It's time to dump some sacred cows

There have been some interesting blog posts and LDV comments about Henley. Darrell on the LDV thread mentioned doing away with "Winning here". Agreed. It is nauseating.

Tabman asked: “How much time and activists is “enough”? ”

Well, there were 400 activists at the last weekend. I seem to remember nearly 1,000 at the last weekend of the Newbury by-election. I apologise if my memory is playing tricks on me. If it is true that activist turnout was down - why was this?

I am not sure how “hands on” Chris Rennard’s role was at Henley. But any Chief Executive should take a fairly back seat role in such a situation.

We need to consider that Chris Rennard’s old 15 seconds “doormat to dustbin” no longer applies, perhaps. It’s more like 0.5 seconds from doormat pile to recycling bin in some cases. I saw a bloke in Henley-on-Thames come home from work, stand at his door and literally throw thirty pieces of paper straight from picking them up on his doormat into the recycling bin. Not much chance of getting the message through there! People often have their recycling bin on their doorstep now - so there is no time for them to glance at the leaflet while they walk through to the kitchen to put it into the bin. So does one of the fundamental building-blocks of "Rennardism" now no longer apply? As Liberty Alone says, around the year a Focus is likely to be read. But in the heat of a campaign, maybe we need to have less quantity? (Gosh - did I say that? Crikey - I never thought I would).

It is worth considering the comparative turn outs for us in the various areas in Henley constituency. I hear Thame was not good, and we were relying on it. Henley-on-Thames - itself - we were not expecting much of but in the event our turnout was good there. Why was that? Could it be - perish the thought - that our message about Townlands hospital in Henley-on-Thames got through locally there, whereas there was no equivalent "ginger message" in Thame to send people beetling off to the polling booths?

And are we putting enough focus and resource into getting our postal vote proportions up? The Tories consistently beat us here. Why is that - and what can we do to correct it?

I agree with Andy M on the LDV comments thread that we need to place less reliance on by-elections and concentrate on success elsewhere.

We first started inventing ourselves as the little tiddler fish of the parties which won by-elections in the sixties. For a while that's all we did in the public eye - win by-elections. We’re bigger now. It’s time to change our attitude to by-elections so that they are not such an important part of our game plan and such a huge chunk of our self-perception of our party's strength.

Are Tory bloggers embarrassed by Cameron's Henley legal spasms ?

I only ask because, while there was a robust response from LibDem bloggers decrying the stupidity of Camerons legal shenanigans last Friday, the Tory blogosphere has been remarkably silent. I can only find two right-wing blogs making any comment about it on blogsearch.google.com:

1. A view from Middle England by Arden Forester says that it was an "own goal with golden boots on".

2. While there was the usual blue-rinsed shrieking on Conservative Home, The Spectator's Coffee House blog was the only blog voice with any sympathy for Cameron's tactics. They seemed to swallow the whole thing hook, line and sinker. They made this interesting observation:

One thing to look out for is whether this damages Tory-Lib Dem relations in the House. That largely depends on whether Nick Clegg distances himself from the Henley campaign. If he does - and I suspect he will - then don't expect too much fall-out.

Ah yes, Nick Clegg is really distancing himself from the campaign isn't he? The BBC reports today that "Mr Clegg...is on his seventh visit to the constituency". Some distance.

Henley campaign - full steam ahead

...Just back from my tenth visit to the campaign in Henley constituency. I am pleased to say that I received a very warm reception from residents as I went round. We are now going full steam ahead with a new tabloid.

Thanks to everyone who has helped. Please help between now and polling day. Details are here.

Henley legal threats - Tories chicken out

I notice that there have been some fascinating updates on the BBC story about the Tory panicky "legal action" threats in Henley.

Basically, they have dropped the one about Boris' photo in the magazine. Thames News.net confirms this. Perhaps someone in the Tory party retinue actually looked at the magazine in question!

And they have chickened out of issuing a writ, which they said they would issue at noon yesterday, if we didn't withdraw the Townlands Hospital leaflet, which we said we wouldn't. But they still seem to be thinking about that one. The BBC says: "The party has instructed its solicitors to "pursue the matter legally" but a writ has yet to be issued." ("Pursue the matter legally" could mean looking it up on the internet...or having a little lawyerly huddle over some cups of tea and mentioning it (and then having a good laugh about it in this case)...anything).

They can think on. I don't think I have seen such a textbook example of a "bomb proof" leaflet as the Townlands hospital one. The quotes from the former and current chair of the hospital campaign were obtained in writing with documented permission to use. And the whole thing was meticulously backed up with direct and exact quotes from Tory leaflets.

