Conservative Party members in Wales have chosen a 40 year old financial consultant to be their lead candidate in next year's European Elections. Dr Kay Swinburne is originally from Llandysul and is a Welsh speaker. She must have made a big impact on party members last year when she contested the 'open primary' at which Jonathon Evans was selected to fight Cardiff North at the next General Election. Its never wise to count chickens too soon, but because of the proportional system of election, it is highly probable that Kay will become one of Wales' 4 MEPs after the votes have been counted in May 2009. We are also hopeful that Evan Price who has been placed second on the Conservative Party list, might make it to Brussels as well. We know that we will have to do very well indeed to achieve this, but things are looking good at the moment - so why not?.
The reason that the 'vacancy' arose to top our list was because current Conservative MEP representing Wales, Jonathon Evans has decide to step down in order to seek a place in the House of Commons. This blog offers its fullest congratulations to Kay Swinburne, and hopes that she will be successful in being elected and just as successful as a member of the European Parliament as Jonathon has been, if elected.
14 comments:
I'm sure Kay would do a great job glyn, just a shame no one actually living in Wales could have been chosen? yourself maybe - woul take the blog to a new level at least.
will kay move to live in her constituency, one hopes so? alas it does make me wonder why and who she wishes to serve, the party or the constituents?
anon - I don't know her plans. All I do know is that she was a very impressive candidate, and everybody that I've met who know her, (and I don't), tell me she would make an outstanding MEP
Is she the same Kay Swinburne who a few years ago won over £800,000 damages form a city bank on a sex discrimination case? The photographs on the Herfordshire CC website and on the internet stories regarding the case look the same. She is also the Mayor of Ledbury and has stated that she decided to stay in the town whilst waiting for a green card to work in the USA about 6 years ago. With her selection it now means that because of the absurd closed list system we now the names of Wales 4 MEPs a year before the election. It really makes a mockery of democracy and the idea of a link between an elected representative and his or her constituents. No wonder very few voters will probably bother to vote in next years's European election.
I have to be honest with u Glyn, I am very skeptical of an 'election process' that elects 'representatives" in such remote fashion There should be a direct link between voters wishes and the candidates that elect them or inevitably we get a Lord's kind of situation where there is a disconnect between the politicians and the supposed electorate. This is not democracy and so the people will start to feel detached from their representatives and we end up in a quagmire where the citizens of the country start to think they are not really citizens of 'their' country and begin to feel like they are tolerated only because they pay taxes and are willing to live in a form of serfdom to the state or the 'super' state. Oh hang on, isn't that what's happening?
stuart - sorry but I just don't know. Have to admit that I don't like the proportional voting system myself. You are right in that the likely 4 successful candidates are already known, but on the low turnout which you are right to expect, we could spring a surprise and get two Welsh MEPs.
christopher - I accept what you write, at least to a degree - but I don't have any control over the election system. Just have to put up with it.
I've seen Kay Swinburn's CV and its extremely impressive. Evan stood against me in Ynys Mon and gave me many sleepless nights preparing for the final selection meeting- I knew that to be selected, I had to be at my very best and rely on a good slice of luck. Nice guy who is clearly capable of having a promising career in this party.
Both candidates have close roots in Wales.
Its a pity that we are talking about where people live as opposed to what they can bring to Welsh politics.
If we were successful in getting both elected then the people of Wales would be undoubtedly be better represented.
As u should Glyn, as u should. After reading your positively comments about the Spectator I just took a peek and 'shiver me timbers' there's a front page article by David Selbourne (March 26, 2008) that is somewhat similar to what I just wrote; maybe there's truth to that saying, 'great minds think alike'.
Trefor - I think we will have a really good election next year - and I certainly do not rule out getting Evan elected as well as Kay.
Christopher - I felt that Selbourne was a touch pessimistic myself
Glyn: feel free not to publish this 'essay', but as we move through 2008 and beyond you might want to refer to it.
Glyn: well, frankly, if I might be frank, frankly, frankly - there's a chill wind blowing and it might well turn into a high velocity Antarctica nail bitingly cold chill wind.
It seems even the leader of the Opposition (David Cameron) has picked up on the fact that the coming recession is going to hit the UK hard c/o Gordon Brown (GB) - that GB hasn't prepared for the oncoming storm; see, e.g., "Gordon Brown 'not prepared for downturn'" Telegraph, March 29, 2008.
