A list fails to impress some Tories

William Rees-Mogg has joined those Tories declaring themselves less than impressed by the Party’s A List of candidates. The list, of just over 100 people, shows the people most likely to be picked for allegedly winnable Tory seats at the next UK general election.

Under the headline "Too narrow, too wet, too dim", Baron Rees-Mogg of Hinton Blewitt writing in the Times today seems unimpressed by the concept of the list, by the party’s secrecy about the names on it or by the names that have appeared on the Conservative Home blog site. (His Lordship has also recently started a blog on which he is described as “a cross-bench member of the House of Lords” but to judge by most of his writing my suspicion that he's a Tory seems justified).

Iain Dale, the famous Tory blogger, didn’t make it onto the list and is understandably disappointed. Rees Mogg makes a similar point to one of Iain’s when he writes: “In choosing 100 priority candidates, the party is disappointing at least 400 experienced candidates who have fought council or parliamentary seats. The 400 rather than the A-list are the party’s core of workers.” He concludes that: “Francis Maude’s grand strategy is beginning to look like a failure.”

One of the ladies on the list is apparently a committed Thatcherite. Those of you eagerly awaiting the next episode of my occasional memories of life under the Iron Lady might in the meantime like to read what Bloggers4Labour wrote about Maria Hutchings who’s made it onto the list. Sample quote “Mr Blair has got to stop focusing on issues around the world such as Afghanistan and Aids in Africa and concentrate on the issues that affect the people of Middle England, like myself who pay the taxes which keep the country going .... I don't care about refugees. I care about my little boy and I want the treatment he deserves.”

Poor grammar and a nasty ‘I’m all right, Jack’ attitude; a self-confessed classic Essex Tory girl. I bet she’s unimpressed by Gordon Brown’s efforts to achieve our 0.7% of GDP going to overseas aid. Same old Tories.....