TORY WOES

I like to keep an occasional eye on the Conservative Home website. It's a useful forum for understanding Tory thinking at the grass roots level. Two stories caught my eye this week. First of all, the party is having difficulty in fielding candidates in this May's council elections (HERE) and are said to be redeploying campaign staff in Barking and Dagenham, where activists have had to be drafted in in order to assist with getting candidates signed up and nomination signatures secured in time for the deadline.

This is also happening in Liverpool and Manchester apparently. There must be a bit of head scratching going on. The party thinks it has, through Brexit, given the country exactly what it has been demanding for years and now it can't actually get candidates to stand! You would think there would be a rush of people trying to get nominated to become the official candidate, but no.

The answer unfortunately wasn't far away. In another story on the website we learn that none other than Jacob Rees-Mogg has topped the poll to be the next party leader (HERE)  -  for the third month running!

If JRM does become leader, the party membership will drop again and they will be unable to find any candidates in half the constituencies in the UK.  No doubt this will cause more head scratching.

They just don't get it.

Update: To confirm the story CH have printed an email (HERE) from the Welsh Conservative party:

All our activists are campaigning hard across the NW to secure victory in the local elections in May. The deadline for nominating candidates is 4pm Friday. We are aiming to field a full slate of candidates across the Region but still have vacancies in Knowlsey and Manchester (where we have 96 vacancies).

Can you help us? Do you know anybody who lives, works or owns property in Manchester or Knowsley that will be willing to put their name on the ballot paper? We are not expecting anyone to collect nomination forms, all is required is that they sign a candidates consent form. A member of the team can visit them later today or tomorrow and that will be all that is required.’

Amazing!!

And in another blow, Professor Sir John Curtice thinks the party may be "decimated" in London in May driven by remainer anger (HERE).  The beauty of it for me is that Brexit's impact has barely been felt so far. When it is the party will need to worry about leaver anger as well.