Gate crash?

TB always knew that contact in Labour Students would come in useful...

"Dear Friend

I would like to invite you to a party to thank everyone for their hard work and support during the 2008 Mayoral election campaign.

The event takes place on Tuesday, 22nd July, Dingwalls in Camden from 6pm.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Ken Livingstone"

See you there indeed baldy...

Tory Bear is hungover...

Mahiki pictures to follow.

Email any you have to

torybear@googlemail.com

Hack Watch #1

Anyone who has known Sam Coates for the last couple of years knows that he has had one of the most exciting jobs going for a young, ambitious tory. Being Deputy Editor of

ConservativeHome

gives you influence way beyond most 22 year olds. As TB reported the other day Mr Coates has jumped from one position of power to another and in doing so has left a much coveted opening over at Con Home. They are now opening up the application process to anyone who meets their

credentials

and thinks they are up for the job... Will be a fantastic job for whoever gets it.

This also made TB laugh. A sound application:

Banter.

Pop Quiz #3

Which member of the NME collects comic books?

Standard rules apply.

Just to clarify...

Know his name is flying around at the moment rather a lot but to kill one of the rumours TB has it on good authority that Ed Hallam will not be working at ConservativeHome any time soon.

Statement on the CLWCF elections

here

.

Congratulations to Mr. Coates

Guido

has this an exclusive...

ConservativeHome's Deputy Editor, and CFer Samuel Coates is to become David Cameron's deputy speech writer...

Congratulations are in order!

+++Justine Greening tipped for Shadow Cabinet role+++

Justine Greening MP who looks after CF is set to be promoted to the Shadow Cabinet according to the

Evening Standard

...

This is fantastic news for Justine who has worked tirelessly with CF over the last few years and has led the membership boom from the top. CF owes her a lot.

It is unlikely Justine could continue with the CF role and a ministerial portfolio...

Who would you guys like to see take over?

A Sunday night treat for you all...

This is of course a highly serious and intellectually stimulating blog. TB could make the point about how the BBC is dumbing down and not reporting serious news blah blah etc. While it is a total waste of taxpayers money blah blah etc this is a epic epic story:

"Suburban comfort for massive ram"

Laughed so hard Mummy Bear came to investigate what all the noise was...

What is wrong with the Welsh?

Yes this is a post about London. Wanna fight about it?

There are those that say CF is too "London-centric"* and then there are those in London that say CF is to CLWCF-centric! The flagship branch of City of London and Westminster have recently held their "elections". As

tBg has printed in full

, Ed Hallam (Deputy National Campaigns Director) has been duly elected Chair. The branch is famous for its Star Socials and excellent communication with its members, the website proudly boasts "Facebook has revolutionised our entire approach to campaigning and organisation. All of our events are announced through Facebook"

Oh really?

TB has been contacted by some members of CLWCF who missed out on one rather important recent meeting - the AGM! They claim they were given no notification of it taking place and TB can confirm there is no mention of it on Facebook!

TB got intouch with the new Chairman who was very helpful and seems like a rather nice bloke, he said all paid members were told about the AGM by post and given nomination forms.

Came as no surprise to TB's disgruntled CFers though that "All positions were unopposed"

* (TB also understands that there are those out there who moan that this blog is too London-centric. For the record - pipe down! If TB lived in Bangor it would be Bangor-centric. What a ridiculous complaint to make.)

Oh to be a fly on the wall...

Imagine being told "you are the problem", (as Gordon

experienced this week

,) by this man:

TB would have hit the table too. Then laughed at possibly the worst beard ever...

You know you are in real shit when that guy tells you you're the problem.

I'm Spartacus!

Ok so TB is lying in bed contemplating never drinking again... while doing so having a good old youtube session. Found these absolutely hilarious Farage Fury! clips... TB was lucky enough to have dinner with the UKIP leader a couple of years ago and can't help thinking once again what a shame it is that he is not a Conservative MEP. Ok so the man is a loose cannon and would be a hell of a liability but he is a legend and has the balls to yell his head off at the President of France, or Blair, or anyone else who stands in his path.

