11/08/2009

What is the Tories obsession with sex ?

The furore over the possible deselection of South West Norfolk Tory PPC Liz Truss is ongoing, with various newspapers now covering the story in some detail. The problem is, whenever they need a comment on the issue, they turn to the usual suspects in the Tory blogosphere, Iain Dale, and ConHome . And sadly every single time they seem to turn the issue to one of sex rather than one of trust. It seems the Tory blogosphere is obsessed with talking about sex.

The one thing they have missed is that South West Norfolk Tories are not going on about sex at all, and it seems odd for me, a Lib Dem who has campaigned in South West Norfolk against the Tories there to be defending them whilst the Metropolitan Tory blogs sling mud and barbs at Norfolk using the sort of stereotypical rubbish that anyone who really knew the county would know to avoid. Indeed some of the insults might easily be used by other political parties to highlight just what the Tories really think of Norfolk people.

The Telegraph did a piece on the Liz Truss story which went under the headline "Having an is no barrier to being an MP", says Shadow Womens minister. I agree, and I am sure that South West Norfolk Tories would agree also. The fact is though that it is an issue of trust because she did not share this information with the local Tory Party at the meeting.

It seems clear from virtually everything I have read that locals in South Norfolk are not talking about "the sex" or "the marital affair", but are instead deeply upset that they were treated like fools who could not be trusted to make sensible judgement based on being given the full facts. It might have been any issue, one not involving sex, it might have been a failed business, a scurrilous comment or a failed marriage, quite frankly it did not matter what the issue was. It was the fact that nobody bothered to tell the members first. If the local members are not told who the candidates are in advance (which I gather they were not), they couldn't look people up on Google. But should they be expected to ? Should you have to believe that candidates might keep potentially embarrassing information from you just because you don't have the ability to come already briefed to the selection meeting ?

So I would stress to those metropolitan Tories from outside of Norfolk. Get over the affair and start dealing with the issue of trust, and whilst you are at it, stop labelling and attacking people in Norfolk. If that's what you think of us all, you certainly don't deserve our votes.

Update : Ironically, I was also phoned today about whether I was interested in being the Lib Dem candidate in South West Norfolk. Sadly, I am too busy, but it appears that my views are closer to a lot of those in the Tory Party in SW Norfolk than many would have thought.

9 comments:

Iain Dale said...

What a load of old b ollocks Nich. As you and I both know, if this had concerned a LibDem candidate you'd be adopting exactly the same stance as I have.

Anonymous said...

I'm a Norfolk Conservative and I agree with everything that you have said on this subject Nich. If we cannot trust our PPC (and clearly we cannot trust Liz Truss)what is there left?
We have all been sickened by the threatening (and ignorant) reaction of CCHQ in London and the simple abuse from the likes of Iain Dale. What we cannot understand is why they are prepared to alienate their core support in Norfolk and beyond for the sake of someone who they must now realise is damaged beyond repair and who will not now be elected even if the SW Association is forced to adopt.
I can tell you that this has shaken my belief in the values of a party that I have actively supported for many years.
P.S. I await Iain's defence of Liz Truss's deception of the Calder Valley Association in 2005

Nich Starling said...

Iain, you know full well that Lib Dem selections could never happen in this way so the circumstances would never arise.

Anonymous said...

plenty of potential in South West Norfolk (or the new mid!) if you find a bit of spare time you should go for it
D.Thomas

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Malcolm Redfellow said...

The simple, cynical answer to your headline question is: habit.

As is well rehearsed, all the best Labour scandals involve money, while all the best Tory ones involve sex. Which goes some way to explaining why Labour MPs have been comprehensively slagged off for Expensesgate, while the Tories (with moats and duckhouses, and the highest claim rate of the three main Parties) come up smelling of ... Airwick. And also explains why we haven't heard too much about "Conservative family values" in the new dispensation.

I doubt that the crunch issue is "trust" alone. As long as terms like "Turnip Taleban" are being lobbed around, local Tory Associations are going to be disenchanted with the metrosexual mafia of Notting Hill Gate.

Anonymous said...

I understand that no-one asked her about her affaire, and quite right too. If the public get their noses into anyone's private life that should still be regarded as private, or we adopt the standards of the gutter.

I doubt Malcom's opinion re Tory scandals: but money and sex often go together with the Tories.

That may be why Boris Johnson's friendship with Darius Guppy, has now been expunged from the latter's WIKI entry for the notorious Piers Gaveston Society.

And why the Piers - sister society to the notorious Bullingdon which is to be sanitised in a Ch 4 prog shortly - is now not said to have employed hundreds of prostitutes in ins public orgies.

Chameleon's researcher altering the dates of Titian to suit his master's error in an argument with Gordon Brown looks like a minor toff graft by comparison.

Letters From A Tory said...

Nothing wrong with being obsessed by sex - unless you're married and have political ambitions, naturally.

Rankersbo said...

If there was no direct or indirect question on this I fail to see how it was an issue of trust.

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