Many of us were denied access to VoteSource, literature and printing resources – and we all had to wait for ever for CCHQ to ‘approve’ any and every statement printed.
Activists were directed to seats which there was no chance of us winning. It is quite clear that CCHQ did not have a clue about what was happening.
Plus: Diversity sweeps Essex. Forget the Conservative Party – this is May’s campaign. And: Give Anne Jenkin a peerage. But of course: she already has one.
I can’t recall a more important election – we simply can’t to lose sight of our vulnerabilities at this crucial moment.
Party members are united in their expectation that every Conservative MP must back the boundary reform proposals when they come to Parliament.
Even if each of them who did anything at all did far less than paid up members, the sum of their individual efforts was at least as great and probably greater.
Too often, I fear we take the line of least resistance because it is easier than the alternative.
The story of Chatham & Aylesford, establishing priorities, sticking to them – and teamwork.
63 per cent say yes, 23 per cent say no – but the response rate to our survey suggests that the first figure will turn out to be lower.
It’s still winnable, but there are warning signs for the wider Party and its leadership.
When a self-replicating clique becomes dominant – be it of councillors, evangelicals, po-faced harridans or freemasons – there is trouble ahead.
Plus: Sarah Palin to Canada, the Brexit Bill to the Lords, and Clive Lewis to the backbenches. And: when sorry isn’t the hardest word.
The loss of Feldman, the hopelessness of Corbyn and Eurosceptic donor fatigue all play their part. CCHQ says it has a plan to get the money rolling in again.
Asked what he had done to help in a recent marginal by-election, one replied, “Oh, I knew there would be enough of you lot running around for me not to have to bother.”
A more integral role for young people, a greater focus on skills and empowerment, and a better approach to soliciting donations.