It's kind of funny, not that I am proud, that just about all the politicians and economists are starting to see what I saw some time ago, the real estate shock (predicted back in 2006), that the CoL's credibility will take a serious knock (predicted in 2007 for 2008)- and now that's come to pass - see, e.g., "City's image abroad now 'badly damaged'" in the Scotsman newspaper (22 March 2008).
Then, there's the "MEGA economic juggernaut" coming our way in 2008 (predicted back in 2007) along with at least a 10% dive in the UK's GDP in 2008 (not yet happened or reported, a prediciton made when the experts were all talking about moderate growth in 2008, but major players have recently reduced this to flat or no growth, but not quite yet predicted at least a 10% drop in GDP), the predicition talked of major banks collapsing, that has come to pass (Northern Rock and now a major US bank is on the ropes, and there is more to come, this prediction was made when not one of the major experts/banks/economic experts predicted such an outcome).
Let's not forget the MEGA economic storn prediction ...
I suspect (meaning I don't know) that a LOT hinges on the upcoming vote on human-animal stem cell vote. If it goes the wrong way I wonder what this will mean for the UK - I do feel that the chill wind will get colder and a LOT meaner. A restrictive strap will break off and really the wind will not get meaner, just that it will appear to be meaner, we will feel another aspect of the economic MEGA-juggernaut that has co-mingled with our CoL (City of London). It will be like "all hell has broken loose" when in reality it is just a restriction removed or snapped off "the thing".
Sorry, but I don't think Selbourne has gotten even 'alf of what's coming down the tube (as it will appear to us in our dimension).
I'm a hard boiled objective scientist - but I'm also aware that our existence is on a thread, and I am not talking about the so called 'global warming threat'.
We seek to burn our way out of the Ivory Tower at our peril, creating man-animal hybrids is not so much like a red hot knife sizzling through butter, but an acetylene torch applied to rice paper.
I was asleep a few nights on my lounge couch, I sleep facing the view out beyond my apartment's lounge window. It was dark, so there must have been lights of the shopping complex and something called 'Skyline'. But for a split second or so I saw a bird break out of a dive into the balcony and turning rapidly upwards so I saw its underside. It looked like a Falcon - but its underside lacked the inner-pigeon outline, instead it was off-white-gray - against "A Dark Background", which happens to be the title of a book I recently read by Iain Banks, the famous Scottish writer.
I've been wondering these past few days what that strange image might mean, an Eagle's underside against 'A Dark Background'. Was it just me waking up and imagining the image of that Eagle? But it was such an out-of-the-box sharp terrifying unusual image, something that is a harbinger of something dark coming out of a dark background, something unstoppable; think of an underground train at full belt hitting the end of a tunnel and the carriages behind telescoping into the front carriage. The CoL is in the front carriage.
On reflection, I don't think Selbourne has got it too wrong; quite the opposite, he hasn’t even got it half right – what’s coming (from our perspective) is unimaginable – we have but one more chance to avert it, to keep the straps on.
For UK PLC, the clock is but one second from horrorific night - where something terrifying lurks to feed directly on man's soul.
Stuart I agree it is mad that these people are selected, Plaid will have a field day when they find out about this woman.
The system is absurd that it favours these people who CCHQ have chosen from some selected list.
kay has zero experience in Wales and is relatively unknown
I am very angry that we are unable to support super local candidates like Karen and Emma, and instead choose some serial seat hunter, who from my understanding has tried to stand everywhere else possible but been unsuccesful - shame on you who voted for her.
I heard that it was very close between the women on the list and that Evan actually won the vote and Kay Swinburne was nearly beaten by Emma Greenow.
What kind of system is this for electing our representative?
anon - you are not being logical. I know Emma and Karen quite well, and they are very good, but Kay won a democratic vote. And everyone I've spoken to who know her tell me she is a terrific candidate. I shall be campaigning for her anyway.
anon 2 - don't know where you get your information from. But the system is the system. ConservativeHome are searching around for this sort of information. If you actually have some genuine facts, and not just tittle tattle, why don't you make contact. You'll have to give your name though.
Ddraig Goch:
Kay is an outstanding candidate, who will work for Wales and the Welsh. She may live outside the Welsh border, but was born Welsh, speaks Welsh and her family still lives in Wales. Go for it Kay...many of us are behind you. Pob Lwc yn Mai!!
Kay is an outstanding candidate. She may currently live outside the Welsh border, but she is Welsh by birth, is Welsh speaking and will do the best for Wales. Kay is an educated, intelligent candidate, that Wales deserves to have as an MEP. Pob lwc yn Mai Kay.
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