The last word on the Osborne donation saga...

Congratulations to

Donal Blaney

who has

scalped

Raf Sanchez the editor of York University's left wing campus rag "Nouse" over the

illegal donation

scandal to the Obama campaign.

What TB found interesting was the Labour PPC's (whose idea the fundraiser was,) response:

"In a joint statement Hazelgrove and Sanchez said: “As far as we know it is not a crime to have a bad idea and then not act on it in either this country or the United States. No money was exchanged and none will be. Nor did we solicit, it was just an idea we decided against.”

Hazelgrove remains a parliamentary candidate. At the time of going to print, Sanchez is understood to be preparing to resign from his editorial post."

"As far as we know it is not a crime to have a bad idea and then not act on it." For all the stink that Labour kicked up over the Osborne donation nonstory, it's nice to know that the Labour grassroots are on the Shadow Chancellors side and agree with his defence.

The nouse is tightening on Hazelgrove...

haha sorry TB couldn't resist that last line

Exeter beach party

Last week TB did a small call to arms to start sending in video content of what Conservative Future is up to around the country. You can watch the video in the TBtv player on the right. Keep sending TB your stuff...
Exeter CF have sent this video in talking about their recent Sex on the Beach club night that apparently saw over 300 attending. That is damn good for any campus event and the organisers discuss it in the video below...

However TB has just one recommendation... It might be wise to tag the video with some slightly more umm respectable content because at the moment, as you can see below YouTube has jumped to some conclusions:

Click to enlarge

This sort of thing has happened before. Joking apart it sounds like the event was a storming success and similar events should be put on across the country. It's nights like this that show just how much of a force CF has become on campuses across the country and no doubt made the branch a hefty bit of cash...

The final push...

TB was rather chuffed with the American blogs that linked to his remix of John McCain's stand up and fight speech. However that was a couple of months back and he was beginning to think no one was listening to it in the run up to the big day...

Until he saw this on his Messenger contact list:

For those of you that missed the tune you can watch it below or download the MP3 here.



Send it on to your McCain supporting comrades across the pond... They need all the help they can get for that final fight.

Nottingham says No.

TB understands that Nottingham University has begun a disaffiliation campaign from the NUS. It is not clear at this point if CF are involved but no doubt they will enter the fray in what is set to become a pitched campus battle.

Conservative Future are big players in Nottingham and as far as TB can tell the student population has a strong right of centre base. The last time a disaffliation campaign was run (by CFer Edward Keene,) the union staff were very worried it would pass...

This could get interesting...

Social Action saves the world...

Just when Tory Bear thought that the CF gossip had gone a bit quiet recently, news of a new super exciting, super secret, super project has just reached TBHQ...

TB understands that Conservative Future will be recording a special version of "Do They Know it's Christmas?" and continuing the style of this year's fresher recruitment material, special t-shirts have been ordered for the fundraising event for the mysterious project.

This is all hush hush of course because apparently no one wants to make it obvious that this is a CF project for fear of putting off members of the Shadow Cabinet from singing on the track. Apparently the whole thing is effectively being distanced from the whole Party, so TB can't really see who is going to come out looking all glossy from this. other than the specific people organising it. It's almost as if they are just in it for personal aggrandisement...

TB is not sure at this point whether Bob Geldof is involved yet.

New CF website under development...

TB has heard that Conservative Future will finally get a new website that is currently under construction. For months now the good aspects of the

executive blog

have far exceeded the poor official

.com

site.

The site needs to be updated reguarly, not only with news but pictures, video and interactive content too. And please no more pictures like this...

Anyone going to the current official CF site can't be blamed for saying no thanks...

Another great idea from Obama...

Obama is really pulling out all the stops to show his economic credentials in the final week of this campaign. In these times of economic downturn and faltering markets, small businesses are really feeling the full force of these declines.



Is it really a good idea then to encourage a mass movement to pull sickies on election day? Say

two million

sheep were to blindly follow the messiahs word then the US economy would be hit by a $300 million doller loss. Great idea.

Let's put this idiot in the White House.

What's up with Jon Craig?

The Sky News political team are normally very neutral, bordering on friendly to the Party. Apart from the odd blip of pissing off Dave in the early days they are on the whole a good bunch.

What has happened though today to Jon Craig? Firstly he

laid into

George Osborne this morning, giving him a solid kicking while he was down and dog whistling the class card with a dig at his full name. Then this evening he actually slipped the words

"tory toff"

into a piece in all seriousness. He seems to have it in for Osborne especially at the moment and generally seems to be leading the media in turning on the tories.

Has Mandy found a little friend to whisper to at Sky?

Guest Post - YBF

TB caught up this morning with Christian May from the Young Britons' Foundation who offers this insight into their 5th annual conference at the weekend.

This year's YBF5 was the best yet. Nearly 100 activists (including three former National CF Chairs, a host of seasoned CF activists and loads of new faces) were joined at Wellington College by leading figures from the Conservative Party and the wider conservative movement. Highlights included:

- David Davis talking about the importance of freedom and liberty

- Iain Duncan Smith passionately reminding us why social justice is a conservative priority

- John Whittingdale OBE MP talking about his memories of the Thatcher years at the Eric Forth Memorial Dinner

- Douglas Murray delivering his chilling assessment of the state of the world

- Eric Pickles talking frankly about public sector language - apparently the only stakeholder he has any time for is Van Helsing

- Iain Dale's media training

- Matt Richardson, of YBF's Legal Support and Advice Unit, talking about how YBF's legal team can help you out on campus.