The Tories really are barking up the most ridiculous tree.

Secret Conservative election strategy document found

Henley deliveries - we're 10 grams ahead of the Tories!

This reflective Henley constituency resident has carefully described all the election literature she has so far received:

The 13 publications which I have received from the Liberal Democrats weighs a total of 118 grams, the Conservatives have sent 10 which weigh in at 108 grams.

Wey-hey!

Cameron: We will sue LibDems over Henley magazine

It promises to be a fascinating court case. The Conservative case will rest on an interpretation of the magazine's back page which any reasonable person would not agree with.

The Conservative case seems to be that the magazine is implying that Boris endorses the LibDem candidate. Strange. Indeed, Boris' letter to Chris Rennard says:

I ask that you immediately withdraw it since on the back page you have what purports to be a picture by-line opinion piece from me giving my assessment of the candidates in the Henley by-election.

Well let's see. (The page is here on Conservative Home). We have a picture of Boris beside a quote with his name as an attribution for the quote. Below that we have an introduction to the article below it which says:

With election day in Henley drawing closer The View (the name of the magazine) runs the rule over the two main challengers.

There is then a write-up for each of the two main candidates with "OUR VERDICT" at the end of each. (It features the Tory candidate first and the LibDem candidate second - below it and furthest from Boris' photo).

Precisely what part of this lay-out is meant to imply that Boris endorses the LibDem candidate?

Any ideas? Answers on a postcard please..........

It is quite clear from the introduction to the article that it is written by "The View" - i.e the magazine itself and not Boris.

It appears that the Conservative party has excess funds to spray about on lawyers.....

Some commenters on Con Home say that no permission was given for the photo of Boris to be used. Hello? You only need permission from the owner of the photo to use it - not the person in the photo unless they are a minor in which case you need their parent's permission. If publications needed the permission of people in photos then there would be thousands of people employed by the press to phone up celebrities to get their permission to use photos. There aren't.

Henley: Tory candidate's claims to have supported local hospital campaign are refuted by independent campaigners

Full story here.

Claims by the (Henley) Conservative campaign that their candidate assisted in the campaign to save Henley's Townlands Hospital are in tatters having been refuted by independent Townlands Campaigners. BOTH the current and former Chairs of the Townlands Hospital Steering Group have issued statements denying any contribution into the campaign by John Howell, despite Conservative leaflets claiming otherwise.

Fight hard at Henley and forget Haltemprice and Howden

I have just paid my 8th visit to Henley and I am pleased to say we are going great guns on the literature front. There is a new Blue leaflet asking who electors would prefer to look after the beautiful local countryside. After last week's revelation, I think we know the answer.

Please help the Henley team if you can - details are here.

Andrew Rawnsley writes very well about David Davis here. I don't doubt that, whatever you think about Davis' personality, he has genuinely strong views on civil liberties, although he is not a liberal - as Stephen Tall points out very well.

He is standing as what could be described as an independent Conservative, or at least as a candidate for Haltemprice and Howden Conservatives, as opposed to the national Conservative party, who are not funding him.

His standing shows up the vacuity of Cameron's nice and caring Conservative party. As Rawnsley points out, Davis is instinctively liberatarian, while Cameron and his shadow cabinet colleagues tend towards the authoritarian, despite what they say.

So the reason we shouldn't stand in Haltemprice and Howden (because we agree with Davis' stated, albeit narrow, civil liberties agenda) is the very reason we should fight damned hard at Henley (because we want to highlight the vacuum within Cameron's Conservative party which Davis' resignation has underlined).

I note, by the way, that according to the paper review on News24 this morning, Rupert Murdoch says he will not be backing Kelvin MacKenzie as a candidate at H&H.

"Grade A hypocrisy" from Tory Henley candidate

John Howell's biography on the web site of WriteAngle PR

Interesting. The Conservative candidate in Henley, John "Biggins" Howell, has been voicing off about protecting the countryside but now it transpires he earns money as "a consultant to the management team of Dialogue, a leading communications firm in the planning sector, and to Savills Hepher Dixon where he also provides communications and political lobbying consultancy on large and contentious land and property developments".

I notice that the motto of WriteAnglePR, for whom Mr Howell works, is "The art of persuasion". The firm's site boasts to potential clients, including company's interested in pursuing "large and contentious land and property developments":

Our brand of communications is all about persuasion … to your way of thinking.

