The Rock Blog

The Party have today launched recruitment campaign across the whole country - “You can get it if you really want” (with a video being launched exclusively on Facebook). I think this is a brilliant idea and not before time. With the news that Michael Vaughn was putting the video together I was hoping for a kind of cross between David Cameron and Big Chris taking on Gordon Brown…alas this did not happen! But it did deliver a message of aspiration, which Labour seem to have completely forgotten about and is at the heart of conservatism.

I am not egotistical enough to think the Party have copied my plans, but this is exactly what I have been talking about for the last 6 months, we need to break down boundaries to membership and expand Conservative Future drastically. A ‘friends of the Conservatives’ is a very good way of doing this.

I have a similar plan for national membership - open up CF membership nationally (whilst local branches can set their own fee price) so that people can join for free. I know a lot of members that had apprehensions about getting involved with the Tories - once they were in though they have all loved it and never looked back. We can do this all over the country and drastically increase the size of Conservative Future within a few years.

CF should also be the organisation that is leading and helping the Party through the internet revolution. A proper ’supporters’ page, similar to the one setup for this campaign, for CF would be one of the first moves I would implement.

Let’s lead, not follow, the Party into power - vote Rock4CF!

Obviously all higher education branches are located within a constituency and most will have ‘links’ to a close association. The type of help the local association gives differs from money and rooms to nothing at all!

To improve membership retention, it is vital that we create a link between the branch and the association so that members have somewhere to go when they leave higher education and ‘Student Life’. This will involve the Area Chairman needing to make contact the local associations and finding out what help can be given.

At UCL, we send CF members an email when they leave with information about the local association and how to get involved. To often, graduates fall into a vacuum once they leave university and that is both a weakness of CF and the Party. We need to improve communication and engagement with the wider Conservative body.

Alumni clubs and events are often a good way to form bonds local associations with the student body, particularly if the alumni stay in the local area! Often at university level, the step up to association level is not appealing as more often than not association members tend to be on the ‘maturer’ side! Familiar faces are always helpful when approaching a different organisation.

Finally, it is also important that we build a stronger sense of purpose and identity for CF so we don’t suffer from a drain of talent and experience. We need to offer more appealing events to members, address their social needs and choose more relevant locations and functions for the local membership. We should be building a network of friends and contacts within CF and enjoy our time as the present Future!

Throughout my travels around the country I have met many great CF members - working hard every day for our organisation. This is especially true with the Chairmen running branches and Areas. I am very proud to have many of them supporting my bid to become Conservative Future National Chairman (more to come):

Sam Billett - Cities of London & Westminster
Paul Hughes - Dorset
Amanda O’Brien - Deputy Chairman Essex
Mohammed Ali Azeem - City Future Steering Committee
Chris Birks - North East Derbyshire
Serene John-Richards - Tooting
Nathan Cavin - Bristol
Victoria Chamberlain - Deputy Chair and Treasurer for Islington CF
David James Sadler - Saffron Walden
Tim Crockford - Birmingham City

Starbuck Coleman - University College London
Harry Rowe - Loughborough
David Bonner - Lancaster
Marc Stokings - Kent
Rob Goldie - Imperial College London
Amanda O’Brien - Deputy Chairman Essex
Colin Moore - King’s College London
James Deighton - Leicester
Paul Church - London School of Economics
David Bonner - Lancaster
Paul Wells - UEA
Steven Bainbridge - Newcastle
Eleanor Downey - Bristol

Matt Lewis - Staffordshire
Oliver Cooper - London North West
Edward Keene - Nottinghamshire
Hamish Stewart -Deputy Chairman, Nottinghamshire
Laura-Rose Saunders - Deputy Chairman, Bristol & Gloucestershire

Christopher ‘Japers’ Mullan - President-Elect of KCL Student Union
Tobias Lehman - CF Scotland, National Chairman

We are fortunate that many ‘like minded’ organisations have worked with CF members in the past: running training in all areas of political activity, providing opportunities to travel abroad to see other political groups and having a Speakers Panel so that high class speakers can be obtained.

