A Comment on Comments

TB knows that lots of campaigners are all very excited about the CF elections, but such a battle will not be won by bitching about each other in the comments of this site.

Over the weekend one IP address attempted to post 30 comments in favour of one candidate and presented  some pretty spurious and libelous allegations. You know who are. If you want to end up in the High Court, go get your own blog.

Moderation is going to be a lot tighter now and repeated offenders will be blocked. TB is all up for hosting a forum for debate, but when it descends into smearing from one camp pretending to be another, save your breath, the comments won't get though.

Here endeth the bollocking. Sorry to get all Tim Ireland on your for a moment.

CF - News in Briefs

CF - News in Briefs

As you may have guest TB doesn't quite have the time to blog here like he used to. However in loyalty to those who have been readers from the beginning he is keeping an eye on the growing Tory-bun fight that is brewing over the internal Conservative Future elections. Without time to write vast analysis he will be trying each day to do a News in Briefs about the campaign. If you have any ideas for a good quick forty word hit, then do ping him an email.

Had to start somewhere...

"Would You Like A Chicken Supper Benny H?"

And so to Mahiki last night for the first of the Conservative Future chairman hustings that was piggy-backing on the Young Britons' Foundation Summer Party. Cocktails were flowing, though compared to years passed it was a relatively sober bout.

That wasn't to stop a howler though...

Questions began with an in-depth discussion on Europe. The floor probed the candidates far deeper than David Cameron was on the issue on the election campaign. Answers ranged from "No" to "Maybe" to "sort of in and out?" Other questions on reform were all rather dull and the usual lines about communications were pushed out.

It wasn't until a cheeky grenade was lobbed in that there was the night's only shocking incident. Candidates were asked "Which politician do you most relate to and respect... in Northern Ireland?"

Given that he was speaking in a room of Thatcherite right-wingers, Ben Howlett's attempt at getting the Fenian vote look spectacularly inappropriate. He cited Gerry Adams as "a conviction politician". Some were left speechless that Howlett, who had used a photo opportunity just 48 hours previously with Lady Thatcher to promote his campaign, endorsed the man who chaired the IRA Army Council that sanctioned the assassination attempt on her at the 1984 Conservative Party Conference in Brighton that left senior Tories dead and disabled for life.

After that the rest of the hustings seemed a little subdued and low-key. TB liked Cox's "Policy not Petrol" sound-bite and Cavalier-Jones did well to hold his own outside of his northern comfort zone and bloc.

Howlett has the chance to try to redeem himself tonight as the candidates will come together again for 

another hustings

at the Barley Mow on the Horseferry Road at 7pm. The event is in aid of Help the Heroes. Once again questions in the comments if you can't make it.  

Memo to Howlett - tread carefully. 

PMQs Thoughts - Amateur Hour

Well that was slow, messy, and amateur. Interruptions meant it never really got going but there wasn't exactly much to work with in the first place. It makes you realise just how far Dave has moulded PMQs to his own style and uses it to bash with ease. Clegg's opening joke was cheap and crashed. Not sure about the dissertation line either...

Straw isn't exactly suited to the combat style of PMQs and its pretty embarrassing when you make Harman look good at this. He started too quietly and by the end of his questions he was bellowing and came across rather dreadfully and gruff. Bit jumbled on the substance as well. Think Clegg would benefit from a bit of "practice" at this too despite his scathing put down.

Clegg warmed up once the questions were thrown open to the Backbenches, but the duel is really what mattered. His defence of the coalition at the end was very good, hit the Labour record hard too despite the best efforts of the Speaker.

Once again another piss poor performance from Bercow. Funny he never interrupted Gordon when he went on with reams of tractor stats and obscure defences of Labour's record. Who knows what point Clegg was going to make? He then completely cocked up the fact that Straw had only had five questions, it looked like it was his first time too. And once again he went with the "shut-up because people are watching" line. The public don't hate PMQs battles. Maybe Bercow could explain why it's the only Commons session that people watch? Every week. And enjoy?

CLEGG 3 BERCOW 0 STRAW 2

VERDICT: Dull, amateur, pretty much a draw.

Cox out the Blocks

Craig Cox

has launched this video this morning outlining his supporters and ideas:



"Sound ideology" is quite the dog whistle and intriguing to see a candidate pledging to go up against the government.

While Cox is a late starter, Ben Howlett is still on his nationwide tour, last seen somewhere outside of Scunthorpe "listening". Just kidding, but it looks like he did have an intriguing chat

last night

.  