It seems that Mr Howell is certainly taking the "art of persuasion" to a whole new level....

Conservative Home: "The Henley campaign may not be as exciting as Crewe."

It's terrible isn't it? One wonders how all those Conservative "activists" can drag themselves to Henley.... The poor things. It's just not exciting enough for them.

Henley: Labour confident of losing their deposit

So says Andrew Grice, Political Editor of the Independent:

With Labour in trouble, the by-election looks like being a straight fight between the Tories and LibDems. Labour is confident - of losing its deposit.

I am off for my sixth campaigning visit to Henley constituency today. If you can help, please do - details are here. It is important to keep our early momentum.

Updated: Will Boris relieve Peter Mandelson of his onerous duties today?

Updated: Sorry I conflated two roles - It's the Steward and Bailliff of the Manor of Northstead which Boris will apply for, and that role is currently held by Peter Mandelson(!). Tony Blair continues to beaver away as doubrey-feature for the Chiltern Hundreds. Thanks to Gavin Whenman and Jock Coats for the correction.

If you were wondering, the manor of Northstead is what is now the Barrowcliff area of Scarborough in Yorkshire. See photo above of the Barrowcliff Hotel.

It's at times like these when I do a few searches on matters of procedure. Looking at Unlock Democracy's briefing paper on the Commons, if there is to be a Henley by-election on 26th June, it is today (or was it yesterday?) that Boris Johnson will have to write to Alistair Darling (as Chancellor the job is in his gift - imagine the job interview!) to apply for Tony Blair's job as Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham, and of the Manor of Northstead (Tony Blair is the holder because he was the last person who applied for it to occasion a by-election).

Then the writ has to be moved. Reading a Commons research document, this has to be done 15-19 working days before election day (depending on the date for nominations which is set by the returning officer).

If Boris doesn't apply for his new job today, then the next date available for the by-election would be 3rd July - now that really would be fun. The middle of the Henley Regatta! Traffic jams and Pimms O'Clock all round on polling day!

Stephen Kearney asks Henley Tories to withdraw leaflet

Stephen Kearney, LibDem candidate for the Henley by-election has written to his opposite number as follows:

Dear Councillor Howell,

I write to ask you to withdraw a leaflet published on your behalf by the Conservative Party. The leaflet which I enclose states that I live outside Henley Constituency. As you will be aware I moved to Aston Rowant several weeks ago, as I promised I would do to local people.

It is disappointing to me that your campaign has started off in such a manner and I hope that you will be able to moderate your campaign team in future weeks. I intend to fight an honest and positive campaign on the issues that matter to local people. I hope that you will join me in such a debate.

Kind regards,
Stephen Kearney
Liberal Democrat Campaigner for Henley Constituency

Christopher Biggins selected to fight Henley for the Tories

Has anyone else noticed the remarkable resemblance between the erstwhile bespectacled Christopher Biggins and the newly selected Conservative candidate for Henley, John Howell?

Are they, by chance, related?

I think we should be told.

More stunning beauty in Henley constituency

... A couple of photos of the beautiful Thames taken while delivering today in Henley constituency. I think it was my 'highest property priced' delivery ever - about £1/4 billion worth of property delivered to, I would reckon. The houses I delivered to included Pete Townshend's former Thameside residence where Quadrophenia was recorded.

Please come and enjoy these wonderful surroundings and help Stephen Kearney's campaign. Contact details etc are here. We're now on our fourth delivery with another newspaper this weekend, while the Tories are only just starting with their first, rather rushed, leaflet.

John Howell selected as Conservative Henley candidate

Oxfordshire County Councillor John Howell has been selected as the Conservative Henley by-election candidate. Details are here.

Cameron strong-arms local Henley Conservative party over candidate selection

BBC South Today (Peter Henley reporting from.....Thame - chicken!) have reported this evening that the Liberal Democrats in Henley have made a flying start with our by-election campaign. Here's the video report.

The report also says that David Cameron has strong-armed the local constituency over the way they choose their candidate. Mark Pack explains:

The background is that the local party had a timetable it wanted to follow for selecting their candidate, including the use of an open primary. Conservative Central Office tried to talk them out of both, sending John Maples to tell them what to do. According to a well-placed eye-witness John Maples’s pleas were rebuffed and David Cameron then had to meet personally with the local party to get it to fall into line.

On BBC Radio Oxford this morning the local party chair, John Walsh, confirmed that the local party had been “firmly told” what to do.

The Conservative selection is now taking place on Friday night.