- Ed Vaizey stressing the importance of 'appearing normal' to the public

- Nigel Evans reminding us to never, ever give up

Feedback from the attendees has been really encouraging - showing not only an increase in support for YBF but for conservative politics amongst the youth in general. Here's a sample of the comments:

"My impression of YBF has very much improved - I am now an evangelist!"

"I love you guys!"

"YBF is going from strength to strength."

"My impression has really improved - morale here is brilliant."

"This was my first YBF event so I had no idea how organised YBF would be. Having been here for the weekend I can say I'm really impressed."

"I've always had a high opinion of YBF but it has improved due to the high quality of the whole conference."

"I'm inspired. Very impressive speakers, friendly people and great fun."

"I had very little knowledge of YBF before this weekend, but have been hugely impressed by its ethos and the work that it does."

"The conference exceeded all expectations - the speakers were brilliant."
"I'm new to YBF so wasn't sure what to expect, but I've got a lot out of it and have really enjoyed it."

There was also a lot of interest in YBF's Summer 2009 USA Conference Tour. Details of this are to follow.

Donal and I would like to thank all those that attended and helped to make this weekend the success that it was. Plans are now coming together for YBF's Christmas Party. Watch this space.

A monday morning treat...

Look what Tory Bear managed to dig up to brighten up your day...



A true gem... IDS and Peter Stringfellow... That conference speech... Action Abercorn!

Truly a piece of Conservative history...

Friends in high places...

Not everyone seems to have descended on Wellington this weekend for the YBF gig, it seems Conservative Future's rebel alliance had talking to do with a certain someone...

It's great to see CF throwing their weight behind George Osborne in the wake of last weeks non-story and completely stage managed declaration of war. Despite dealing with the Dark Lord Mandleson on a daily basis and being Shadow Chancellor, George stopped to chat about the inner workings of Conservative Future with two of it's executive. Chairmanship elections, CF's success and possibly even a whisper of reforms that which will not be named was overheard by TB's ear at the Tatton Association dinner.

Osborne apparently still keeps a membership card in his wallet that was given to him by the CFer who founded his fan club. It's fantastic news to know that despite the moaning that CF isn't taken seriously enough by CCHQ, the top of the party, or at least very very close to it, still keeps enough of an eye on us to be able to hold a detailed conversation. This weekend has proved the high figures in the Party and the movement are taking young conservatives seriously, not just at the YBF conference but around the country, and now the ball is in our court. CF has potentially 18 months to the general election and needs to whip itself into shape and build the ground army, Obama style, to teach the doubters in the party one hell of a lesson...

TB is not sure if £50,000 was solicited from Mr Patrick Sullivanovitz...

The Eric Forth Award

Congratulations to Matt Sinclair and Mark Wallace who won the

YBF Eric Forth Award

this year. Their fantastic work for the

Tax Payers' Alliance

is outstanding and their work for the movement is second to none.

By all accounts the YBF5 conference was a roaring success...

TB is very sad he couldn't be there.

The coolest barn ever?

TB is tired after a great weekend of canvassing and the campaign launch party last night in Perth and North Perthshire...

Tory Bear wants the banner...

Conservative loses his way...

Who got a little confused with their SatNav when going to pick up a couple of YBF5 delegates from Wokingham Station?

You will end up in Woking (some 45mins drive away,) if you only type in the first five letters of your destination...

Wonder what the race would look like now...

...if Ron Paul had won the Republican nomination:



"Not the old way, not the same way but a new way..."

Is the campaiging just beginning for Sarah?

The Atlantic think so...

PILF.

Edinburgh University Conservatives officially endorse McCain/Palin

The newly rebranded

edconservatives

have written to McCain HQ officially endorsing the Republican ticket.

Dear John and Sarah,

It with great pleasure that the Edinburgh University Conservatives would like to officially endorse your ticket for the President and Vice President of the United States of America. Though the nearest American city is over 3,000 miles away we can assure you that we at Edinburgh University have been following closely the developments of this most interesting presidential race. It saddens us to see the amount of popular support your opponent receives, both in America and abroad, as we experience daily the infringements and wrongdoings of a strong, leftist state. We can only hope that the American people look to their history and realize that only a President McCain is capable of ensuring the protection of those liberties and values that, born here and matured in your great country, are the pillars of Western liberalism. On behalf of the Edinburgh University Conservative and Unionist Association we would like to wish you and your campaign all the best in these final weeks.

Your friends

Harry Cole and Ed Kozak

Chairman and Vice Chairman

In a move that will no doubt cause controversy on campus, the Edinburgh tories are once again raising their profile in the student press. Along with building a very effective flying campaign squad designed to aid the five Edinburgh city candidates, edconservatives also have a highly efficient media team.

Talking to the student press Vice Chairman Ed Kozak said:

'It really disturbs me how blindly people support Obama in this race, a man who not only has ties to a domestic terrorist but who also was a registered member of the New Party, a front for the Democratic Socialists of America (before, during, and after his Senate campaign). What disturbs me even more is how people are blaming the Republicans for the current financial crisis. It was a Democratic president, Jimmy Carter, who brought in the Community Reinvestment Act forcing banks to lend to high-risk individuals. It was a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who enlarged the CRA in 1995 allowing for the securitisation of CRA loans that included subprime mortgages. It was the Democratic Candidate for President, Barack Obama, who in 1994 was involved in a lawsuit against CitiBank for not issuing enough subprime loans to high-risk individuals. It was the Democrats who blocked Bush's efforts in 2003 to create a new department within the Treasury to supervise Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And it was the Democrats who blocked John McCain's attempt to introduce similar legislation, the Housing Enterprise Regulatory Act, in 2005.'

