Phillipa Stroud has been selected for Sutton & Cheam tonight. Phillipa is a leading light in the
Centre for Social Justice and is a very worthy successor to the exellent Richard Willis, who decided not to fight the seat again. I'm told Helen Grant came second, ahead of Tariq Ahmed and Lynn Hack.
Shame Richard Willis decided not to apply again.
ReplyDeleteSuperb chap and would make a great MP.
She can at least call on God if she needs help delivering In Touches :-)
ReplyDeleteI didn't make it to selection today, but I think shell do a good job (if it can be done). I can understand Richard not wanting to stand again, it is very frustrating in what should be a fairly safe Tory seat, constantly losing to LibDem Paul Burstow, because "he's so decent and hard working, so despite his party I'm voting for him".
ReplyDeleteI am shocked that we lost Richard Willis. Have just googled Phillippa Stroud and discovered that she is a serious god-botherer and anti-abortion campaigner. Someone tell me this isn't true. I have always voted conservative but will not be able to vote for an anti-abortion candidate.
ReplyDeleteIt seems mean to ask, but I wonder if all this 'fighting poverty' and 'fighting for Social Justice' thingy is such a great idea. Bit like 'fighting for peace.'
ReplyDeleteI mean, I just wonder if we were to make it clear that if you screw up, murder, self-destruct, use up local resources etc, you have indeed screwed up (which is the way it works for the non-criminal, non-druggy, conscience-operating working classes, and I use the plural deliberately) would there be such an endless amount of praiseworthy social work to do?
And then these undeniably genuinely good and energetic people could bend their energies to helping their own communities nearer home?
Unless of course the good, energetic etc can't stand their own kind?
Just wondering.
Congratulations to Phillippa! She will make an excellent candidate.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely shocked that Richard Willis will not be standing - I had thought he was a shoe in for the selection and had an excellent chance of beating the LibDems.
ReplyDeleteHe's a good guy, and would have made a very good contribution in the House of Commons.
She sounds absolutely atrocious to me , no experience of anything but the weediest and most sanctimonious self advertisement and apparently a boring old boot ..um toboot. How do we keep coming uop with these people she is not what is needed.
ReplyDeleteIt does depress me time after time to see how little Conservative candidates in common have with conservative voters
Is Burstow really "decent and hardworking"? Come on you Tories, lift your eyes and out-lib him.
ReplyDeleteWorried about Phillipa now I've read the other comments. Burstow looks better than he should against her.
ReplyDeleteI defy anyone to meet her and not want her in Parliament.
ReplyDeleteLynn Hack deserves to be selected for another seat on the basis of her surname alone...a sketchwriter's dream, the political equivalent of Private Eye's legendary journalist, Phil Space.
ReplyDeleteAnon 11.18pm: I have always voted conservative but will not be able to vote for an anti-abortion candidate.
ReplyDeleteWell I have never voted conservative, the next general election will be the first where I will definitely consider it but I too could not vote for an anti-abortion campaigner. However I've done nothing more than a quick google so could yet be persuaded otherwise.
Burstow is certainly 'decent and hardworking', now the lib dems have dropped their 50% higher tax rate he could get more votes from the mansions and golf courses of South Cheam. However I expect it will be one of many lib dem seats that will be lost to the conservatives. Labour barely keep their deposit as the '97 anti-tory vote went entirely to the lib dems. It's a prime example of how cameron's strategy will win back lib dem seats.
OK I accept some blame for not turning up to the selection meeting yesterday, but I wrongly assumed that Richard Willis would be selected. How can we have selected someone with such strong anti-abortion views for a constituency like Sutton? It is almost as ridiculous as expecting the rapidly de-gentrifying electorate to vote for Richard's predecessor Lady Olga Maitland! Hang on - I voted for Lady O, but will never vote anti-abortion... We seem to have taken a huge step backwards.
ReplyDeleteYou can be sure the rest of the selection committee voted knowing her Christian beliefs. Plenty of Tories are anti-abortion, just because you're not, too bad.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to Philippa! Her CSJ work makes her a great candidate.
Anti abortion, Boris won't be shagging her then!
ReplyDeleteWell bloody good luck to Sutton because they'll need it.
ReplyDeleteStroud is depressingly wonk-ish for a Tory and her idea of social justice appears to consists of a fair bit of meddlng in people's lives.
This constituency should be a cake-walk but I can well see the Lib Dems pulling someone with her record to pieces.
As long as she doesn't push her anti-abortion views down the electorates throats it won't be a problem. At the selection meeting we weren't aware of them nor allowed to know about them so she should keep quiet on them.
ReplyDeleteA-lists, goldlists, starlists etc are a complete pain. Why do we waste time and money selecting candidates (mostly foistered upon us by Central Office) when we have some hard-working high-profile local Sutton councillors that would probably wipe the floor with Burstow anyway?
ReplyDeletenow elected she can persue her anti abortion hard line christian agenda if she has any spare time she could always revert back to her hobby of agonising over drug adicts and the poor
ReplyDeleteperhaps we could all pay more tax how liberal!
I have never voted conservative before, because of some of the very attitudes displayed in this blog. I heard Phillipa speaking at a conference recently, however, and IF she is representing a changed attitude in the Tory party from what so often appears to be self-centred Nimbyism, not worried about the rest of the community, then I would certainly vote for her. She appeared to be energetic and enthusiastic, and much more likely to attract some in the younger generation. Congratulations on her selection.
ReplyDeletePS Are Christians not allowed a voice in our society, whether anti-abortion or not, or are they the only minority with no rights of free speech?