Submit your Questions...

"Bear Necessities" is a new series of interviews TB will be undertaking over the next few months.

Who better to launch it with than CF Chairman Michael Rock. TB will be sitting down to interview him this week. What do you want to know?

Submit your questions below or email them to TB...

By popular request...

Yes he really is called

Randy Gaylord

!

Hat Tip - The "Barrister"

Always a laugh...

In case you don't remember:



Haha, had forgotten quite how bad it was.

Blue Guerilla released back into the wild...

Where is the

The Blue Guerilla

?

It's been five days now since his last posting so TB thought he would investigate. "Ha. Iv been on a 5day bender mate!" was the blunt response... He still found time to comment on here it seems. Though there are few details of what this bender has consisted of, he is clearly away from his desk!

This was the last sighting reportedly from 2 AM Friday night:

Any one with any information to where tBg might be are asked to call 020 7722 3333.

Cheap gin and Travelodges

(click photos to enlarge)

ConservativeHome

picked up on a pretty significant point raised in the CF

FT article

-

So what did Tory Bear think?

Essentially this was a positive piece and dare it be said, an accurate portrayal of the how things are going in the CF world at the moment - there is a still a small old school possie and it's inevitable that this would get a nod. Let us not forget that this is the FT we are talking about- for the last few years it has been resolutely anti-Conservative and is the most pro-European of the Fleet Street rags. A couple of cheap shots aside, (plus the odd factual inaccuracy... A little harsh to describe the "sound" faction of the FCS as the ones with "eye-watering" extreme policy. That would have been the authoritarians surely?) it could have been a lot worse!

CF comes of pretty well - bar a few extraordinary clangers and the justified attack by Blackhurst on the usual cringefully obvious careerism that is the dark-side of CF. Unsurprisingly this is directed at one member and TB will leave you to work out who, lets just say had they had been born ten years earlier...

There is a definite element of gentle piss-taking involved- TB wishes he remembered Thatcher!

We should take pieces like this and learn from them. Next time CFers are in the presence of journos maybe keep the snuff in the jacket pocket, maybe not talk about getting naked and for fuck sake make your photos private on Facebook to avoid the likes of "Their social networking pages show pictures of an England of Pimm's, polo and county shows."

Michael was absolutely bang on with his description of the average member and comes of very well in the piece. Up until the very end (with the final paragraph reeking of editorial influence,) the piece does not go on a full out attack.

The member of the NME who threatened to resign over this is worrying too much... at the end of the day very few people read the FT weekend magazine!


Given what TB has heard of the drunken evenings spent with Rob Blackhurst from the FT this could have been a much worse piece, but TB believes it to be fair.

"...they can smell victory - and they want it very badly"

A friendly test...

In what was billed as "A friendly test between two historical institutions. Fifty overs between two teams of gentleman cricketers" The Carlton Club, despite being after revenge for last years narrow defeat were once again beaten by The Conservative and Unionist Cricket Club.

The Carlton failed to make the 155 set by a team made of of CCHQ staffers, prominent chiefs of staff and press officers.

Third year lucky for The Carlton perhaps...

FT Article

Article is

online

... Seems pretty positive at first read.

More on this later... In the mean time TB is frolicking in the countryside.

15.00:
Have to admit TB winced at some elements. In depth analysis and photos tomorrow but for now...

Rock - sound.
Sullivan - Not sure what that quote was about but came off well.
ABB- not sure where to start.
Liza - Good but the last line was a little dodge.
Morton - well one public school boy had to get a mention.

There is a definate element of gentle piss taking in the article but could have been a lot worse.

Going to sleep on this one.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Controversial!

BoJo has this afternoon

endorsed Obama

...

"Mr Johnson said an Obama win could boost the self-image of young black Londoners. In an interview for the August edition of Square Mile magazine, he said: "John McCain has many, many wonderful qualities, but I think a Barack Obama victory would do fantastic things for the confidence and the feelings of black people around the world." Asked whether his words constituted an endorsement, he replied: "Yes"

If TB were John McCain he'd be pretty pissed - after coming to Bournemouth of all places to talk to an empty hall while everyone was trying to get their passes, the least we can do is support the old codger...

ObamaCon is an oxymoron.

When will people realise despite the glossy campaign he is a socialist?

+++Jonathan Isaby quits Telegraph for ConHome+++

Announcement is apparently imminent but word on the street is that Three Line Whip editor and former CFer Jonathan Isaby has quit his post at the Telegraph to go work for ConHome.

More when it is announced.

UPDATE 12.37:

Seems

ConservativeHome

are playing this as quite a coup for Shakespeare and co. Isaby has been appointed co-editor. It's an excellent appointment and will be a huge boost to the site.

Now TB realises why he didn't get the job...

+++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.