Watch how he lays into Sarkozy:



and the first ninety seconds of this are pure comedy gold:



I'm SPARTACUS!!

Just found this on Facebook...

Love it.

Something for the weekend...

TB is taking it easy this weekend. He must be getting old as the amount he drunk last night no where near warrents the horrendous hangover...

'ello 'ello 'ello what's all this then?

Another day and another revelation...

TB has spent the afternoon chatting to an extremely well connected source who was more than willing to spread some light on the true intentions of the CF Steering Committee. Seems they have discussed in depth the prospect of removing the entire elections process from CF. Elections are apparently a) messy and dirty, b) cost too much - the ERS charge a hell of a lot and of the thousands of ballot papers sent out, only a fraction of them are returned and c) at the end of the day the big people's Party don't get the candidate they want.

TB has now heard this from two trusted and well wired sources.

With this in mind any reforms that the current Chair and NME want to put forward must be done with extreme caution because the last thing any one wants to do is present the Steering Committee with the opportunity and opening to push the changes they want through the Party Board- changes that would turn the UK's largest democratic political youth organisation into... well an organisation as democratic as Labour Students.

It would make CF a laughing stock and go against any concept of democracy. A principle the Party supposedly holds dear.

Let us not forget this is Conservative - not Zanu P-Future

Change?

TB is hearing things - rumours of something big cooking up. Though nothing has been confirmed there are whispers. We are not talking Obama and shallow promises of "Change We Can Believe In" (What does that even mean?) No, there are rumblings of a pretty significant overhaul of the CF structure...

Think NME and Area Chairman...

You'll hear it here first.

The Boy did good.

Up against Labour PPC Chuka Umuna (Streatham) Michael David Rock held his own and did CF proud.

That YBF TV training clearly paid off!

Well done to whichever idiot BBC hack decided that Britain's largest youth political movement was called "Conservative Futures" as the the News24 banner referred to us as until halfway through the program.

TB phoned News24 to inform them of their error but was transferred to OffCom, sorry where exactly does the licence fee go?

Somebody kill me please?

TB is about to put a bullet in his head.. Sixth Form Question Time is the most painful and awful carnival of idiots. I've spotted three beret/goatee combos so far. IDS is leading it and getting the claps but hell so is Wee Dougy Alexander..

It is an eternal mystery to why the entire audience clap at two contradictory points.

As for the student on the panel?

He's pretty fucking hard right.. Doesn't surprise me he is a member of UKIP... Not helping his cause! He wants to lock everyone up and he keeps getting lairy. TB is getting increasingly frustrated by the fact the kid can barely speak.. what was the criteria for the competition winner... best impression of Gordon Brown's stutter?

I'm not sure I can watch this all...

PLEASE STOP CLAPPING IDIOTIC POINTS... TB is close to tears...

The blue-scholar vote...

This

graph

from The Economist shows that all of the hard work CF campus branches and University Associations (if you go to a proper university,) have been doing is starting to pay off:

Tories really are a force once again on campus.

While TB does not want to seem to be taking credit for the national swing, he can remember the days when to be a Conservative at a student union event sparked a similar reaction to walking in with wearing a mac and holding a sign saying "I touch children!".

University Cons have played a vital role in decontaminating the brand...

Things a defiantly shifting and student CFers have a lot of political capital to play with in the coming academic year.. let's not waste it...

NUS take over anyone?

Rock on TV...

CF Chairman Michael Rock will be bashing some lefty on BBC News24's Question Time Extra program tonight at 11.30 (directly after the main program finishes.) Be sure to tune in...

Fingers crossed for his sake that it will go slightly better than this:



The former campaign manager isn't to confident though:

Charming...

It's DD for me

Lets all wish David Davis the best of luck today.
TB reckons the majority will stay around the same - about 5000. Despite the reduction in turn out that is widely expected, DD is sure to pick up some cross-party support and a few votes for being a sound bloke.

Has the by-election had the desired effect?

Sadly TB has to conclude it has not.