I was delighted to see a tweet from @ericpickles informing us that Rory Stewart has tonight been selected as Conservative candidate in Penrith & the Border. Rory was second in Bracknell, ahead of me. He is certainly a very independent minded individual and is just what the Conservative parliamentary needs. There won't be many Tory MPs who can compete with his unique CV!
Congratulations also to Liz Truss who was selected yesterday for South West Norfolk. Liz is deputy director of the excellent think tank Reform.
UPDATE: Paul Waugh gives his take on Rory Stewart HERE.
Iain, interesting that Rory did not subscribe to your view of only approaching one constituency at a time, he must have had several irons in the fire.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should too ?
Alan Douglas
Is he a local candiate?
ReplyDeleteBracknell ..... Penrith & The Border ?
ReplyDeleteBe interested to see any claims of local connections!
It's "Penrith and the Border". The Borders is somewhere quite different: south east Scotland. (Just as well you didn't apply!)
ReplyDeleteyr incredibly gracious, am sure they are no more talented or asset to the tory party as you are
ReplyDeleteYes, this is great news I saw rory on newsnight and thought he needed a seat
ReplyDeletehttp://takeonpolitics.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/rory-stewart/
I expect Liz Truss will make an excellent MP, I wish her luck in the future. The present incumbent was known down here, and was NOT very popular, resulting in a change of seat and party colour. Not my constituency either, but word does get around!
ReplyDelete" ConHome should "bless" "sound" candidates: Too many women candidates are newly recruited and we don't know if they are true conservatives. The grassroots trust ConHome and its blessing would carry weight."
Re TimMontgomerie Twenty ways to encourage more female Tory MPs (without resorting to all women shortlists) http://is.gd/4B6DP
WHAT PRAY, and WHO ARE TRUE CONSERVATIVES? If they still exist , they are a rare species.
ARE women being picked on much harder than male candidates by virtue of the assumption that female candidates natural HONEST transparency may reveal a tiny blip or two?
How many turncoat male Conservative MPs have we all known, how many true Tories are there in the shadow cabinet? I don't know if any of them are true Tories actually.
My constituency! All the locals here have had enough of Scottish liars! Why can`t English people have English MP`s?
ReplyDeleteMaclean is no longer liked here, so this Scot will have a hard time! I wonder if the new boy will claim £19.00 for his Remembrance Sunday wreath like Maclean? BTW they actually cost £16.50!!
I do hope Rory is better than David Maclean.
ReplyDeleteMacllean was okay till he endorsed the last Conservative government on the 1997 / 98 firearms (pistol) legislation.
he then tried to lie his way out of a situation that was(and he knew)was a lie, just to keep both sides of the pro, and anti, happy, it did not work.
As my American friends book says, "shoot straight and tell the truth"
Well the Conservatives abandoned the truth in 1997, get the truth back, reinstate the pistol shooting laws along with the fox hunting laws in the U.K.
Then the government of the dayb would never be voted out of office.
Q.E.D.
I do not think too much of Waughs 'take' of Stewart's view of Afghnistan.
ReplyDeleteBut then I am just a bloke on a Sofa.
I am more than happy to have a mainstream Cameron as leader and next PM, better to govern from the centre. Indeed I am happy to defend him even if he is to the left of me. We are still both conservatives.
But when Waugh says of Stewart, "If he were a Democrat, he'd possibly be Jed Bartlet." then I question just how useful he will be.
Nice link to Paul Waugh :-)
ReplyDelete"...It also proves there was no shame for Iain Dale in coming third in Bracknell (where Stewart was second and local GP Phillip Lee won)."
Can't disagree, though.
Get in. Love the Rory lad. OT - Dennis McShane on Westy Hour is trolleyed.
ReplyDeleteFireForce said...
ReplyDelete"Well the Conservatives abandoned the truth in 1997, get the truth back, reinstate the pistol shooting laws along with the fox hunting laws in the U.K."
Yup - I've not voted Conservative since then. Although I doubt you could sell the repeal of the gun legislation to the public nowadays.
Mind you, the police have managed to kill a few innocents since then - but then they get away with it.
Anyone know how many pedestrians the Police have killed in their motor cars since 1997?
If Rory's such a brilliant candidate, why don't we have an all brilliant candidate shortlist.
ReplyDeleteSeems a better idea than having an all wimmin shortlist of useless Blair babes
Agree with comment about Denis McShane on Westminster Hour last night, I thought he must be drunk too. It was embarrassing. Did you listen to it, Iain ?
ReplyDeleteReading Rory's wiki link one becomes slightly cheapened of one's own manhood. Fair enough he may have been born to certain priveledge but the lad's certainly used it well. I thought I was doing alright but now feel pretty useless really....hmm....
ReplyDeleteYou are going to have to stop being so nice.You are going to be an excellent MP but you need to crack a few heads first.
ReplyDeleteAll's fair in love, war and politics.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8327362.stm
ReplyDeleteAhem... all is not well with the Truss selection.