The Change Agenda: Campaigning

So far I've talked about the basics, the simple reforms to get this organisation working better, but CF is one element of a political party and every candidate is going to have to set out in some detail how they would help win campaigns for the party.

Election 2009 - Our goal as an organisation must be the next general election and the local elections next year are the warm up for this.

I have already set out the need for strengthening branches and areas by the establishment of strong regional identities with the NME acting as a service provider. As part of their oversight of the regions the NME, working with their Regional Coordinator, will identify the likely target seats at the next election. It is imperative to found new CF branches in these target seats.

CF helps win elections by providing an injection of youth to the party in an area. I believe it would be possible to secure extra funding and senior party support for targetting under-30s in these seats. Including running campaigns aimed soleley at under-30s.

In the short term, the problems of a targetted strategy can be ironed out by fighting local elections or fighting issue campaigns aimed at raising the profile of CF.

Students - Currently we have no plan for students, they are our largest and most active element, but they are seldom used for much.

For one academic year, I plan to run three campaigns;

• Sign Up - Basically the Fresher's and re-freshers campaigns aimed at boosting membership.
• Student elections - NUS yes, BUT more importantly elections for student sabbatical officers. This is not about winning the good fight on campus, it's about securing a power base for next year's NME on campus.
• Issue Campaign - One big issue aimed at raising the profile of CF on campus and engaging politcally curious students with a view to recruitment

For each of these campaigns the NME will ensure the provision of raw materials whether through Fresher's Packs, or by drawing up campaign guides and templates for leaflets and posters.

On a regional level we will target universities with direct help aimed at establishing a strong, lasting CF presence on campus in target seats. (The Lib Dems have tried this targetting approach on campus and it works)

The Change Agenda: Communication

The NME will regard easy comprehensive communication between its members and with the public as a core task.

Clear lines of communication will be established between the NME and Chairmen through a Chairmen’s bulletin, with direct communication with the membership enabled through an NME blog.

Regional coordinators will be expected to communicate the needs of the regions to the NME

For our outreach work we will continue to build upon the tools of Conservative Future.com and CF TV

The Change Agenda: Money

Funding is a sore point for me. Either there isn't any, or securing funding requires a long lead time (eg. the new CF.com website - planned out in detail, but getting it to this stage has taken almost 14 months)

A few points RE funding:

• EITHER, the NME must be given control of a modest discretionary budget
  OR, the NME must address finding its own funding for the purposes of keeping a fighting fund, to contribute towards expenses
• In general branches and areas must be self-sufficient, this also applies to funding
  Training and sharing of best practice, will be provided by the NME to ensure that branch and area chairs can do this. Better fundraising techniques will be a constantly updated source of info from the exec.
• Central funding towards larger projects on a regional level will be determined, in the style of the 'fresher's packs' for students, aimed at giving CF a standard level of professionalism across the regions.

Apologies if this sends you to sleep, but if I have learned anything in the past two and a half years, it's that professionalism requires attention to the details. Here's my take on how the exec can be made to run more professionally:

• The NME will be run by a series of committees to increase accountability and decrease workload per individual thus expanding the scope and ability of the NME in each portfolio
• Each portfolio will have a member of the NME assigned to manage the brief and in addition one other member acting as deputy. These members will ultimately be responsible to the NME for the planning of their programme, consultation with members and the senior party and delivery.
• These members will recruit, as necessary, volunteers to help in the administration of each portfolio, thus expanding the capacity of each committee. The NME members leading each committee will be responsible for the conduct of their committee and it's volunteers
• Each committee will submit its plan of action, and amendments, to the NME for approval
• Each committee will be required to minute its meetings
• The NME will produce a 'handover guide' to next year's NME allowing for it's successors to build on their success rather than start again from scratch.
• The NME will use modern technology, e-conferencing, an NME blog and the existing websites to communicate with itself, chairmen and the members.

More info to follow - but the basic idea is simple. To run the NME as a national executive and not an overglorified branch. Bureaucracy seems pointless, and is boring - but I've seen the damage unaccountability and poor planning can do. Your exec should be accountable at every stage, these are some of the ways of introducing that accountability.

