A-list - 4 comments
The Conservatives' A-list of candidates has reached 100!
Nick "Newsnight" Boles has been shifted down to 10th, though Hove and Portslade Conservatives must still be biting their nails after his lousy campaigning effort in 2005 (ah, memories).
Maria Hutchings is still in there. I could have sworn she was a mere "Disabled Rights Campaigner" before (may just be my memory), well she's a "Disabled Rights Champion" now. Not an opportunistic bigot. No. I haven't plucked up the courage to investigate yet, but my last post about her coincided with a rash of visits from deep within the murky world that is the BNP discussion board. I wonder what it could mean. Update: at least their cyber-unit isn't attacking us!
And many other revelations.
If the Tories wanted to convince us they were genuinely forward-looking they might try employing a system whereby candidates were matched to constituencies based upon the relevance of their skills to the key issues faced in that locality, rather than simplistically choosing a candidate who fits the area's demographics, or going with the current norm where those perceived to be the smartest, and the chummiest to the leadership clique, are the ones who end up with the smallest majorities to overturn. Sure, they're "useful" people to have around after the election, but they stick out a mile and are easy prey to a "streetfighter" from one's opponents. Why take the risk? Alternatively they could forget about the C-list celebrities, the careerists, and the "great and the good", and concentrate on selecting dedicated, local candidates, whose desire to serve the community should express itself in ways that reflect the needs of the local community.
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4 comments so far...
"they might try employing a system whereby candidates were matched to constituencies based upon the relevance of their skills to the key issues faced in that locality"
Like Peter Mandelson in Hartlepool for example.
Hrmph. I'd rather you had expressed it as:
"I agree, very sensible. It's a shame the major parties put the protection of their big names before constituency needs."
It's a post of two halves, you see.
It would be slightly different for those who take the by-election path, given that - ordinarily - you can't pick and choose which seats come up.
To be fair, I think Hutchings has always been labelled a 'champion'. I think campaigner implies a more sustained effort that a single, albeit high profile, stunt. She's likely to be loose cannon that will hurt them before long anyway.
You may well be right on the first point, Stephen.
No immediate sign of our campaign having an effect, but the Tories would be taking a huge risk if they gave her a genuine marginal to look after.
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