All coverage is good coverage eh?

Tory Bear urges all other unversity branches to get writing to McCain...

An unexpected surprise...

Tory Bear is rather chuffed to have been nominated for the Eric Forth Award for Activism...

Eric Forth was one of the true characters of British politics. A House of Commons man to his core, Eric not only knew parliamentary procedure inside out but he knew how – and when- to use the rules to maximum advantage. Eric was a committed Thatcherite and an admirer of Ronald Reagan. As Chairman of Conservative Way Forward and an advisor and friend of The Young Britons’ Foundation, Eric championed limited government, traditional values, freedom and the Trans-Atlantic Special Relationship. A man of principle, determination and courage, Eric Forth knew how important it was to be an effective activist and advocate for radical change. On Eric’s premature death in 2006, The Young Britons’ Foundation inaugurated an annual award to be given to the young conservative activist whose attitude, ethos and effectiveness best mirrors the values, beliefs and achievements of Eric – The Eric Forth Award for Activism.

TB is up against some very tough compitition but is very grateful to have even been nominated!

Here is the full list of nominees:

James Morton, for his excellent work in revitalising Conservative Future across Devon and Cornwall. James has shown great innovation in terms of fundraising and the number of new branches in the region is testament to his hard work, and that of his committee. Devon and Cornwall CF are also hosting a charity fireworks night in aid of Help for Heroes – an excellent example of activism.

Oliver Cooper, for his passionate defence of libertarian principles. Since returning from YBF’s US trip this Summer Oli has founded Students for Freedom and is planning a series of events to promote and defend libertarian ideals.

XXXXX XXXX, for he is none other than the infamous Tory Bear – purveyor of rumour gossip and intrigue, and defender of the sense of humour.

Ed Hallam and Tarasyn Whitehead-Patey, for their superb blog TheYoungConservative. Inspired by the time with YBF in the United States this Summer, Ed and Tarry have launched a blog aimed at bringing together and promoting all aspects of the young conservative movement.

Sonia Chohan, for her exemplary work as a CF Area Chairman. Who could forget such stunts as nominating Brown for a Guinness World Record as ‘worst Rogue Trader’ for selling our gold reserves at an all time low?

Matthew Richardson, in recognition of his past achievements as CF National Campaigns Director. During his time on the Exec , Matt oversaw an excellent record of national campaigns.

Liza Chantelle, for her inspirational work in social action. Liza’s energy and enthusiasm are to be commended.

Peter Cuthbertson, for his excellent work in promoting the Special Relationship between the UK and the US through AmericaInTheWorld.com

Mark Wallace and Matt Sinclair for their superb work at the TaxPayers’ Aliiance. The TPA is now the first place the media go when they want to talk about tax and government waste, and Mark and Matt have been instrumental in the organisation’s growth and success.

Obama stamps on the little guy...

Read and weep

Revenge...

Lord Machivelli's tongue has managed to land George Osborne in

all sorts of trouble today

. However as things stand this is more a warning shot than anything more damaging. Osborne has

taken the press

head on and in doing so openly declared war, this could well end up in the courts. However Mandelson hasn't exactly been subtle about this one - going around swearing revenge and then a week later creating this storm doesn't exactly create much of a cover. The intriguing part of this little episode is Nat Rothchild's role - why would Osborne's old friend and fellow Bullingdon boy turn on him like this?

The poison Mandelson drips must be highly potent stuff...

Either that or he has some very powerful friends...

The Tory Bear TV manifesto

Along with the makeover of the site, Tory Bear has also been focusing on getting TBtv off the ground. TBtv is your platform to show exactly what the wider conservative movement is up to, what is going on behind the scenes and what is going on around the country. Please contact editor@torybear.com if you want to get involved. TB is looking to create a platform for all of your submitted videos. If you have any ideas, big or small, get in touch...

This video got TB in a bit of copyright trouble because of the music he wanted to use. The music as it is was not the first choice. Check out this

rousing tun

e which was on the original call to arms...

McCain's daughter...

Meghan McCain, potential first daughter,

blogger

and hotty has promised to get a tattoo should her father win...

Suggestions on a postcard...

New Site Feedback

Please send your thoughts and views on the new site layout to editor@torybear.com

YBF5

Last chance to get your tickets for YBF5 - this coming weekend you could not only get some of the most comprehensive media and campaign training going but also spend a weekend with David Davis and some of the biggest names of the conservative movement...

What are you waiting for?

New Bear

As you will see Tory Bear has undergone an overnight makeover. TB is very grateful for the services of

Mike Rouse

who has done a fantastic job.

For those of you who might be interested Mike explains some of the technical aspects to the redesign:

"One of the many freelance things I’ve been busy on recently is a new template for Tory Bear. I had the great honour of going to the Bear’s party at conference after being commissioned and it was a great insight into the potential future that lies ahead for this blog. The bear understands branding - hence the heavy use of the blue teddy bear graphic through the blog.

The colour scheme we agreed on was, naturally, blue with white, and few shades of grey. This keeps the blog looking simple and spacious, yet the blue is the dominant colour. It’s designed for resolutions 1024×768 and higher running on Firefox 3, Internet Explorer 7 and/or Google Chrome/Safari. I’ve tried to accomodate Internet Explorer 6 users as much as I can, but ultimately you guys are going to have to

upgrade your browser

sooner or later.

