Sir Patrick Cormack Speaks...

The Guardian has a lengthy interview with Sir Patrick Cormack HERE in which they also talk to several members of his local Association. Well worth a read. He faces his Executive again in May. All power to his elbow.

A Conservative MP with BlogBalls

As I have said before, you don't get many more entertaining blogs than that of Conservative MP Nadine Dorries. Today she writes about Sir Patrick Cormack...

His local Conservative association have de-selected him, which means he will be unable to stand again as a Conservative MP, despite having achieved a 9.4% swing during the last election, one of the largest in the country. It has gone to a vote of the members, and I believe we have to
await their decision. South Staffordshire Conservatives should be ashamed of themselves. I am disgusted. Sir Patrick has said that he will stand next time as an independent, and if he does, I would help him and canvass for him against the selected Conservative candidate, without hesitation and regardless of what ‘you will never be given a job’ threats will be thrown at me by the whips.

Gulp. She's right though.

UPDATE WED: The Indy Diary today has a story following up Nadine's post. Nadine says: "Francis Maude should be sorting out the local Association". I would submit that this is the very last thing he should be doing and if he tried it would foment even more trouble. Sir Patrick tells the Indy: "I've even had generous offers for a war chest if I do go independent." I doubt whether Sir Patrick is a reader of this blog, but he should know one thing. He has many people who feel sympathy for him at the moment. But any further mention of the possibility of standing as an Independent is not very constructive and will start losing him a lot of support. I hope someone will tell him to button it.