A text book politicians answer

London Spin

is going to be running an interview with Ed Hallam later today... TB has best bits though.

Interesting to note he does not rule out a leadership bid...

Q. How long do you think CLWCF will be your home ground, any ambitions to move to an area chair role or another branch?

A. My future will, I expect, always be with CLWCA for as long as I'm living in this region - and I have no plans to leave London! I'm still only a couple of months into my role as chairman so it's a little early to speculate on the future. I don't have any plans to go for an Area Chairmanship - so Oli Cooper can breathe easy, for now!

Q. London Spin is still receiving tip offs that you are due to launch a CF chairman campaign in early 2009, can you confirm once and for all that you will not be standing? Or is there more news to come on that front?

A. I'm afraid your sources are incorrect. I've set absolutely nothing in motion for a national chairmanship bid. Michael Rock is a close friend, and as well known I worked on his campaign, which is more my style and where my interests are. Those experiences have shown me just how much time and effort it takes to win the position, and then do the job. I applaud Michael for finding the time. Personally, I'm more interested in focusing on my career for now

reads like something Jack Straw would say...

What do you think?

Pin in the arse...

London’s Pin

is a new blog that has popped up over the weekend. It first came to Tory Bear's attention via a Facebook friend request.

Normally TB wouldn’t be too bothered about yet another CF blog emerging in his wake but this one is different…

It’s pretty personal and pretty nasty.

Written from the perspective of a supposed CCHQ “drawing pin” accidentally relegated from DC’s office to CF, the Pin is a funny concept. However something tells TB there is something slightly more malicious behind this blog.

Obviously it’s a clear rip-off/piss-take of

London Spin

, the brainchild of Steven George and the supposed “Broadsheet Tory Bear" - The bloody cheek!

Mr. George has now passed the editorial reigns to one Frank Gallagher. Frank apparently graduated from the University of Manchester with a 2:1 in journalism and cultural studies. Though he does not appear to be on Facebook. Which is a bit odd.

Despite the “Pin” being live only a matter a days, half of its posts directly attack, or at least take the piss out of either Steven George, Croydon CF, (to which he is personally and professionally very close to,) or London Spin itself – “a 'well respected' Blog, who has a readership in its 'tens'”

Now there is no denying that there must have been some bad-blood in Mr. George’s acrimonious departure from CWLCF and London’s Pin is clearly involved in CLWCF and focuses on the branch, his longest post yet has been about Ed Hallam’s hair. The only clue.

Let the witch-hunt begin.

A Tory Bear t-shirt to the first person to email the Pin’s true identity.

Don’t forget it’s now editor@torybear.com

Exclusive: ABB and London Spin

Seems it's a flurry of interviews in the CF Blog world today... London Spin has be given a Pravda style Q and A with Anastasia Beaumont-Bott. It's billed as an exclusive "My Story":

TB hasn't seen it all yet but hears that it covers all sorts and can reveal first and once and for all that ABB will not be running for Chairman of Conservative Future.

Here's what she had to say about TB:

Q. -What do you think of current blogs and their content (TBG, TB) do you think it does damage to the Conservative brand?

A. I think Blogs have the potential to be an amazing tool in gauging the CF membership, engaging the CF membership and involving them too. TB and TBG are the two most talked about ‘anonymous’ (though I guess my definition of anonymous and theirs slightly differ). When they report on something factual or find a discrepancy in something, it is right to bring it to the attention of others. As long as the facts are presented then the debate can be held but there must also be a willingness to admit when they get something wrong.

We have also got to remember, as recently shown in a post by tBg that it isn’t just members of CF that read these blogs. While I must stress that we should be able to air our views, the one thing that saddens me is that people use the apparent anonymity to simply attack – that only makes us look like we inhabit the schoolyard. We need to show a united front, but we also need to be united in our aim to get the Conservative Party elected.

Perhaps this is something the NME need to look at and possibly develop a way in which CF can air its grievances and concerns? The Blogs can then be used to discuss the more immediate concerns and worries – like what Labour is doing to this country, but gives the Bloggers more ability to do what they set out to, to hold proper debates.

The rest of the interview can be found on

London Spin

at some point today.