This job also required me to work with Google AdSense and ensure good placements for adverts. There’s a 768 Leaderboard at the top of the blog and a 300 x 250 Rectangle underneath the video player, which itself is a YouTube video embedded in a DIV that’s got a background image of an old TV-video combi with some minor modifications. The downside, however, is that the YouTube video has to be resized in the HTML, but this is made easy with Blogger.com’s “Page Elements” editor. My customer doesn’t have to touch the raw HTML at any point.

There are two sidebars underneath ToryBearTV and the advert. One is big enough to accomodate a standard Skyscraper banner and is better suited to things like archives and small videos as well as a few widgets. The other can contain some small adverts and is suited to links and buttons.

The main post area uses some bold text for headlines and is plenty big enough for images and videos to be included in posts. Comments pop up in a new window, so no real work has been needed there.

In all, I am pleased with the outcome thus far, but warn that the job is not yet 100% finished. When is a website ever finished?! I’m hoping to spend some time over coming weeks tweaking the sidebars and other elements, but need to see what feedback comes in first.

I hope you enjoy reading the blog and like the new design. Your comments are very welcome."

TB is well chuffed with the new design and hope you all like it...

Remember remember the 5th November...

TB is plotting a thing or two to celebrate the 5th November up in Scotland. Think big rally, angry students, NO2ID, details to follow...

However for those of you who will be in London that afternoon TB suggests you checkout the gloriously free spoken

Old Holborn

or the

Devil's Kitchen

for how you spend you Wednesday lunchtime...

TB will give you a clue though...

Change: You will be made to believe in.

So McCain has finally

said

what we all know and all fear - essentially that Obama is a socialist and his policy and manifesto reflect this fact. The two pronged attack of distancing himself from Bush and dogwhistling the Republican grass-roots in this way might, might start closing the gap on Obama in those key swing states. However McCain is going to have to pull something pretty special out of the bag in the next three weeks to salvage this.

Speaking today McCain said "Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut; it's just another government giveaway."

An Obama spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UPDATE: 21.00 - According to Drudge Obama can't even be bothered to

sing the National Anthem

at his campaign events.

Maybe his wife isn't proud enough yet...

Nat Bashing

TB has been a busy bear over the last few days so apologies for the light-blogging. Having spent the morning canvassing a rainy, wind-driven and very nationalist estate on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Tory Bear is catching up on emails and working to get some new video content up.

A couple of things have caught TB's eye over the last few days... It seems that the strictly whipped and devout Salmond Youth, aka

Young Scots for Independence

, have finally got a grip and decided to

argue against

the SNP's ridiculous ideas to raise the drinking age. The young jihadis of the SNP youth wing are some of the scariest militants TB has ever come across.

Would you trust these people?

Just last week he was dragged into an interrogation centre for "re-education" by his nationalist peers on campus. Well that last bit didn't really happen but they are pretty damn scary. They even have

suggested music

to play to their members to really get them into that nationalist mood. Further justification that the myth of independence is a purely romantic idea rather than a practical reality. When will these people realise that just because

The Proclaimers

say something is a good idea doesn't mean it's a good idea? TB is glad to see that their weird loyalty and "the leader is good, the leader is great" mentality is beginning to fade...

All together now.. And Iiiiiiiiii would walk 5oo miiiiiles la la la la.

Woof!

Do you weep?

TB couldn't help think of the comic gold of Adrian Mole when he saw that unemployment figures were at there highest level for 17 years today.

With a mere switching of a few words Mole's tragically bad poem can last another generation:

Do you weep, Mr Brown, do you weep?
Do you wake, Mr Brown, in your sleep?
Do you weep like a sad willow?
On your Marks and Spencer's pillow?
Are your tears molten steel? Do you weep?
Do you wake with 'Two million' on your brain?
Are you sorry that they'll never work again?
When you're dressing in your blue, do you see the waiting queue?
Do you weep, Mr Brown, do you weep?

Who's bitchy now?

City of London and Westminster's CF chairman and co-editor of

The Young Conservative

blog has had quite a go at Tory Bear in his interview with the weekly

YBF activist profiling

. Ed Hallam claims that the likes of TB don't back up their stories with fact or proof and are a danger to the whole movement blah blah.

TB would like to counter this however and asks Ed exactly which story on this blog "isn’t backed up supporting evidence - it’s conjecture and, at times, verges on libel"? TB considers these things before he publishes stories, because lets face it this blog is not anonymous and can confidently say that everything published on here would stand up in court. He claims that TB etc put people off joining the party but Tory Bear knows this to be bullshit, this blog has been read by over 35,ooo people across the country and some of those people have got in touch to say tb.com has heightened the interest in the movement. CF needs a critical friend from time to time and people need to be shown that we are not just a movement of desperate, ambitious, jumped up young hacks and some of us have a sense of humour. Yes TB is sure it can be embarrassing to be caught or called out for dubious behaviour but he's glad that Ed has realised that if you can't beat them, join them...

The Young Conservative can be an interesting read and TB is sure that it will develop soon to more than regurgitation of CF press releases...

This is bullshit...

TB is hearing whispers from Westminster from very frustrated parliamentary staff who are having their evening drinkies disturbed, not by the hippy climate change bunch but by the massive and overwhelming police response.

The word about this protest was spread around the staff and media this afternoon and strange that this supposed massive potential breach of security happened at exactly the same time as the Government lost the vote about 42 days in the House of Lords.

42 days was thumped in the Lords by three to one... The police presence for less than 750 protesters is certainly clogging up the airwaves.