The Change Agenda: Read my lips -"No events"

The NME elected in September will consist of six members and one chairman.

Seven people to run a national organisation, a ridiculously small number. If the NME were to take full advantage of all its co-options it could swell to a mighty nine people plus the chairman - or, put another way, the same membership as the CF in Salford Uni when I was there.

It strikes me that if ten people were expected to run an entire national organisation, it might be wise to focus on certain core tasks, to reassess what is possible and what is most useful.

This year's exec has focussed on events from the start, (our only co-option was for a second events organiser) but Nick's legacy would perhaps better be served by the other key idea to emerge from this year's exec - Regionalisation.

Running events is time consuming and difficult business. It is easier when events are organised close to home - hence the emergence of the London clique.

On this basis, there is no good reason why the NME should spend its time organising social events. Branch Chairmen should rightly cater for the social needs of their members and invite other nearby branches to join them where possible. Area Chairmen should do likewise, but for the bigger events, and also aim for some coordination of events across an area. If elected, I will insist that we start appointing regional coordinators as the constitution allows to allow regions to take on a unique identity and start thinking big.

CF needs more events - and there is no point in the NME doing it all themselves. Rather, a concerted effort to move the emphasis from centre to the regions is needed. This will involve removing the idea of the NME doing social events.

For National events, such as training days and conference, any NME I chair will be asking Areas or regions to host the social elements. This will not only give people good experience of hosting events and taking responsibility, but it will also allow regions other than London and the South East to raise their profile.

Campaign Pledges -

• Regional Coordinators, each accountable to a member of the exec, appointed to provide support to Chairmen and Region and to ensure needs in the regions are fed back to NME
• More events - coordinated on a regional basis, with better publication
• Training - on how to throw better events and fundraise
• Building up Regions - asking branches, areas and regions to contribute as a key element of the national organisation not a add-on.
• Constitutional Change - The NME should be expanded to reflect the scale of the task. A constitutional amendment will be submitted to the board to this effect.

NB: - Co-options limit the scope of the NME for expansion. The NME doesn't need three more people to help with the running of its programme it needs many more - so no more co options

Membership

We need to expand our organisation by increasing our membership.

Two Points:

• I am pledging to focus on the provision of training, resources and services from the centre. Running branches is for the Area and Branch Chairmen to do, not the London clique.
• The future success of CF relies upon engaging the senior party. An NME committee, headed by one Executive member, will focus solely on this aim.

The Change Agenda: Blue skies thinking

My part of the election will focus relentlessly on the need for change in Conservative Future.

This is not a minor change, tinkering round the edges or for cosmetic effect. This is a root to branch transformation of how we work in CF.

The massive potential of CF is staggering. Five months ago when I conceived the idea for CF TV, I thought we might get some media students and a camcorder and try and make some short clips of middling to poor quality.

When I put out the ads, as with CF Net and CF.com I wasn't sure what we would see back - BUT every time I am amazed at the volume and quality of applicants.Professionals, students - all immensely talented and hungry to start getting involved. Regardless of their age or background, they wanted to start having their say in the party.

This is the amazing secret about CF, we are a diverse group that cares more passionately than most about the future of this great party - I care about turning it around and so far have had some success in uniting wildly different members in working towards a common goal.

This campaign has a lot of catching up to do, but if you are fed up of the status quo I could do with your help. Email me

Manifesto: The Change Agenda

A bit of a late entry into the contest, mind you, to beat the other two I would have had to start at least a minimum of 2-3 months ago, and I've got work to do because CF TV, ConservativeFuture.com and CF Net are all huge projects and I make no apology for spending most of my time on these.

CF is a failing organisation, but as you can see from the above we are capable of great things. With good leadership and experience of how CF works it can be made better, I am standing on the following:-

- Regionalisation - the NME as a central body will only take on work and roles to support the regions
- My Record - Compare what I have achieved in CF in one year with any other candidates record
- Professionalisation - CF will work as a professional organisation and banish its bad habits

If that sounds good to you, email.