Simon Cavalier Jones

is picking up endorsments of branches, but whether they will all fall into line outside of his northern heartland block remains to be seen. Cox's entry has raised the bar for the rest and they need to get their web and media stuff up to scratch quickly, especially Howlett.

There is a hustings tomorrrow. If you can't make it leave your questions in the comments below and TB will see what he can do.

Spot the Tory Mole

Ed Balls is showing off his London campaign team in a new

video

:

Not sure who the young Gekko is on the left? He doesn't look too progressive though...

What was that great line? "When I get a hold of the son of a bitch who leaked this, I'm gonna tear his eyeballs out and I'm gonna suck his f***ing skull."

Is Balls training a minion?

UPDATE: Has CCHQ spinner and CF darling Richard Jackson gone rogue?

Drinkies

Just a quick reminder about next week's YBF summer party:

Date: Thursday, 22 July 2010, 8.00pm
Venue: Mahiki, 1 Dover Street, London W1S 4LD
FREE Mahiki Cocktails – but get there early!
Entry: £20 (£10 for full-time students and graduates)

There is a CF hustings before at 7pm, which as TB is apparently not allowed to chair he will instead ask awkward questions from the back at. All the details and tickets

here

.

Things will be quiet around here as TB is off to Russia. Back at the weekend...

Simon Says...

...please chill out.

TB wasn't sure what Simon Cavalier Jones was expecting in this race but:

"It's shocking how tribal and petty these elections have become. Elections should be fun, ideas should be banded about, people should be lobbying candidates and drinking with them. It's amazing the amount of rubbish talked about these Elections and the smearing.

CF should be fun, we after all are the Young Generation, it should be about meeting friends, politics and party's. Not spouting off arrogant nonsense and accusing people of things they have not done. Sadly this behaviour is what drives people away from us and it must stop.

Most people outside of CF see us as about as progressive as Cliff Richard! We need to show that as a Party, we are normal young people and the tone of these elections is not helping. Let's have some fun, have some laughs and reduce the amount of pomp involved. I for one promise to buy a beer for the funniest comment below (for or against me)."

Has that cold feeling of "what have I done?" dawned one of the candidates? Oh well.. will hold him to the beers.

Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Cox

So the CF bandwagon rolls on.

London Spin

is putting TB to shame with the coverage though there have been complaints about the accuracy of all the details...

Howlett is racking up the miles, and the bartabs apparently. Activists were left unimpressed when he told an hustings crowd he was going to "feed the parking meter" before attempting to drive to another campaign event elsewhere. "Forgetting" to pay his bill on the way out...

Simon Cavalier Jones has locked in the north if their reactions to visits from Howlett are concerned. His team are picking up momentum. Given the rate of bitchy emails flying about TB would say SCJ is gaining on Howlett who is still the frontrunner mainly on name association. Nothing like a bit of mudslinging to amuse TB.

But that is all set to change as it becomes clear that the rumours are true - Craig Cox, student politics supremo and NUS conversation starter, staffer to various MPs and bit of a lad, is due to throw his hat into the ring.

Cox who has reduced lefties to tears with philibustering NUS debates and adding (literally) hundreds of amendments. He could and probably should write a book on how to piss off student unions. He's not shy of a fight and whilst this is still unconfirmed, Cox's candidacy would certainly liven things up.

CCHQ  and the other candidates are going to love the rumour that the slogan is the rather harsh "Cox not Cocks."

PMQs Thoughts - Hypocritical Harman and Boorish Bercow

A strange mood at PMQs today, the leaders were actually quite funny and it was a much less stilted performance from Harman than usual. For a second TB thought that the honourable members had actually listened to Bercow and were chilling out a bit. Harman pulled off the joke about partners and mothers well but Dave was quick on the come back with the CND dig. Harman should know the rules state you leave the mothers out of arguments though.

Although it was clearly a joke, Harman continues to insinuate that Clegg and Cameron are in a gay relationship with her "partner" comparisons. Yes everyone has made the same joke, but this is Ms Political Correctness we are talking about. Imagine is someone made a joke about Harman being a lesbian, there would be outrage from not only her but her army of puppeting drones who weigh in whenever anyone dares to criticise. TB's beef is not with the joke but Harman's hypocrisy.

The good humour couldn't last for long though. The last few Harman questions were back to the more heated exchanges we know and love. Bercow had the audacity to tell the Prime Minister to shut up before he answered a question. He was quick to to defend the PM later, on more than on occasion, seeming like he was trying to make up for overstepping the mark.