Golden Gordon the Global Crisis Guru wouldn't want this 42 days malarkey to come back and ruin his week walking on water so why not order the troops to create a faux siege situation and distract the news.. and more importantly tomorrows front pages....

Time to get the tear gas...

Tory Bear just spotted a sign at the protest that says "Tree's have Rights too"

Like what - Life, Liberty at the persuit of sunlight?

+++EnviroFacists storm Parliament+++

Enviromental protesters complaining about something have attempted a rush on Parliament.. The plan was for them all to descend and try enter at the same time.

The footage is pretty cool...

TB's parliamentry source says all staff were warned by the Sarjeant of Arms:

Sent: 08 October 2008 13:02
Subject: CLIMATE RUSH - 13 October 2008

CLIMATE RUSH

On Monday 13^th October a number of environmental groups are associating themselves with the 100^th anniversary of the ‘Rush on Parliament’ by the Women’s Sufferage Movement in an event entitled ‘Climate Rush’. This will involve a demonstration on Parliament Square during the afternoon and a planned ‘Rush on Parliament’ at 6.00 pm.

A number of security measures will be implemented in order to maintain access for Members of both Houses and to mitigate disruption to Parliamentary business. Some of these - such as increased police presence within and around the Parliamentary Estate, a heightened search regime and the closure of the Victoria Embankment and Derby Gate Library entrances all day on 13^th October – may inconvenience Members and staff. We would be grateful for your understanding.

Jill Pay Sir Michael Willcocks

Serjeant at Arms Black Rod

It seems the heavy police prescence seems to have held off the hippies.

They are using old school castle security by barracading the doors with planks better get a tank next time...

Introducing TBtv

TB is very excited about the launch of the new site this week and would like to introduce you to his next venture that will be on the up and up in the next few months - ToryBearTV. This video is the first in a series of conference diary type vids. This is one of the best speeches of the week and the rest of the video gives you a feel of the mood in the Hall in the run up to DC's big speech...

Come back soon for more TBtv - including some very funny vox-pops from the Conservative Future 10year Anniversary party...

TV's Shane Greer...

You can now become an

official fan

of TV's Shane Greer on Facebook... you know you want to.

TB is thinking he ought to get himself one of these fan clubs...

Whose car is TB sitting on?

Usual rules apply - first to email editor@torybear.com with the correct answer wins a TB merchendise freebie...

There will be a clue in the first TBtv video that will go live tonight...


UPDATE: 16:30 - Congratulations to

LondonSpin's

"Staff Writer" Mandy Maguire who got the correct answer first. TB goodies are in the post...

TB's laptop

TB is trying to edit some audio and video on his laptop but it's getting old and is saying it can't detect the soundcard. Any clues anyone?

The conference videos are kind of stuck until TB can get this fixed...

In the meantime keep an eye out in the next few days for the redesign of torybear.com to go live.

Mike Rouse

has done a fantastic job and TB is very excited about the new look. Mike cut his teeth at 18 Doughty Street and should be your first port of call for any online political needs.

Check out his website for more

information

.

Calling Matt Lewis

National Management Executive Elections results 2008:

Christian May - 413
Adele Douglas - 400
Owen Meredith - 380
Steve Ricketts - 378
Anastasia Beaumont-Bott - 358
Patrick Sullivan - 347
Matt Lewis - 339
Karen Allen - 323
Charlie Groome - 320
Craig Cox - 299
Anne-Marie Bray - 273

Surely as the next in line Mr Lewis should step up the mark now there is a vacancy? A Lewis/Meredith combo on NME would be quite the unit and help Owen's potential bid for the top no end.

Will ABB let Matt in the back door?

Guest Post - Matt Richardson

A year after the Forward Together slate launched the longest CF election campaign in the organisation's ten year history, torybear.com can exclusively bring you a guest post from Matt Richardson, it's founder and Chairman candidate.

This piece will no doubt spark quite some debate...

In defence of Michael Rock or The only things that change are the names.
by Matthew Richardson

Today represents 1 year since I came up with the “brilliant idea” that was Forward Together, the concept was simple make sure that a group of people who have all been involved with CF for ages, who have lived, loved, worked for and helped the organisation for years, an get them in a position to run the organisation. It sounds like a great idea on paper and maybe it was but the true test of an idea is how these things are received by the electorate. Of course it is a matter of record that Forward Together was consigned to the dustbin of history.

Lately I have started going to young conservative events again, YBF, Salisbury Club, Students for Freedom and association organised campaign days. People have started to saying to me “We wish you had been elected instead of Rock!” They go on to tell me that CF has pulled a vanishing act, a great magic trick. Apparently, there are committees, officers, working parties, sub-committees, and titles galore but nothing seems to happen. The campaign days that CF was becoming famous for (300,000 leaflets in a year) have stopped. The visiting that Mark Clarke used to do all over the country just doesn’t happen any more and the flagship new branches scheme has vaporised. The NME are all but anonymous aside from some sniping and intrigue which appears on the blogs. Area chairman are all in rebellion and the massive budget Mark’s exec battled for seems to have been revoked.

Despite all of this I say the same thing to all of them “I don’t wish I had been elected instead of Rock, not even a little.” Here’s why: Michael and I are approximately as capable as one another, in fact, if truth be told Michael has more management skill than me. It would have been just as much of a disaster if I had been elected too, the problem isn’t the chairman and it never has been. The problem is the NME, the fact is that they are useless. Patrick Sullivan, the man with my old job has done nothing. Not one thing! “Scurvy” Steve Ricketts is nowhere to be seen. Where are they? What have they done? Christian has lost interest and is working very hard on YBF very well and frankly helping the cause much more than if he was looking after CF portfolio and although she is working hard Adele is staying in the North. Rock could be the best General in the world but the problem is the troops are useless.