We should utilise their expertise: outsource it to these groups. This will provided professional training to our members and avoid incidents such as the failed Working Life conference last year.

The needs of each member will always vary. Therefore we should offer as much support and opportunities as possible. From my knowledge of the breadth and depth of talent within CF, I imagine courses ranging from media training to canvassing skills to campaign management will all be popular.

Once we improve the information network, we can advertise all events to all of our members. It should be possible to offer regional training, once we establish interest levels. Area Chairs should give feedback to the NME so we develop a history and recommendations list for future CF members.

I don’t live in London so don’t have a vote in the upcoming Mayor of London elections. However, as I studied and work in London, I have seen first hand some of the problems that ‘Red’ Ken has created, exacerbated and not solved. Don’t even get me started on TFL!

The first time I went out canvassing for Boris was at Oxford Circus during the morning rush hour, where I dished out leaflets and the tremendously popular Oyster card holders (if you travel frequently in London, you basically don’t have a choice except to have an Oyster card…don’t get me started…!) It’s a great way to get the message across that the Conservatives are engaged in London issues.

I think Boris is the only Conservative who can outdo Ken in terms of personality and character. Whatever you think of Ken, I’m really not a fan in the slightest, he does connect with Londoners and has a high media profile. Boris can match that and is a great choice for the Conservatives, having the ability to engage people not usually involved in politics through sheer force of personality. I have been fortunate enough to hear Boris’ plans at some of his hustings and events. The substance is there to match the style. I am confident Boris can win and I know a huge amount of supporters and CF activists are helping with the campaign, particularly from the CLWCF branch and across the capital.

If elected, we will co-ordinate a campaign day to help Boris in his campaign. Depending on resources, we could make it a regional day or a national day. My instinct is to keep it as a regional event (for Area 6) but knowing the popularity of Boris amongst students, it might well be advertised across the country, depending on the feedback we get from the AC’s!

Rock4CF and Boris4London!

“The National Convention is some 900 strong with every association chairman (625) plus approx 150 representatives of the 10 regions and 44 areas. There are 100 places for members of recognised organisations. Members of the Board and immediate previous Nat Convention office holders are also members.

The National Convention holds its AGM each Spring and elects its officers who sit on the Board of the Party. It also meets in the autumn for its half yearly meeting. 66% majority of its members are needed for rule changes and in some cases this percentage has to be matched by 66% of MPs.

It provides a focus for views of Party members and acts as a link between the Party Leader and its members.”

Currently CF only gets 42 seats on the 900 strong National Convention. It is important that we have a voice in the convention and that our elected representatives all get to attend. With only 42 seats this is not possible and so if elected I will push to have the number raised to 50 seats for CF.

This may not sound like much, but this will allow every Area Chairman and all members of the NME to attend and take part. A small and simple measure that will greatly increase the accountability of our organisation.

If we are to re-establish CF as a political force then we need to start acting like a serious organisation, showing we can input sound opinions and adding value to our Party. The Party will listen to us if we prove our worth.

Compulsory attendance by all Area Chairmen and NME is a simple measure of accountability; if one member can’t attend then they must organise for a representative.

Our current Branch Chairmen constitute an incredible resource that we should utilise far more effectively. We need to leverage the knowledge within CF to further advance and improve our organisation.

Established, experienced branch Chairman and Area Chairman will be paired with new branches. They will act as a contact for help, advice and general support. New branch Chairman will be encouraged to communicate with their ‘CF Consultant’ for advice, localising the support network and avoiding the ‘orders from London’ syndrome.

An example I can use is someone on my campaign team: Richard Jackson who ran the UCL Conservative branch last year is helping the Tooting CF branch - experienced members passing on knowledge thus stopping it from being lost when they leave the organisation. A simple and easy way to improve CF! 

If Conservative Future is to grow into a mainstream political force, we need to develop from our standing as the dominant youth organisation and start delivering the message of Conservatism on a much bigger scale, to a much larger audience. We are not going to convert the apathetic solely by pushing ‘In Touch’ through letterboxes. This approach is not even engaging the majority of CF members.

