You really would have thought that choosing a Conservative candidate to contest the next General Election would be a serious business. It sure is for the contestants who want to be chosen. But my local newspaper, the excellent Montgomeryshire County Times has the big notice of this contest, to be held on Wednesday evening, and which takes the form of the first 'Open Primary' ever to be held in Wales, on its 'entertainments' page! So you can make your choice about where to go over the next few days. To a car boot sale, or the AGM of the North Powys Man. Utd. supporters club, or a playgroup 'open evening', or an 'All-you-can-eat' pizza house, or the Royal Welsh Show - or you can go to our Open Primary.
The part of the 'entertainments' page where the notice appears is under the sub heading 'PICK YOUR OWN'. There were just two options. The Wistanstow Fruit Farm, where you can pick gooseberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, new potatoes and broad beans - or you can join us and and pick a Tory candidate! I'll probably go to Wistanstow Fruit Farm on Thursday to pick some gooseberries - because as part of the general assault that local wildlife is making on our garden this year, all of our own gooseberries have been eaten by grey squirrels. I've never seen this before and I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes. Just sitting there stuffing them in, swallowing the seeds and spitting the rest out. I've told friends who enjoy a bit of shooting that if they want some free 'entertainment' they can wander around the garden and thin out the hordes of these creatures that I see as rats with tails.
4 comments:
I remember once hearing that a squirrel was a rat with good PR.
I'm curious about these primaries. In the States I believe you have to be a registered Republican or Democrat. I take it that in your primaries anyone can take part, even members of other parties?
It reminds me of Labour's 1983 leadership election. The AUEW, perfectly correctly, held a one member, one vote ballot. But I was talking to a Tory in the union who voted for the Heffer-Meacher ticket, for the obvious reasons ;-)
It seems that the Conservatives, in their most important target seats, want to attempt to commit political suicide by not giving the obvious candidate a clear run but either having to have all women lists or allow members of the Lib Dems or Labour a chance to pick the worst candidate. 'Dave' Cameron must be off on one when he came up with this system.
left field - anyone with a vote in Montgomeryshire can attend, irrespective of whether they belong to our party, or another.
Roman jones - I hope that no-one comes along to undermine our efforts to involve more people in our selection process - though I accept that it is theoretically possible
i've heard Boris Johnson is having second thoughts about the London job. Watch out, Glyn!
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