Michael is a dedicated, liberal tory and an excellent manager, the problem is that his exec are morons and life might just have been better if the dedicated people of Forward Together had been elected. We need people who care about the party more than their CV. Michael Rock is one, I am not sure that any of his exec are.

Fancy a pint of freedom?

The credit crunch might be hitting us all, but the good folk at YBF are helping us through it. Thanks to a recent donation, YBF are able to lower to the cost of their excellent conference - YBF5 - to a mere £50 for students. To book a ticket,

click here

.

TB will hopefully see you there for what promises to be an excellent weekend of training, banter and drinking alongside appearances from David Davis, Iain Duncan Smith, Eric Pickles, Ed Vaizey, Iain Dale, Matthew Elliott, Douglass Murray and many more leading Tories.

Sound.

As the dust settles...

So as the dust settles TB's sources reveal that there won't be a replacement co-option onto the National Management Executive as result of ABB's departure. There seems to be little point due to the fact that the NME is almost certainly now going.

As much as TB has a lot of time and respect for all of the elected officials of CF for their own different reasons, it a rare occurrence that a member quits and shows just how frosty NME relations are. TB understands that this issue was the first contact the NME had together since conference and there has been an almost freeze in communications. The resignation was specifically held from the NME until the last minute but seems TB's source stretch further and wider than elected officials. The reform fall out certainly goes deeper than anyone anticipated and future votes will now once again seemingly be a tie without the ABB swing vote. This could lead to a rather messy next meeting where these reforms need to hammered out and the executive evenly split.

TB wonders if any other elected officials are thinking ABB had the sense to get out now...

Tory Bear beats the Press release

Press Release

Conservative Future

Friday 10^th October 2008

Anastasia Beaumont-Bott is resigning from the National Management Executive

Anastasia Beaumont-Bott is today resigning her post on the Conservative Future NME. She immediately gives up her regional responsibilities as well as her voting rights on the Executive. She will keep her role within the CFSAN (CF Social Action Network) to assist with the important handover to the next Executive.

In a letter enclosed Anastasia sets out her reasons for stepping down.

Commenting on her resignation the National Chairman, Michael Rock, said:

"I have today accepted Anastasia's resignation from the Executive. Since her election in March, Anastasia has made an incredible contribution to the Executive and Conservative Future. In particular, her work with Social Action has helped to make a serious mark within the Party as to the influence of our organisation. I am happy though that she is going to stay with the CFSAN role until the handover next year, which will further ingratiate us within the Party and the wider conservative movement.

"Anastasia has also contributed to a significant phase of evolution for Conservative Future, which will enhance the effectiveness and reputation of our organisation. Her role within CFSAN will continue her personal commitment to CF. We have lost a very effective member of the Executive, but I entirely understand her reasons for stepping down and support her in her new endeavours.

"I want to thank Anastasia very much for all the hard work she carried out, the contribution she has made and the effectiveness of her efforts."

ENDS

For more information contact Richard Jackson (

rngjackson@gmail.com

)

Anastasia's resignation letter:

After giving it much thought these last couple of months, I have decided to resign from my position as a member of the Conservative Future National Management Executive. It is with great regret that I have come to this decision and I am grateful for everyone who voted for and backed me during my campaign.

I ran on a platform of change. I wanted to put an end to the lies, the bitching and the gossiping and transform Conservative Future in to a professional, responsible and united organisation which this party could be proud to call its future. Those around me warned me against becoming involved in Conservative Future – they warned me of the bad reputation it had within the party, but I stuck to my guns and insisted I wanted to help bring about change – remind us we were all on the same team, remind us what we were fighting for, and help introduce new forms of activism and campaigning through social action. Instead I have found myself at the centre of the very accusations, lies, and gossip which I campaigned to stop – some of them just plain silly, some of them more serious and upsetting to me on a very personal level, but all of which false. I have been shocked and appalled by the calculated level of gossip mongering that happens in Conservative Future and now no longer believe the change I once promised is possible.

In resigning, I want to be able to dedicate more time to my position as founder of LGBTory. We have recently been personally endorsed by David Cameron and I want to be there every step of the way, to watch the organisation grow, to watch our achievements unfold and to congratulate our members who I am so proud off and thankful for each and every day for their hard work and determination. I also wish to continue my work in social action. Social action has taught me the true meaning of politics and is probably what has kept me in Conservative Future for so long. I aim to continue my work there as a social action liaison figure and look forward to developing the many ideas which I am working on currently right across the country with local Conservatives. I don't want to wait for the day after a general election to make the changes our party advocates, and through LGBTory and Social Action, I hope to begin helping to make those changes today.

I thank Michael Rock and continue to offer him my full support as a fellow party member and as a confidante who I admire and respect greatly. I also thank those on the NME who I have grown close to as both colleagues and as friends, and thank them for their continued support and trust. Conservative Future could be an amazing organisation if we would only just let it, get over ourselves and remember we are all fighting for the same thing. The turning point came when I met a Conservative who told me he wasn't renewing his party membership because he didn't want to be a part of Conservative Future. Our behaviour is turning people away and I cannot be a part of that anymore. Please stop and think about what the public gossiping does to the image of our organisation.

I look forward to dedicating more time to LGBTory and social action and maintaining the close friendships I have made through my involvement with C.F. I am also at the beginning of my degree in Medieval Islamic History, and I dare say my resignation will be a welcome move by my tutors as I will be able to dedicate more time and effort to my studies, which by the way are going pretty good.

