Friday, May 10, 2019
Tories to opt out of European election campaign
I suppose if you are a member of the Conservative Party it is bad enough that we are even holding elections to the European Parliament on 23 May, never mind that the Tories are actually fielding candidates. Presumably that is why the party hierarchy have declared that any Tories elected in two weeks time will not take their seats.
So what is the incentive for voters to actually put a cross against a Conservative Party list? It certainly won't be because the party asked for their vote. As the Guardian reports, the party plans to spend no money on candidate campaigning, will not publish a manifesto and is refusing to hold a launch. As a result, Conservative officials fear the party could come sixth in the European elections, with their support plummeting to single digits.
The paper adds that candidates running in the election say the party was “almost in denial” that the poll was happening and continue to insist they would not need to take up their seats in the European parliament, despite fading prospects for a cross-party deal with Labour that would enable Brexit to happen before 2 July:
One MEP said candidates were funding their campaigns out of their own pockets, unlike previous years when there was a central pot of funding available. They have been told they are allowed to have their own regional manifestos, but many are not bothering, and there will be no central party manifesto.
“The thinking is that if we make no effort then we will have an excuse for having done so badly. But it is seriously embarrassing,” said one MEP.
Another Conservative source said internal data showed the party could do worse than the Brexit party, Labour, the Lib Dems, Change UK and even potentially the Greens, with support at less than 10%. That would translate to only a handful of seats, down from the current 22.
A second CCHQ source said the outlook was “absolutely dire” and worse even than the public pollsters were predicting because the party was planning to put in no effort whatsoever, apart from a free mailshot.
Part of the problem is the party’s activist base, as they are not motivated to campaign for the Conservatives when Brexit has not been delivered as previously promised. Surveys suggest around three in five members are planning to vote for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party.
After a meeting with Brandon Lewis, the Conservative party chairman, earlier this week, MEP candidates were left with the impression that Theresa May would give a speech next week setting out the party’s European election message. However, a No 10 source said there were “no plans” for such an intervention.
It isn't as if Labour is any better. They are trying to avoid talking about Brexit altogether on the basis that they don't actually have a policy other than to assist the Tories in getting a deal through without appearing to do so, and refusing to pander to the views of the majority of their party membership in holding another referendum.
It is no wonder that voters are turning to the Liberal Democrats, who have a clear and unequivocal policy on Brexit, which they have bee advocating since the referendum result in June 2016.
So what is the incentive for voters to actually put a cross against a Conservative Party list? It certainly won't be because the party asked for their vote. As the Guardian reports, the party plans to spend no money on candidate campaigning, will not publish a manifesto and is refusing to hold a launch. As a result, Conservative officials fear the party could come sixth in the European elections, with their support plummeting to single digits.
The paper adds that candidates running in the election say the party was “almost in denial” that the poll was happening and continue to insist they would not need to take up their seats in the European parliament, despite fading prospects for a cross-party deal with Labour that would enable Brexit to happen before 2 July:
One MEP said candidates were funding their campaigns out of their own pockets, unlike previous years when there was a central pot of funding available. They have been told they are allowed to have their own regional manifestos, but many are not bothering, and there will be no central party manifesto.
“The thinking is that if we make no effort then we will have an excuse for having done so badly. But it is seriously embarrassing,” said one MEP.
Another Conservative source said internal data showed the party could do worse than the Brexit party, Labour, the Lib Dems, Change UK and even potentially the Greens, with support at less than 10%. That would translate to only a handful of seats, down from the current 22.
A second CCHQ source said the outlook was “absolutely dire” and worse even than the public pollsters were predicting because the party was planning to put in no effort whatsoever, apart from a free mailshot.
Part of the problem is the party’s activist base, as they are not motivated to campaign for the Conservatives when Brexit has not been delivered as previously promised. Surveys suggest around three in five members are planning to vote for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party.
After a meeting with Brandon Lewis, the Conservative party chairman, earlier this week, MEP candidates were left with the impression that Theresa May would give a speech next week setting out the party’s European election message. However, a No 10 source said there were “no plans” for such an intervention.
It isn't as if Labour is any better. They are trying to avoid talking about Brexit altogether on the basis that they don't actually have a policy other than to assist the Tories in getting a deal through without appearing to do so, and refusing to pander to the views of the majority of their party membership in holding another referendum.
It is no wonder that voters are turning to the Liberal Democrats, who have a clear and unequivocal policy on Brexit, which they have bee advocating since the referendum result in June 2016.
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Farage on top for Brexit ,Corbyn following. The Tories get slaughtered.That leaves us with an an Alt right party and an extreme left wing party winning the EU's There is a lot at stake in these elections,the future of the country, their is everything to fight for..
And yet they managed to deliver a mailshot pamphlet addressed to the one not-eligible-to-vote member of the household today, which had some "produced at no cost to the taxpayer" verbiage on it.
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