One question frequently asked by people is just how much influence does Conservative Future have? The answer is, really, not a great deal, but it ought to. One field into which Conservative Future needs to develop if it is to increase its influence is protesting. We ought to be truly on the frontlines of twenty-first century politics.

A typical example of such an opportunity is the referendum on the EU Constitution we were promised by Labour. We, the people, have been cheated out of this. We were partly to blame. Conservative Future did nothing to put pressure upon Labour to deliver on their pledge. Our leadership at national level failed to seize, or even recognize, the opportunity.

Second chances in politics are somewhat rare, and yet we have been given one – and we’re still failing to seize it. Referenda are being held all over the country as an act of protest. Conservative Future is ideally placed to get involved with these, by promoting them, and make the Conservative case for a ‘No’ vote. It is after all in our Party’s manifesto! Instead, though, we’re doing nothing. Again.

Conservative Future ought to place protesting and law-abiding demonstration at the heart of its remit, along with campaigning for our candidates, and social action projects in our local communities. All three approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, but their combined effect will be to dominate through education the political discourse and ensure that our voice is perceived as the voice of reason.

Nominations have now closed and my nomination has been accepted. This now means that I am ‘Officially’ standing to become the next National Chairman of Conservative Future.
 
My plans for CF focus on returning power and influence back to the key people in CF: the Area Chairman, branch Chairman and CF members. I see that out of the possible 43 Area’s we only have 21 filled by candidates - this really is not good enough. Our Area Chairman need to be a pivotal role for CF and the ones driving th organisation ahead. In the last CF year we have had 7 Areas without Chairman. The current NME have been in power for over 18 months and have not been able to fill these. This is tremendously disappointing.

If elected I will aim to fill all Area Chairman roles within one month of the handover. This is key to my plans and will take precedent for the new NME. I have already started to look for possible Area Chairman to speed this process up - these names will be passed onto whoever wins the election. If you are interested, please email me with your details: michael@rock4cf.com
 
I have been campaigning in the CF elections since last September and have thoroughly enjoyed every moment - travelling around the country meeting CF members and enjoying several drinks with you! Very few organisations can offer the spectrum of beliefs and ideas we have in CF, it is a real privilege to be standing and know I have the skills and professionalism to make our organisation great again!

Don’t settle for the same old talk, lets make progressive changes to CF that will improve both our social side and our campaigning force!

Vote Rock4CF!

I published my Business Plan in its entirety last week, which gives a breakdown of how I will make CF bigger, bolder and better, if elected. Appreciating that many CF members can’t get to any of the Hustings, I am going to publish each section individually so CF members can ask any specific questions they have about that section.

I want CF members to believe that we can improve our organisation. My Business Plan has been written with this in my mind: sound, deliverable plans built on the Conservative priniciples of decentralisation and progressive thinking.

If you are not comfortable asking questions on the blog, please feel free to email me any questions directly to michael@rock4cf.com.

The agenda for the week is:

• Monday (Today)
  Strong & supported Conservative Future branches
• Tuesday
  Increasing financial resources for Conservative Future
• Wednesday
  The Conservative Future website & general communication
• Thursday
  Accountable NME & Area Chairmen & Distinguishing Conservative Future Members
• Friday
  Conservative Future events & campaigning

Today, I will blog the first section on ‘Strong & supported Conservative Future branches’, on the following post.

Enjoy and fire away!

Welcome to the new, improved, Rock4CF campaign site. Yes, its been a while since we launched the first version, we wanted to pack in as many new things as possible for a special re-launch, as well as line up a programme of updates, extensions and features, providing more interesting and flexible ways for you to communicate with me, follow my campaign and read up on what I stand for and why I want to be CF National Chairman.

You should now find it easier to navigate, with the addition of tags for blog posts and divided sections for the Manifesto and upcoming Business Plan. Any comment, feel free to leave a comment on this post or contact me at michael@rock4cf.com.

