Helen Whately was this evening selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Kingston & Surbiton.
I am naturally disappointed not to be able to realise a dream, but if that is what the local Conservatives want then that is a decision for them.
Helen has a tough job on her hands and I wish her all the best, I know she will not let people down.
Good Luck!
As for me, well, a period of reflection and then time to move on, but clearly my future no longer lies in Kingston, where I was born and brought up. Time will tell what I decide to do.
15 Comments
April 18, 2007 at 12:11 am
Kevin
I voted for you first in every round. I hope you know that.
Tonight you did really well, and I mean that.
I am devastated you didn’t win, because I thought your performance was excellent. Not just excellent, but superb. It was ten fold better that previous performances – the LibDem spys in tbe audience will be able to verify that.
Forget Kingston and Surbiton for a bit. Come along for a few parties thst we organise, but your real effort must be elsewhere. I will support you, in what ever way I can, whereever you go. You only have to ask.
All I can say is that I have got to know you over the past 18 months, and I am very impressed by you spirit and tenacity. I hope to be able to buy you lunch over the next month to instil on you my regard.
My sincere regards.
Richard
April 18, 2007 at 12:21 am
Unfortunately Kevin, you were a liability with the loss of so many elections to your name, as Michael Portillo helpfully pointed out.
I am sure had you not buried your head in the sand as your local association went about wasting so much money and exercising vendettas against so many members, you may have had the support you needed tonight.
Alas, we are all wiser with hindsight and I hope you enjoy your period of reflection. If only you had not turned your back on all those that trusted you…
April 18, 2007 at 10:59 am
Tricia (Anon) – you do talk rubbish! The association did not waste any money doing anything of the sort. Trusted me? Who? You are delusional.
April 18, 2007 at 11:19 am
Who’s Tricia?
April 18, 2007 at 11:23 am
Not really sure – presume a pseudonym – but that is what Anon used as their email address.
April 19, 2007 at 10:43 am
I agree with Richard, you gave the best performance on the night. Ignore the ignorant posts of people like Tricia (anon) who know nothing about what has happened in the Association in recent years. She (he?) is obviously angry at things that have happened many years ago, involving people who now have very little involvement in the local Conservative Association. Anyone with any in-depth knowledge of the running of the Kingston & Surbiton Association will know that that there was nothing you could do to prevent others wrecking our chances of winning.
It is very unfortunate that you are not the PPC this time, when things are looking so much better, both nationally and locally. There is a whole new team running the show now, with many younger members and a real enthusiasm that hasn’t been around for many, many years. However, I’m sure you will agree that we have an excellent candidate in Helen Whately. I’m sure she will do an excellent job. She has a real chance of winning this time. Finally local residents will get an MP who will be able to influence national Government and actually deliver the changes that are needed locally.
April 19, 2007 at 8:59 pm
“Finally local residents will get an MP who will be able to influence national Government and actually deliver the changes that are needed locally.”
I’m sorry, Denise, but a Conservative MP would not be more able to influence national Government more than a Lib Dem, simply by virtue of being a Conservative. (Unless the Conservatives win a majority in Parliament, of course, and they’re a long way off that yet.)
I may not agree with everything Ed Davey does, but being a Lib Dem doesn’t give him any less sway with the Government than being a Tory would. I do believe he puts the effort in, and for a Conservative to get my vote in Kingston she would have to work just as hard. And vacous statements, rather like Mr Cameron makes, does not count as working hard!
April 19, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Sorry, my first sentence should read “I’m sorry, Denise, but a Conservative MP would not be able to influence national Government more than a Lib Dem, simply by virtue of being a Conservative.”
!
April 20, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Hi A Lib Dem/Tory waverer. We’ll have to disagree on the ‘more influence’ arguement. I still think that most Conservative MPs would have more influence than a Lib Dem MP. The Conservatives are a larger national party and could get much more national publicity for any campaigning. Conservative policy statements have often shaped this Labour Governments actions. This is because Labour realises that the Conservative party are a real threat to their own future – although this threat hasn’t been too obvious recently.
Anyway, I do believe that there is a very good chance of a Conservative Government after the next General Election. A local MP who was part of that Government could really start to make positive changes for Kingston & Surbiton residents.
April 20, 2007 at 3:26 pm
A jolly good new prospective MP,very impressive CV etc and would do well in any area.
I feel however that a trick has been missed and that instead of having both Kevin and Helen standing in different areas we have lost the chap who is most likely to succeed in Kingston/Surb and another would be Tory area has missed out on having Helen stand for them.
Mind you if Portillo had a hand in anything it would be shambles.
April 22, 2007 at 12:51 pm
To be honest from what I have read the Conservatives have gifted Ed Davey the next election. Choosing a right wing, ferociously careerist candidate who has little electoral experience is a massive mistake! From my perspective she has little idea of the issues in Kingston such as my youth facilities campaign and now I am turning it into a charity I want to work with candidates that are sympathetic to the cause. Helen seems like she is not.
April 23, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Whether Michael would ever have actually voted for Kevin or any other Tory candidate is seriously open to question – so we can treat his description of Helen Whately as ‘ a right wing, ferociously careerist candidate’ with the scepticism such a knee-jerk reaction deserves. I doubt if Ed Davey shares his view – he certainly didn’t seem to yesterday afternoon when the two of them met. I am sure Michael will find her just as helpful as Kevin. Her background is with IDS’s Commission for Social Justice after all – and that is hardly ‘right wing’ – unless one is very far to the left oneself.
By the way, I think ‘Tricia’ is a man.
Kevin is a good and decent man who will, I hope, pursue his ambition to serve in Parliament further – if not here then elsewhere. I wish him every success in this endeavour. And he should not be afraid to look further afield. It happens all the time – did not ‘local’ Mr. Davey come from Nottingham?
April 24, 2007 at 9:44 am
Whether I would vote for any Tory candidate is besides the point – I would have voted for Kevin in the selection as it happens – however it is purely from a political perspective that I made those comments. You tories need to learn your lessons from the 2001 general when you chose David Shaw, a right wing firebrand, as your candidate in Kingston which is a very liberal/conservative area. Choosing someone that states on their website believes in total personal responsiblity which I assume means a massive reduction in the welfare is simply not going to go down well. Choosing someone that clearly has no idea of the issues facing Kingston is also a mistake. Ed Davey was from Nottingham. Correct. But he lived in the borough and entrenched himself as Lib Dems do. Whether Helen wil do this remains to be seen. I have several friends within Conservative Future many of whom personally know Helen Whateley and are very concerned they will lose the next general election simply because of the candidate policy. I wish Helen all the best but I will not be voting for her and will be passionately campaigning to make sure she isn’t elected. I wish you all the best Kevin because although you aren’t in the same party as me you would be a fine MP and an assett to Parliament.
April 24, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Much of what has been written here is pure speculation as we know not what might happen in the future.
I think I have made it fairly clear that I will continue my search for a seat. In the meantime I will do all I can to ensure that Helen is set on the road to defeating Ed Davey.
I think we all have much to do to find out Helen’s views on many things – after all that is what an election is for.
April 24, 2007 at 2:38 pm
”To be honest from what I have read the Conservatives have gifted Ed Davey the next election. Choosing a right wing, ferociously careerist candidate who has little electoral experience is a massive mistake!” –
Utter nonsensical drivel.
Michael, I thought by now you had grasped the basic political landscape and had understood the political underworld in Kingston.
As the teachers used to regularly say to me once, and, this could very well apply to you – Think before you speak!