Lastly, I thank those who have reminded me what we are fighting for and who have made me realise what truly matters – you know who you are and your kind words will never be forgotten. Onwards and upwards to bigger better things!

Thank you,

Anastasia Beaumont-Bott

So there we have it, ABB is gone. There were rumours flying around about this all through conference. TB once again beat the CF press guru adding further proof that torybear.com is your number one place for CF gossip. This release was due to sent out tomorrow afternoon but seems TB might have quickened things up a little...

TB is going to sleep on it before he passes comment or judgement on this development in the reform saga, he will say this though...

This is certainly going to have an impact on future NME votes and will there be a replacement?

At least the ducks of Richmond pond are safe...

+++It's official+++

TB has seen exerts of Anastasia Beaumont-Botts resignation letter:

After giving it much thought these last couple of months I have decided to resign my position as a member of the CF NME

I wanted to put an end to the lies the bitching and the gossiping and transform Conservative Future into a professional, responsible and united organisation that this party could be proud to call it’s future. Instead I have found myself at the centre of the very accusations lies and gossips that I campaigned to stop.

I have been shocked and appalled by the calculated level of gossip mongering that happens in CF and no longer believe the change I once promised is possible.

I don’t want to wait for the day after a general election to make the changes our party advocates and through LGBTory and Social Action I hope to begin to help make these changes today.

+++more to follow+++

+++ABB quits+++

TB can confirm London Spin speculation. Statement due tomorrow.

+++developing+++

Government steps in to avoid bankruptcy in family game of Monopoly

A game of Monopoly being played by the Henderson family of Watford took a surprise twist today when the Bank of England stepped in with a rescue package to save one of the key players, Mr Henderson, from what the Chancellor described as ‘almost certain bankruptcy.’

The deal, which had been thrashed out in the early hours between Alistair Darling and Mr Henderson, who was acting as the banker, means that each player will receive a £1 billion pound injection of cash, (although this may take some time to count out what with having to use up all the yellow one pound notes). The short-term borrowing deal led to furious protests from the rest of the Henderson family, who complained that it was unfair to use their money to bail out Mr Henderson so that he could go back to ripping them off.

As Mrs Henderson put it ‘He’s the one who spent recklessly at the start of the game. He was going around in a top-hat buying up properties like Old Kent Road. And now they’re worthless he expects us to get him out of the mess he’s in.’

NewsBiscuit

has more

Bob Friend 1938 - 2008

Just saw over at

Iain Dale

that SkyNew's finest Bob Friend died today after battling cancer aged 70.

Some of TB's earliest news memories had Bob at the helm and who can forget his cameos in Independence Day and Mission Impossible...

PMQs

TB is just catching up on the first PMQs of the new school year...

Dave rose above the party politics and offered Brown the chance to justify and explain the moves he is taking. Brown then spat in his face with a cheap shot showing just what a nasty little man he is. There is a marked difference in Brown's performance from the last PMQs before the summer but the only reason he got one over DC was the fact Dave wasn't on the attack. Was a stinging attack none the less... This is a new enemy, a new Brown - Mandy is back, how long until Campell steps up? The New Labour machine isn't going to go down without one hell of a fight:

After the events of the last week Gordon Brown may well be safe now until the next election and that gives the Conservatives a great opportunity to continuously go for the jugular and drag this idiot through the mud, safe in the knowledge that the Parliamentary Labour Party cannot conceivably get rid of their leader given their Soviet-style pledges of loyalty on Monday.

Let the games begin.. No mercy.

Well isn't this a happy thought....

Guido

has a warning...

"The big lie that we will hear this morning is that taxpayer's money will be "invested" and the government may even make a profit - like the Swedes did in the nineties. Except the Swedes didn't make a profit, Swedish taxpayers lost billions. One bank out of over 114 Swedish banks refused the deal. SEB, Sweden's largest bank controlled by the Wallenberg family, arranged a private sector recapitalisation and returned to profitability within a year. So could the UK banks. British taxpayers are going to get screwed like they have never been screwed before."

Great.

More BBC lies

Just spotted this on the

BBC website

:

"Mr McCain, who is widely viewed as having lost the first debate"

Sorry to make this a bit of a stuck record issue but it's getting ridiculous. Why doesn't the BBC just come out and endorse Obama. It's not like Brown or the government haven't already... why shouldn't the state sponsored, state controlled and state loving BBC?

TB hasn't paid for a TV licence in three years and is proud.. he urges you all to follow suite. Don't pay this ridiculous tax to be told what or how to think.

Anyone who watched the debate knows Obama fluffed it.

Congratulations

TB is very happy with the promotion of Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark to the Shadow Cabinet. Greg will be taking on Ed Milliband with the new Energy brief and will no doubt give him the run around.

Greg is one of the brightest of the 2005 intake and Tory Bear wishes him the best of luck...

CF says yes to NO2ID

Word reaches Tory Bear that Conservative Future, the official youth wing of the Conservative Party is set to officially endorse and tie themselves to the

NO2ID

pressure group. This is fantastic news and something that TB has been talking about to anyone who would listen for awhile. There will be an

event

to mark the occasion and it's great to see CF and the Party embracing and working with the other lynch pins of the broader conservative moment.

A member of the shadow cabinet will be at the "ceremony" and unsurprisingly given the current Chairman's core base and his political beliefs, it will take place at the bastion of freedom that UCL has become.

Excellent news and well done to those that made this happen.