Please explore the new site, the headline features are a full blog (and obligatory RSS feed), Campaign Trail Map and a new, improved, page providing nice, easy, copy-and-paste code to embed support badges in your website!

Shortly, I will launch my Business Plan, laying out in detail how I plan to implement the theories and concepts illustrated in my Manifesto of Principles. The plan will go up in its entirety, but I will be highlighting a section per day, to give as much scope as possible for comment and discussion.

Onwards and upwards!

Michael

I have now picked the five winning slogans for the competition! The five are listed below, in no particular order, and appear on this site at the top:

• Only the Rock can break the slate! (various people so I can’t give credit to one person!)
• Rock solid values, for changing times (David Grundy)
• A stable Rock for the future (Owen Meredith)
• It isn’t enough to be right, you have to Rock! (Phil Donohue)
• Its Rock or a hard place (Nick Webb)

I assume a badge isn’t a good enough prize?

I will get some presents for the winners but in the meantime, thanks to all for taking part!

Back in November I launched a competition to come up with a slogan for my campaign - “Come up with a slogan that Rocks!”

Well lots of ideas were sent in and I am now going through and picking the ones I like. I plan to use 5 of the slogans below during the campaign. It is not too late to have yours chosen. You have a few days left to submit your slogan ideas before the 5 ‘winners’ will be announced at the start of 2008!

Visit the Facebook group to submit them, or email them to michael@michaeldavidrock.com

Happy New Year!

Michael David Rock
Candidate for CF National Chairman

To all CF members

2007 was a good year for the Conservatives and Conservative Future: I hope 2008 is even better!

I’m visiting family in Peru for Christmas this year and will be away until the middle of January. I would like to thank you all for the support and interest in my campaign and look forward to meeting you all in the coming months. The publication of my ‘Manifesto of Principles’ has been exceptionally well received and I am looking forward to presenting my ‘Business Plan’ in January, hopefully to an even better reception!

I hope you enjoy the festive season, have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2008.

All the very best wishes,

Michael David Rock
Candidate for CF National Chairman

http://www.rock4cf.com/

Free CF Branch Websites: http://rock.cfbranch.com/

Rock4CF Campaign Site: http://www.rock4cf.com/

Manifesto Of Principles: http://www.rock4cf.com/mop/

Manifesto Download: http://www.rock4cf.com/mop/Michael_David_Rock_MOP.pdf

I have now launched my ‘Manifesto of Principles’ and my official campaign to be the next National Chairman of Conservative Future. The campaign site is Rock4CF.com, where you can browse the manifesto or download the PDF version.

I make no apologies that my Manifesto of Principles is an expansive document. In it I share my views on Conservative Future, where I feel the organisation is now and where it should be going. On the discussion boards in my Facebook group you can comment, and ask questions, about my Manifesto of Principles.

I hope that this document brings a different perspective to this election: I believe an open, fair and lengthy debate will strengthen CF and put our organisation in good stead for the future. I hope it provides some food for thought. My business plan, which will be published in January, will set out, in detail, exactly how and when I expect to implement these solutions.

I genuinely want people to enjoy their membership of CF and, in particular, this election campaign. I want people to join CF because they want to spend time with like-minded people, at enjoyable events and I want everyone to associate us with the positive, progressive aspects of politics. Let’s not add to the disillusion that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society: let’s focus on getting young people engaged at all stages of the political process!

We need to change CF. Not just the brand but the size, the range of personalities, views and aspirations. We used to be a significant political force; I believe we can be again. The Conservative Party is on the up, this Labour Government is ripe for a beating. I’m frustrated that we are not further ahead in the polls, that we don’t have more members and we are not reaching out to a much wider audience. CF can help change the political landscape.

I am running for National Chair of Conservative Future because I believe the Conservative Party can form the next Government and I know CF can play an influential role in the next General Election. I believe the Conservative Party is the only party that can address the challenges our country face and I know CF can help in that process. Finally, I believe I am the best candidate to lead CF through the necessary changes and I know we can make CF bigger, bolder and better.

