Ideas for Party Reform 3) Party Conference: lower costs, more debate
We have lessons to learn from our sister parties in Europe.
Ideas for Party Reform 2) Ring-fence spending for the longer-term
That’s to say, everything except election-fighting: increasing membership. Candidate selection. Targeting development seats. Growing support among ethnic minority voters.
Ideas for Party Reform 1) Elect the Chairman of the Board
First things first: Party members need more of a say on how money raised is spent.
Securing the Majority 10) Making the Feldman Review work
There must be more long-term focus if the Party is to win the 40 per cent or so of the vote in 2020 that it should be aiming for.
Securing the Majority 9) Keeping 331 Conservative MPs busy
Support Groups. Policy Development. Backbench Committees. Lord Feldman’s Review. Campaigning. There’s plenty for them to do.
Securing the Majority 8) A Constitutional Convention
We need devolution for England’s counties as well as its cities – and that can’t simply be imposed from the centre.
Securing a Majority 7) Bringing Human Rights Home. Gove’s three pipe problem.
As he ponders the ECHR, he has every reason to be secreted – like Holmes himself – with the equivalent of a pound of shag tobacco and a map of Dartmoor.
Securing the Majority 6) Build on CCHQ’s ethnic minority campaigning
Priti Patel, Alok Sharma, Shailesh Vara – all have played a part in the big push among Indian-origin voters. It needs more money and support.
Securing the Majority 5) Welcome, new Downing Street team. Now get a grip on appointments.
Number 10, Matthew Hancock, the Whips, Ministers themselves: all must ensure that Sir Humphrey’s grip is loosened.
Securing the Majority 4) Stopping Electoral Fraud
Pickles is the Government’s new “Anti-corruption Tsar”. First he must report and make recommendations. And then the Commons must act.
Securing the Majority 3) The Boundary Review
It’s required as soon as possible.
Securing the Majority 2) A Grand Bargain on Europe
Cameron should trade off giving his Ministers the freedom to campaign for a No vote against his Party easing the push for a fundamental renegotiation.
Securing the Majority 1) The Lords
We begin a new ConservativeHome series on implementing the Conservative Manifesto – starting with one of the main obstacles to some of its proposals.
Did the ground war or the air war (or both, or parts) make the difference?
It’s time to start teasing out the different factors that helped to deliver victory. But we face a challenge – is there any reliable data?
Manifesto Ideas 3) Commit a Conservative Government to the NATO defence spending target
The reason is horribly simple, and can be summed up in a single word: Russia (or Putin, if you prefer). Bashing Miliband over Trident isn’t enough.