Why we need a cut in corporation tax. Now.

Press Release:

Facebook to Establish International Headquarters in Dublin, Ireland

Company Set to Broaden Operations to Better Serve Users

DUBLIN, Ireland – October 2, 2008 –Tanáiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment, Mary Coughlan TD announced today (2 October 2008) that Facebook, the world’s leading social networking site, is to establish its international headquarters in Dublin.

Dublin will be the centre for Facebook’s international operations and will provide a range of online technical, sales and operations support to Facebook’s users and customers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Even Dave's promise of a cut of 3p is many months off.

TB wonders why they didn't choose the UK.

Hat-Tip - Guido

Scottish Tories raise the game...

TB just spotted this on

ConservativeHome.

This postcard is being sent to young voters in Scotland's target seats to raise the awareness of the SNP's continuing implementation of the nanny state.

TB was in the gallery to watch Murdo Fraser's

barnstorming performance

in the parliament the other day that saw the idea defeated by nearly two votes to one this is an excellent sign of

a that the Party in Scotland is getting into gear. Students from all political parties turned out in the morning to rally outside parliament against this measure and they threw their weight behind the Tories. It's amendments and moments like this that show just how powerful the Conservative grouping in Holyrood really is. In a minority government situation, twenty odd votes make all the difference and have a very strong voice.

With the right campaign, the party in the north could really begin to turn things round in the next 18 months. The Scottish seats have some of the youngest and brightest candidates in the country selected. It was a pleasure to meet so many of them at conference and again last night at the excellent dinner put on at Edinburgh's New Club to honour the combined service of over eighty years clocked up by former leader David McLethchie MSP and Edinburgh councillor Alan Jackson. The potential is on the ground and now Scottish Central Office must continue this good start and keep up the momentum.

The election in Scotland must not be fought slagging off the SNP. The election must be fought on the grounds that the only way to get rid of Labour nationally is to vote Conservative. This message must be rammed home, but like this leaflet shows, there is no harm in having a crack at the nats...

TB technical problems.

TB is trying to edit massive swaths of video and it seems his laptop is getting grumpy. The newly designed site is nearly ready and the video content will defiantly be up on that.

Watch this space - sorry about the delay.

Caption Contest

The return of the Prince of Darkness...

TB just got thinking about Mandy's return to the cabinet. He joked outside Downing Street that it would be "third time lucky". Luck had nothing to do this. This is a calculated and well thought out move on the part of a very desperate man.

Brown hates Mandy, he felt betrayed by him and the loathing was very public. He must be in a truly desperate state to feel that having this scorpion in his cabinet somehow made his position stronger. For Brown to need his enemy then surely the end is nigh...

No wonder Mandelson said he felt "proud" - Proud of his victory over an enemy... and rather chuffed no doubt with a cheeky peerage on the side!

TPA guest blog

Apologies for the lack of blogging today, TB has been sorting out his life after spending five days in the tory bubble. Can't quite believe Mandy is back in the Cabinet- surely it's worth putting a tenner on him having to resign again? Although Dave said he had no intention of tweaking the front bench, these new developments have spiced things up a bit. There is a spare spot on top table and TB reckons it's time for Greg Clark to be promoted.

Will spend the weekend editing conference videos and have some up very soon. In the mean time TB did a guest post for Tax Payers Alliance blog today so have a read...

"Despite the fantastic irony of it, why when I walk past a high street shop do I see CCCP t-shirts in the window and Che Guevara emblazoned across the chests of a brainwashed youth? Why do we celebrate an ideology that evokes massive state controls and influence over our lives rather than celebrate the freedom of a society that allows such an expression of personal views."

You can find the whole post

here

.

As predicted...

This

is what happens when you give Labour candidates passes to conference...

Just out of interest...

One of the reasons given for reforming the Conservative Future structure and elections was the fact that last year's cost over seven grand... How much was behind the bar at the CF 10 year anniversary bash because that was a long night!?

Not to say it wasn't a great party...

Hague, cake and at least one significant hatchet buried over a friendly chat.

Freedom

The Freedom Association had their annual anti-smoking ban party on Tuesday. The Freedom Zone had some fantastic events of the last few days but as

Donal Blaney

found out when he was asked to leave, the actual smoking ban was very much in place...

Donal and YBF put on some fantastic events throughout conference... The media training on Saturday was such a good idea - nearly a hundred young conservatives left fully trained in dealing with exactly what they would be facing for the next few days - exactly how to deal with a camera and microphone being thrust in their face.

Anyone who has even the slightest interest in getting involved with the conservative movement should make

ybf.org.uk

their first stop.

+++He's Ready+++

Just saw this on

ConHome

...

Wow!

What a week...

TB was sitting in the third row from the front as Dave gave what can only be described as an epic speech. Despite what the BBC were spinning DC had the room eating out the palm of his hand. TB reckons this speech is going to take it to a new level. The room was electric after another flashy video and well chosen warm up speakers...

It was like the Tory Oscars...

Then a whole new side of Dave came through - Serious DC. The speech hit all the right buttons - apart from the unnecessary rejection of libertarian values that could have been worded a lot better. However one comment can't bring down a fantastic hour and a game changing call to arms.

Tory Bear has just got home and is watching Dave on BBC Parliament. He is cool.

Will post a full conference round up tomorrow and try get some ToryBearTV vox pops up. TB has spent seven hours trying to get home thanks to the charming people at Virgin Trains. It was a brilliant few days and thank you to everyone who came to the TB bash last night.. what a night!


Oh and of course there will be euphoric trance remix of the speech.