Michael David Rock
Candidate for CF National Chairman

rock4cf.com
michael@rock4cf.com

To CF Area & University and Branch Chairman,

Free CF Branch Website - from the Rock4CF Campaign

www.rock.cfbranch.com

I am a candidate to become the next National Chairman of Conservative Future. I take the view of our Party – we can currently run social action projects, events and campaigns because these are methods that can stimulate interest in what we are doing, even whilst in Opposition. The same goes for the CF elections - I want CF to be bigger, better and bolder but we need to stimulate interest in our organisation. As a further commitment to getting all members involved in the organisation, I want to make sure the election campaigns of all candidates is given exposure to as many members as possible.

An organisation’s website is often its first referral point so it needs to be attractive and efficient to stimulate interest. To build and sustain a branch, members and potential members need to aware of news, events and developments within their locality: one of the main drivers for successful Conservative Future branches is communication. As Facebook has become such a success, it is even easier for the Chairman/President to get in touch with his/her members but Facebook is not enough by itself: we need to develop an independent online presence. Therefore, I am launching this offer to setup a free CF website for each and every branch that wants one, needs one or fancies a new design.

CF needs to become a much more professional organisation and the starting point for that is to ensure that every branch has effective communication methods in place. This is why I have already been working with MiLon Hosting who have setup CFBranch.com. They offer free website hosting to all University CF branches and are working with me to set up websites for any branch that wants one. Through this deal, the Rock campaign will setup a website for any branch - not just the Universities. A couple of working examples are Hereford.cfbranch.com
and Tooting.cfbranch.com

Get in touch with me (cfbranch@michaeldavidrock.com) and I will set up a website for your branch plus a Facebook presence if you want it. All the coding and technical stuff will be done for you so can focus on the message that matters in your area: once completed you will receive a link to your new website, plus instructions on how to run it! I ask that you pass this offer onto any branch you know or represent.

Thank you and lets work together to make CF bigger, bolder and better!

Michael David Rock
Candidate for CF National Chairman

CFBranch email : cfbranch@michaeldavidrock.com
rock.cfbranch.com

Personal email: michael@michaeldavidrock.com

www.michaeldavidrock.com

Having been born with a distinctive surname, I’ve become used to an array of nicknames and insults revolving around ‘Rock’. I enjoy banter as much as anyone and actually think CF should be enjoyable! I’m hoping a light-hearted competition might inject some humour and creativity into what is going to be a long and, at times, heavily politicised election campaign.

So I’ve invited friends and CF members on facebook to come up with a slogan for my soon-to-be-officially-launched CF campaign. The notion is to play off the ‘Rock’ and so I want all the slogans to contain that great word! Have some creative fun - the possibilities are endless! You can also submit images for the slogan. A prize will be given for the chosen idea!

To submit a slogan leave a comment below, email me (michael@michaeldavidrock.com) or join the Facebook group here.

I’ll be launching my Manifesto of Principles in early December, giving my views on the state of organisation and an indication of how I plan to make CF bigger, bolder and better. I think it is too easy to lose sight of the things that matter in CF: that members feel involved, want to be a part of the organisation and enjoy their membership! Enjoy!

Well done to the King’s Conservative Society in organising a very-well recieved Boris Johnson event. What struck me was how much more serious Boris has become. I was a chatting with a friend about this and about how Boris seems to have taken a stepback from the limelight: my theory is he is distancing himself from the joker role and is now focussing on the serious task of taking office as London Mayor. Guido posted something along those lines the earlier.

I think Boris is the one man in the Tory party that can match Ken in terms of personality, individuality and media presence. He hadn’t changed his delivery but seem far more determined to actually address direct issues, even though I didn’t agree with all of them.

As I don’t live in London, I can’t vote but I will be out campaiging for Boris as soon as it re-starts. I think the Oyster Card holders are superb and even non-voters were taking them when I was helping out at Oxford Circus!