+++CF featured heavily in press+++

This Saturday's Financial Times weekend magazine will have a front-page piece on Conservative Future. Focusing on the efforts in the run up to the Crewe by-election, Tory Bear understands that it features interviews with the Rock, Patrick Sullivan, Liza Chantelle and of course darling Arabella Anastasia...

TB is going away for a weekend so blogging will be light. He will however be ripping the piss reviewing the piece in full at some point on Sunday.

If anyone out there has anything to get off their chest and fancies doing a guest-post get in touch.

UPDATE Friday 13.39:
Liza Chantelle is pictured on the front-page.

Back to the Future

TB has met many a misty eyed

FCS

hack who, over a drink or two has spoken with rose-tinted glasses of the days when political beliefs and factions dominated the Party youth elections.

The reaction to the last post proved what TB has suspected in the last few weeks- that already the invisible-primary of the CF elections has begun. We have seen a flurry of backroom activity, fundraisers set up and strange allegiances emerging.

This got TB thinking that we have a real chance to have a proper debate about what direction CF should go in politically. No longer should CF elections be about who can mobilise the most of their mates to vote, or which candidate can get the most people drunk on a national tour. Why can't we have a hard fought ideological battle.

TB would love to see a libertarian/right candidate battle it out with someone from the left of the Party next time round.

Let's find our real direction.

So while the late night phonecalls and msn-chats are underway - no doubt soon to be replaced with drunken declarations of support in late night bars at conference, why don't the candidates take the opportunity of what is set to be an extremely long election campaign to nail to the mast their colours and communicate what they believe in. TB would like to see the internet utilised more this election. If you are think of running and you are doing it for the right reasons, not just personal aggrandisement, why not get a policy debate up and running now? Why not pitch a manifesto of what you believe in now, before you are forced to promise the world at the hustings?

Lets find out what we all really stand for, what the next generation of the party truly believe in and what we will fight for.

Matt back?

Second time lucky?

+++ Should have been TB's moment +++

Seems TB's post about the Martine/Harperson analogy has been picked up by Iain Dale, not only on his

blog

but he even talked about it on Sky News...

Cheers for the acknowledgment Iain!

Oh wait...

UPDATE:
Mr Dale promises TB that he hadn't read the earlier post... Great minds think alike... or just two rather sad bloggers who remember MM's very short music career.

Is Zoe still crying?

Remember this classic... All the more relevant these days:



As Miliband said...

"Wouldn't it be nice if that Tony Blair came back"

A song for Harriet..

According to

The Times

; "It is alleged that Ms Harman was spotted on Thursday night, watching the scale of Labour's defeat in the Glasgow East by-election on the television, telling aides "this is my moment""

Has Harperson been listening to Martine McCutcheon?

Want Beer?

TB is looking for a web designer who can help him with a few changes to the blog... Nothing too major - just some tinkering with the layout etc...

Please email torybear@googlemail.com if you think you can help.

Will pay in beer and lashings of gratitude...

"Me? Well, I'm just a backroom boy."

Has anyone else noticed the alarming similarities between Jack Straw and Francis Urquhart?

Out of nowhere the cabinet senior, who knows more about the inner workings of the Labour Party than any other, is poised to take the highest office in the land.

Like Urquhart, Straw has been the inner cog in the machine that oversaw Blair and Brown's leadership campaigns and has been known to "put the stick about" when the need arises.

The cunning operator who put people in power, now has the power to take it away.

Straw however is lacking the subtlety of Urquhart - the midnight briefings are all seemingly linked to him. TB imagines the grey suit is still in the dry-cleaners for the time being but come September will it be put on?

Remember the rule though Jack...

If student politics taught him anything he will know that the one that wields the sword never wears the crown...

WE♥BAGHDAD

Word reaches Tory Bear of a very exciting new Conservative Future Social Action project!

Social Action Officer Arabella Bonaparte got in touch to say...

"Just wanted to tell you about a social action project we are currently involved with - WE LOVE BAGHDAD”. The party are helping local residents in their community make a difference by listening, seeing and learning. In the past, social action projects have taken the form of a 4 day volunteer scheme during conference dates. But not this year. This year, we are approaching the project from a whole new angle. It has to be about teamwork, cooperation and most importantly the community.

The task is simple: to transform the city using a bottom up approach through working with the local community, local charities and local entrepreneurs. Baghdad h

as been devastated by the war but everything is going to be ok now that CF are pretending to care. We will be painting fences and planting flowers etc! It’s social changes as well and will go under the skin to find the roots of the problems and potentially find solutions. It's for projects like this that I think I first got involved with Social Action for. There's a great something that can be said about going in to communities and working with them. It's more than just words on leaflets. It's something more - you meet people, you make a difference and you go away feeling you have made life better even just for one person. And this is where you guys come in… we need to build up city destroyed by devastating conflict.

And so I am asking you…

Are you free in August?
Do you want to be a part of this first stage in WE LOVE BAGHDAD?
Can you travel to Baghdad?
Are you fully trained in urban combat?
Do you want to do your bit for Social Action?

If yes, come be a part of the already existing team working hard to bring positive changes in Iraq. It will be hard work, you will potentially get covered in dirt , you might even die, but it will be fun, you will meet lovely people and we will put on some lunches as a thank you for your trouble.”

TB understands that all those who travel to Baghdad will receive champagne at Conference.

CF diary no more..

The new look

ConservativeHome

is missing something...

As predicted...

Though many did, TB did not fall for what he correctly predicted to be a practical joke. ABB and Howlett are not in a relationship.

Nice try at fooling the bloggers kids.. you'll have to try harder than that though.

He Ventured Forth To Bring Light To The World

"Congratulations on all your success..."

TB would be very surprised if Obama said the same to Brown this afternoon. 28 secs into this video you clearly hear the likely next President congratulate the likely next Prime Minister...




Have a look

here

to see why it was a bitter-sweet meeting.

Strip back the glossy veneer and frankly fantastic campaign and you will see the true colours of this dangerous socialist.

Alwoight?

Can some who lives in/knows the area of Birmingham that conference is being held well please email torybear@googlemail.com.

Your counsel is greatly needed...

Cheers!

Pull the other one....

Following up on

tBg's confusion

, TB is astonished at amount of emails, texts and voicemails he has got today concerning this....

He is how ever inclined to suggest that this might be rather extended practical joke. At least he hopes it is, if this is anything to go by:

(click to enlarge)

Way too much information if does turn out to be true... doubt it will though.

Bye Bye election...

A recount and a nap later and the loons take it... majority of 365.

Here comes the spin!

Tories push Lib Dems into fourth.

Funny the Nat didn't mention independence once during his speech...

Woops...

Oh dear.

Who exactly is on this panel?

Hmmmmm

TB feels a little sick...His loathing for the Labour is fighting his disgust for the SNP. Hope they give GB a kicking but can't stand how smug they look.

They must all realise deep down that this is not a vote of confidence in independence but a no to Gordon cry.

Word from friend at the count is we have come third... sound.

The next Conservative leader.... (...in Scotland.)

Despite the fact that he knows he will be grumpy in the morning and useless at work, TB has decided to stay up for the Glasgow East by-election result...

Flying our colours on the BBC coverage is Murdo Fraser...

He is by far our brightest talent up north and should be put in as leader in Holyrood as soon as possible.

Caption Contest #1

A t-shirt is up for grabs for anyone who emails the video...

Come on TB knows it's out there...