Are her days numbered?

Yes, it has been a while, but we can assure all our readers that we've taken time out to simply discuss and analyse the way we currently run the site. However, we're back, and things will start to look a bit more exciting over the next few weeks.

No website holding a group accountable would be complete without their very own mole (or moles). And it has come to our attention that one of our insiders has heard rumours that various top conservative politicians are extremely concerned with Anne Milton and her performance as Guildford's MP.  These rumours also mention that these politicians are extremely worried about losing the marginal seat at the hands of the "utterly useless" incumbent in the next General Election.

So, is it time for the local party to deselect and select somebody new? Perhaps Nick St Aubyn deserves another shot?

Whoops #2

It seems our good friend Mr Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, seems to be making a habit of slipping up in the Commons:

MP says sorry to school (Surrey Ad)
MP Jeremy Hunt has apologised for singling out a Godalming school in a Commons debate on health inequalities. Parents of pupils at St Mark’s Church of England Primary School were angered by comments made by Mr Hunt in his speech, branding them an insult to the school and the community.

During the debate, the South West Surrey MP used the school as an example of how the current NHS funding formula punishes poor families in rich areas.

He told MPs that the school – which was rated as the most improved primary school in Surrey and the fourth most improved in the country – was “somewhere where social break-down, a lack of education and a lack of money lead to less healthy diets and worse health outcomes”.

We eagerly await strike #3.

Grayling on Question Time

Yes, the Shadow Transport Secretary will be partaking in the BBC’s favourite political broadcast this evening.  Chris Grayling is famous for being the MP for Epsom and Ewell, but more nationally known for being a bit of a headache to David Blunkett.  We’ll be watching eagerly, and may even send in some questions – any suggestions below please.

Whoops!

Somebody didn’t do their research:

Jeremy Hunt: Given that more than 1 million hard-of-hearing people say that they use subtitles whenever they can, does not the Prime Minister think that it sets an extremely bad example that there is no such facility on our own Parliament channel and will he take urgent action to make sure that deaf people have the same access to democracy as everyone else?

To which the Prime Minister answered:

For once, I am in the happy position of saying that it is not up to me to decide how Parliament arranges its affairs, but I am sure that those who are looking at these things will—[Laughter.] I do not know that an outbreak of laughter is the right response from my right hon. Friend—[Interruption.] I am sure he will. No doubt discussions in the usual channels can take place; but it is a matter not for me but for Parliament.

So, either Mr Hunt was simply bandwagoning by asking a question that he knew was not in the remit of the PM for the sake of looking like he cared; or he hadn’t done his research properly.

Having said that, this blog supports his point, but there are better avenues to put it across.  Maybe when young Mr Hunt has a bit more experience, we should expect better research and more substance.

Milton on tuition fees

Reported in the University of Surrey student newspaper, barefacts:
Anne Milton, Guildford’s Conservative MP was asked by barefacts to comment on David Cameron’s recent speech. She said: “The question of university funding, student debt, tuition fees and whether they can continue to be enough to fund university education and also affordability for the less well off is all under review in the Party. I will listen and contribute – student debt is of particular concern. It would be a mistake to make up my mind before I’ve heard all the evidence and at this stage I would love to hear from any students or University of Surrey staff and will feed their views into the policy review.

So, basically Anne, you don’t know whether you support tuition fees or not?

Guildford MP AWOL

They seek her here, they seek her there…
On the evening of Dec 14 2005, a major local action group (CBAG) held a large public meeting and invited Anne as the MP. She declined, opting to send her researcher (not a Tory councillor, but her researcher). Former MP Sue Doughty was invited instead. The meeting and its outcome was deemed worthy of a front page article in the local newspaper. Nothing in the record at Hansard suggests that Parliamentary matters kept Amme away on this date, and the House closed fairly early that day.

Who needs trains when you have bandwagons?

10-year transport pledge ‘broken’

Mr Grayling said: “The government made promise after promise when it came to power about its plans for the transport system. But although there have been some improvements, most of the new projects they promised to complete by 2010 have either been scrapped altogether or kicked into the long grass. The rest will be longer and longer traffic james, and ever more crowded trains. Their grand schemes have turned out to be a massive disappointment, and their record on transport is a failure which will return to haunt them.”

Yes, let’s just hope for Mr Grayling’s sake that his party’s previous failure doesn’t come back to haunt him.

DiscriminaTory Measures

We recently discussed whether or not we should be covering the national state of the Conservative party. Originally the blog was intended purely to track the work (or lack thereof) of the Tories specifically in Surrey. However, with so many changes going on up in that head office of theirs, we thought it’d be wrong not to compare and contrast real Tories in Surrey with the “liberal conservative” mask that they’ve elected as leader. Cameron’s Conservatives – a new definition for the phrase “make shit shine”.

Cameron aims for more women MPs

“Until we’re represented by men and women in the country, regardless of race or creed, we won’t be half the country we could be,” he said in a speech on candidate selection in Leeds. He said his positive action plan was not about “crazed political correctness”, but would guarantee more women and ethnic minorities in winnable seats.

Now, far be it for this blog to suggest that all attempts at decreasing the gender gap in parliament could be labelled as positive discrimination, it is always entertaining to see a Tory have a hack at equality. It’s just a shame that he thinks the answer to discrimination on grounds of gender is to discriminate further on grounds of gender. A suggestion for our friend Dave: the country would be a much better country if you investigated as to why very few women are putting themselves forward for parliament, and solve the cause rather than the symptoms.

As the old saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words:

Dennis Paul likes teh alco-ma-hol

In true festive fashion, Dennis Paul has hit out at those bloggers who have given him a hard time over the past year (we assume these are Tim Ireland and Chris Ward, but there may be more we don’t know about). In a rather colloquial style, he states:

It’s been a year of sour grapes in 2005 for my opponents, but hey, why let a few blog pips spoil the cask…this years been vintage!! I’m trying out some Gardony wine over the festive season in anticipation of a new storm brewing!!!
Chin up…it’s only politics…see you in 2006!!

Indeed, some people do regard it as only politics. A Merry Christmas to you Dennis, and a Happy 2006.

Welcome to our blog

We are a group of people living in Surrey, rather disgruntled with the way that the local Tories seem to take the entire county for granted simply because it’s “true blue heartland”. We have decided that this should not happen – whoever is an elected representative in Surrey should be representing every single one of us to the best of their ability, no matter what the political affiliation of the constituents in question, and no matter how large or small the majority of the sitting MP is.

If you have anything you feel is missing from the site, whether that be links to external blogs/websites, or something rather original that you think will help our goals, please get in contact: surreytories@googlemail.com. Otherwise, let the fun begin…