The Speaker is on thin ice, he is a servant of the House not a leader. He should not be preaching outside of the House about how members should behave, it is completely outside his rightly limited and focused mandate. He is damaging his authority, a fatal flaw in a Speaker. He wont be able to stay for long if he is pushes his luck too far.

A few interesting questions from the Backbenches, but after a good opening ten minutes, it all tailed off rather.

Dave 4 Bercow 0 Harman 4 

Exclusive: Leaked Chapter of Gordon's Book

The Speccie

is reporting that Gordon has been typing 10,000 words a day of his new book. That’s 580,000 words already. Tolstoy took 4 years and 460,000 words to write War and Peace and didn't have the taxpayer subsidising his writing time.

TB's man in the publishing world has slipped him one of the most explosive chapters of Brown's new book which his people are drumming up interest with:



It looks like it's going to be a cracking read.

TV's Shane Greer Cant Stop

Not content with talking head domination, TV's Shane Greer has taken to doing underwear ads:



Joking apart it seems

Peachy Pink

have poached the lovely Mrs Greer from the CCHQ digital team and she is now running the social media campaign for underwear company. Pants that smell of peach eh?

As If You Could Ever Forget

Go behind the scenes of Sky News, on that day:



Very cool.

LBC Tonight

Tune to the LBC 97.3 if you are in London or listen online

here

from 8pm to listen to TB having a wee chat.


You can tweet questions and comments to him live via

@torybear

.

The Perfect Campaign Video

"I possess a sort of sociopathic narcissism that makes me think I should be in charge of everyone"

Also looks like that baby stole TB's suit.

Tip if the bear ears to

Obo

.

Questions to Which the Answer is No

No TB hasn't turned into John Rentoul but he is laughing his head off about one of the most arrogant press releases he has ever received:

"Is this Braintree's next MP?

A 16 year old teenager from Braintree is fast cementing his place among Britain's political elite. Stephen Canning who is studying A levels at Colchester Sixth Form College has been billed as the next potential MP of Braintree or even Prime minister. As founder of the Braintree Youth Council and then Chairman of the Braintree Conservative Future, Stephen Canning quickly rose in the political ranks. But then he got bored. He wanted a bigger challenge. Much bigger. So he asked himself: What are the three largest, most largest, most important, most difficult challenges facing young people? The answer: health, education and crime - then he tried to tackle all three at once.

Braintree, Essex (BCF) June 22, 2010 -- Stephen Canning, a 17 year old student from Braintree has been given a position on the Youth Crime Stakeholder Advisory Group, directly advising the new coalition government on crime policy and implementation, and as an officer of the All Party Parliamentary Children's Group."

It is well worth reading the rest of the cringe-worthily self -congratulating tripe

here

. So is he 16 or 17?

Press releasing from an email address at thetoryboy.com doesn't help either. Talk about making yourself a target.

Labour's Budget Response:

Not much has changed has it.

‘Take Back Parliament Sq.’ Protest

Intriguing press realease TB just got...

Free market protesters are tonight testing the inclusiveness of Parliament Square's 'Democracy Village' by organising an opposing protest there.

Young activists will legally enter the square and provide a vocal and visual challenge to the illegal camp. They will be protesting against the views espoused by the campers, including defending capitalism and necessary action to close the budget deficit.

Organiser Donna Edmunds explains why: "True democracy only happens when a range of ideas are discussed. But the illegal campers in 'Democracy Village' represent extreme fringe opinions. They want an end to Westminster politics, say that the recent election was illegal, and oppose the ownership of property."


"They don't represent democracy - they've hijacked democracy. By camping on Parliament Square, the villagers are stopping other people from being heard by those in Parliament. We all deserve the right to have our views heard, and that's why we're holding them to their promise. There's nothing democratic about Democracy Village."

Might have to swing by the Westminster Arms later and see if it kicks off... 6pm apparently.

Why We Need the EU

Ever wondered where we could save a little cash? A topical question today. Why not start with the ridiculous amount of money we pour into the European Union. And you're not going to like it when you see just what your hard earned bucks are spent on. TB wonders how long it took, and how much the EU Directorate-General for Infrastructure and Logistics (DG INLO) are paid:

What treat have they prepared for zee useless Parliament staff? Well a slide show of course:



So there we go mes amies, now you know how to use a trunk. Another victory for the Project!