoth walk through his constituency of Penrith and the Borders. It's certainly a different way of campaigning, but it seems to work and is earning him the respect of the people who live there. Rory is going to be one of the highest profile members of the new intake of Conservative MPs. If he plays it right, and avoids the temptation to be a media darling, he may become a very significant player in the Conservative Party over the next decade.
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16 comments:
Can I nitpick, briefly? Almost everyone gets this wrong. The constituency is Penrith and the Border. Not Borders. The Borders is an area of Scotland, but the constituency stops at the border, where Scotland starts!
(The same applies to the non-existent "Borders TV")
He hasn't even needed to wait for the election. The caption to the picture starts:
"Conservative Member of Parliament, Rory Stewart walks on the Fells ..."
I have no doubt that Rory Stewart will go along way after seeing him at the Bracknell Primary
It's not his constituency yet. He may have been selected to be the candidate for the constituency, but it is not HIS constituency. That is for the electorate to decide.
If he plays it right, and avoids the temptation to be a media darling, he may become a very significant player in the Conservative Party over the next decade.
Pot to kettle "Can you hear me?.
Whilst eminently qualified, hugely experienced, energetic and obviously knows his own mind, the thing he leaves you with is that he's just a good lad.
Will Westminster prove too tedious? It'll be good to find out - he could walk into the FCO yesterday and have more knowledge than Milliband will have tomorrow.
I would wish him good luck but perhaps that would be inappropriate - more like God speed.
(frightened the sheep! He'll fit right in!! (I'm a Yorkshireman so all in good jest.))
Curbishlyauto, your comment might have some validity had I been selected as a candidate!
While he's no doubt impressive, a dose of cynicism is maybe needed here. Let's face it, that constituency would elect a donkey with a blue rosette. He could campaign from London, never set foot in the area till election night, and still win.
Makes this sort of effort look a touch like raising his media profile.
Also "The places In Between" is a remarkable and wonderfully written book.
What is so attractive is his lack of ghastly touchy feely blairy cameronian i feel your pain bollocks.
What people will vote for is honesty and toughness. No-one interested had the slightest doubt in 1979 what MT stood for and would do.
With your man Cameron Im not so sure - and Fraser is spot on.
Sounds like a good man who genuinely cares about people and has seen enough of the world to know there's more to life than Westminster. If I were there, I'd vote for him.
Hope he gets in. Parliament could use people like that - in all parties.
The key to the whole thing is that the man appears to be a listener rather more than a talker. A very rare quality.
I hope he's not spying on his constituents.
Talk about sueveillance society. Now we're electing the buggers to parliament!!
Showy bugger isn't he? One can summarize the article as:
"Over-achiever boasts about yet another long walk he's performed - this time in his newly-found constituency."
Willie Whitelaw will be turning in his grave.
His CV is more useful to our current foreign/security issues than the entire parliamentary Labour Party's combined.
What better way to learn about your constituency.
Perhaps this chap should be your model.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGy9jT5VhDM
The Cumberland News reported that Rory Stewart was chosen as PPC a few weeks ago at a caucus.
He was described as a 35 year old, Eton-educated, Harvard professor, tutor to Princes' William & Harry, ex soldier and former diplomat with an OBE. In other words a chancer who has burnished his CV.
He then goes on walkabout in December among the [peasantry] voters. Why? In my experience chaps in their mid thirties would rather stay in and shag their girlfriends. What a very strange 35year old.
Iain, you appear to be smitten and easily fooled.
New article by him on Afghanistan:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/23562
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