The Rock Blog

The new executive are working hard on our plans for the year and one of our first priorities is to fill all the vacancies for Area Chairman roles. This position is going to become the most important role in our organisation.

In future, the Area Chairman will take the lead on: organising National Days, organising regional meetings, supporting branches and providing feedback to the NME and CCHQ. The Area Chairman will spearhead CF, not the NME who are going to act as a support service and as facilitators.

For more information on standing to become an Area Chairman please visit the Conservative Future website.

www.conservativefuture.com

This also ties in with my plans to make the CF website the main information point for the organisation - this blog will give information relating to my role and how my plans & jobs progress through the year.

Apparently, not only the Rock can break the state!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me, voted for me and encouraged me during my election campaign, it is a genuine honour and pleasure to be your National Chairman Elect!

Conservative Future is about to change, for the better. The new executive is already working behind the scenes to make sure the next year involves more members, attracts a broader base of supporters and becomes more influential in mainstream politics. These are entirely achievable but will take a huge amount of work.

I am fortunate to have been elected with a strong NME, full of highly capable individuals who I think will work exceptionally well together. I also think we offer a real variety in terms of political interests, personalities and background. I have been very fortunate that we have a good national coverage too, this will be a great year of re-uniting CF and building a truly national organisation.

Thank you again, for all your support, I hope it continues throughout my term as National Chairman of Conservative Future.

Onwards and upwards!

I have recorded a short video to share my views, and main plans, for Conservative Future.

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.

Laura-Rose Saunders is the Deputy Area Chairman for Bristol & Gloucestershire. 

There’s nothing quite like a good campaign day; congregating inhumanly early on a Saturday morning with the local Conservatives all of whom seem to be at least 3 times older than you and can remember ‘the good old days when that nice Mr. Churchill was in office’, preparing to deliver a pile of leaflets the same size as your brother while the rain steadily falls and you stand there secretly wishing that you were tucked up in bed with your teddy and your cat.

However while this may appear to be the stereotypical campaigning situation I can confidentially reassure you that this is not always the case. In my time in CF I have been out and about in a wide variety of areas doing a whole range of things from collecting signatures for a local petition to canvassing and even touring London on the ‘Boris battle bus’ and I can tell you there is nothing like it in the world.

One of my favourite things about Campaigning is that you never know what’s going to happen or who you are going to meet. For example over the summer I helped out in the Cheltenham By-election and while out canvassing one street met a white witch who delightedly informed us that there was no chance of us losing as she had placed a spell on the Lib Dem candidate so that he would lose!

These days campaigning does not just take place on the doorstep with the locals discussing key issues like crime, tax and education it has moved on. In my room at Uni I have a fine collection of free t-shirts including ‘Chose Coote’, ‘Conservative Green Action day’ and the classic Back Boris style ‘Jesse Norman 4 Hereford’ t-shirt.

The internet is also a fantastic tool for broad casting your message take for example the ‘Rock 4 CF’ campaign. Blogs everywhere have the logo, numerous people have changed their profile pictures to the logo and I can’t go to a CF event and not bump into someone who is sporting one of the bright green ‘Rock 4 CF’ badges.

The five pieces of advice I would give to anyone planning to go on a Campaigning Day would be this: Wear comfy shoes, ALWAYS take chocolate, bring an umbrella, go with a friend and above all else smile! If it looks like you’re having fun, and appear happy and approachable then people will be more willing to help you and hear you out.

There is only one way to prove whether or not I am lying, and that’s to go and have a go. Conservative offices everywhere will be delighted to have you involved and you’ll also have unique experience that you can only acquire from a Conservative Party Campaign day.

Click here for information about “CF members that Rock!”

My first video message of the campaign is a review of my visit down to KUCA.

Today is the day - ballot papers will be going out across the country for 10,000 CF members to vote who they want to be Conservative Future National Chairman. Let’s make this the year when CF members vote for themselves: vote Rock4CF to give CF back to the membership! 

Why vote for Michael Rock? 

I want to restore the Conservatism in Conservative Future.  I will do so through core conservative principles, taking a professional business-like approach to making our organisation bigger, better & bolder!

My main proposal is to invigorate and expand CF, by building up support and influence from the base upwards. This process involves giving more influence and power to the Area Chairs and encouraging a culture of open dialogue and idea-sharing.

My Business Plan for CF covers six areas, which I have gone over in detail on this blog:

• Strong & supported CF branches
• Increasing financial resources for Conservative Future
• The CF website & general communication
• Accountable NME & Area Chairman
• Distguishing CF members
• Conservative Future events & campaigning

Don’t settle from the same old CF, let’s return the bottom-up system to CF and make us the organisation that leads the Conservatives back into power - vote Rock4CF!

What if you do not get a ballot paper?

From the CF website: “If the member can verify their details then they will get a ballot paper. In this regard, ERS will establish a CF election helpdesk – please call 020 8889 9203. This number will be open from 11th February and can be used by Members, who for whatever reason do not get a ballot paper.”

Resources are key to any organisation and Conservative Future is very lucky that we have an incredible resource: our members. A voluntary group, like us, relies on its members to lead the organisation and move us towards power. I believe fully that our activists are the strength of CF and want to return the power to them - this is the backbone of my campaign and want to make every effort to highlight and support you in the, normally, un-rewarded work that you do.
 
That is why I am starting a guest blogging section on the Rock Blog to highlight the varied work that CF members do all over the country. Called “CF members that Rock!” it is a chance for normal CF members to have a platform to highlight the work they get up to, the experiences they have and the knowledge they have learnt. It is a sort of step forward from the CF Copywriters.
 
If elected I would make this a mainstay of the CF National website - our members deserve credit for the work they do and this would be part of that. It would also fill a hole on the training front: experienced members passing on knowledge to newer members. This is key to strengthening our organisation and helping to keep it a formidable force in youth politics.
 
Over the coming weeks various CF members, from around the UK, will be posting there experiences on this blog. I hope you read, learn and comment on the material in these posts.

If you would like to contribute to “CF members that Rock!” please email me: michael@rock4cf.com