The first universities freshers activities start next week (lock up your daughters). In advance of this Tory vice-chairman for youth issues, Justine Greening, has revealed the Conservative Future pin-up boy and urged young adults to get involved shaping the Conservative Party for the future.In a series of posters, postcards and badges, the Conservative Higher Education spokesman, Boris Johnson, is featured urging students to get involved and make a difference. Launching this year's materials, Justine said:‘Students seem to like Boris Johnson, I think they like the fact that he's pretty upfront, he's amusing to talk to and he's very witty - and he's higher education spokesman, so who better to put on our posters?’There are a number of serious messages that the Party is taking to students this year including David Cameron’s Environment and Global Poverty campaigns.‘Students may not always see themselves as political, but they do have strong opinions about a variety of issues. I want our party to be able to represent a number of these issues, and that is why we are finding new ways of not only listening to peoples’ concerns but also getting them directly involved. Hat tip for most of the text to the CF Website
Makes sense to me! Boris is popular, and as Shadow Higher Educatioon Minister it makes real sense!
ReplyDeleteSince when did British universities become "campuses",Iain?
ReplyDeleteWhy?
Conservatives seem to be hitting the right note here.
ReplyDeleteBoris Mania will be the order of the day. If the mock ups on ConservativeFuture.com are right, even I would not mind putting one up!
Boris on my wall, what ever next?
Great stuff, have you seen the other one that was in the Guardian?
ReplyDeletehttp://education.guardian.co.uk/students/news/story/0,,1865909,00.html
Boris is loved.
Great to see CF using him.
Iain, surely you are the pin-up-boy of the Tory Party?
ReplyDeleteThe 'Boris Wants You' posters that CF branches have been sent for the Freshers' Fair stalls are cool, but virtually everything (leaflets, badges, random promotional items) seems to have Boris on - it makes us look a bit one-trick. (And there's hardly anything of Cameron which seems odd to me) My CF branch is planning on having a large Union Flag as the centrepiece of our stall as well and I think several others are planning the same.
ReplyDeleteAfter Steve Redgrave's wonderful performance this afternoon as a growth on Gordon Brown's left shoulder (http://tinyurl.com/leruv), maybe Boris would be well-positioned to resurrect John Selwyn Gummer's role as a pimple - this time on Cameron's nose, of course.
ReplyDeletewell he'll need some luck ... last time boris was at edinburgh university (last march), he ended up coming third in the rectorship contest, polling around a dozen votes
ReplyDeleteI've nothing at all against Boris, he is in fact an incredibly nice chap as Justine Greening pointed out.
ReplyDeleteAs a former University branch Chairman, it just frustrates me that CCHQ don't consult on Freshers' Week materials and almost always send out a box of useless crap. Whilst we love Boris and sack on sweets or lollies and a few pens would be much more helpful!
I saw Justine Greening with what I assume were the CF staff a few months ago with a much better version . It used the Warhol style print but was Boris pointing at you saying something like "The Conservatives Need You!"
ReplyDeleteJust wish Labour had someone that they could use in a similar way. Could hardly use Prescott or Beckett.
Bloody Hell - a whole stack of posts and not one person having a pop at Tory High Command.
ReplyDeleteConsensus NEVER!!!!!!
Boris is I believe due to talk at Reading Uni soon according to a friend of mine.
ReplyDelete"How was Boris?", says I to my daughter. "Drunk".
ReplyDeleteIain, you are the pin-up boy of the Tory Party. The sane-humorous part anyway. One hopes.
ReplyDeleteMeantime, are you and Guido locked out of the whole Labour "trubble at top" business? Non-responsive phones aside? Shame.
Thing is, whatever contacts you both intimated and demonstrably had, some kind of omerta has descended, nichts... which means what?
Well, keep up the good work.
PS. Why are the Lib Dems so quiet at the moment? Anyone "reaching out?" to NuLabHell?
PPS. Leave Boris his newly belovèd campuses. He must reconcile their various hypocrises before he truly becomes an emancipated one with them. You, however, could preach the gospel of blog to them. With Staines in tow of course.
Boris will no doubt go down well with the rah students in rugby shirts and baseball caps who think he's a "bloody good bloke2 - but as for reaching out and attracting support from non-traditional Tory public schoolboys/girls, forget it.
ReplyDeleteOh for god sake!
ReplyDeleteAs Chairman of Essex Conservative Future (1998 - 2000), my humble opinion is that Boris is a 'great hoot' with the 'Kensignton and Chelsea' set, but holds little appeal otside of this narrow belt of people, unless they read the Speccy, or follow politics avidly.
Now, that said, I am not against a bit of strategic positioning (especially after God knows how much bloody Taylors LBV tonight), but, for 50% of us (me included) he comes across as the toppest bloke walking the earth, but for the other 50%, he comes across as a typical upper class tosser with a bad haircut and a worse taste in mistresses than Sven Goran Whass-is-name!
In other words, with BJ, it's always 50/50!
Worth a risk in my humble opinion though. But then I am pissed as I type!
Hic!
When I last saw Boris speak he was slightly pissed, so he'll go down a bomb with the freshers. Great idea.
ReplyDeleteLucy, I have recieved my pack and there are loads of banners and leaflets with David Cameron.
ReplyDeleteHave you looked through it properly?
I really like the Global Poverty and Environment leaflets. Normally it is all gimmics, this year it has some serious messages
Ah, ta for pointing that out boris4ever, some things had got separated, I've found them now.
ReplyDeleteDoes this tour include the University of Papua New Guinea?
ReplyDelete