Mikeuk

He's not actually. Knapman is an old West Country name, which I only know because he told me himself.

I think it's fine to welcome members from all racial etc. backgrounds. However, it's not necessary to go overboard in the ridiculous manner of the Tories to prove we're 'not institutionally racist' or whatever.

The Tories are currently crowing because they managed to get one black millionaire elected. So what? I think the media must have simply had it in for Labour at the election because it wouldn't have taken them five minutes to raid the local Conservative Club for some old geezer who would have instantly blown the Tory anti-racist credentials sky-high, which is just what happened at Cheltenham.

UKIP (and the Tories) are always going to centre on white middle-class middle-aged (euphemism!) people with fairly right-wing to very right-wing opinions. Middle England, in other words.

However 'Middle England' does stretch further beyond the golf club than the average Tory would comprehend. Most of my proposers for the general election came from a large council estate.

Alex McKee

mikeuk what happened at Cheltenham???

At the vote count in Gloucester I met a conservative who quite openly stated that he'd do better in the BNP as he wanted all the niggers out!
And this guy was fairly entrenched in the Tory ranks too.

Anyhow: Knapman is a VERY old west country name originating in the area of Stroud/Gloucester/Painswick.

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Mikeuk

In 1992 the Tories stood John Taylor (now Lord Taylor) in the then safe Tory seat of Cheltenham. Even then, when they are supposed to have been 'The Nasty Party', they were anxious to advance token ethnic candidates.

It seems, however, that Taylor was pushed in by Central Office contrary to the wishes of many of the Cheltenham Tories who wanted a local man. Of course they all said 'I'm not racist but...' and some of them were probably genuine in saying that. I've seen CCO do exactly the same with white candidates.

A huge row erupted and soon The Guardian or the Indie sent a reporter to ask the people propping up the bar in the local Conservative Club what they thought. Ex-Tories on this forum will know that Conservative Club habituees are seldom active party workers. Very often they are members of the Labour and TU clubs simultaneously!

Some guy said 'I don't want to vote for a f***ing n*gg*r' and the balloon went up. The Tories lost the seat to the Lib Dems, who still hold it.

Some years ago a journalist with strong 'Powellite' views on immigration talked to a senior Tory MP. There was a lot of nudging, smirking and winking on the part of the MP who said 'keep it up. I think you can guess where I stand on this issue'

That MP may soon be leader of the Conservative Party.

Alex McKee

Thanks I didn't know that.

Alex

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Bluemerle

Conservative Central Office have always interferred with the selection of candidates. Often the local party have wanted A, only to be foisted with B by CCO, and they then lost the seat, and wondered why. :roll:

John Taylor should never have been selected for Cheltenham, wrong candidate at the wrong time.

Will they never learn. :shock:

Mikeuk

We had this about 20 years ago in Portsmouth South when the MP died. Down came the area agent as artful as a cartload of monkeys. He tried to 'simplify' things for us by talking to the Chairman and agreeing 20 suitable candidates out of 300 applicants. The committee wasn't having that so he tried other tactics.

The committee started going through the 300 CVs one by one. Some guy's CV came up and the agent said. 'He's a confirmed batchelor, if you know what I mean' winked and tapped his nose. Two or three went INTO phpbb_the bin on that basis and then up came somebody I knew.

'He's another one' I wasn't having that. I said 'Another what?'

'Well you know'. I said 'No I don't know and I resent these comments you're making' He backed off for a while but we got things like 'Make sure you talk to her husband in the tea break; I hear their marriage is on the rocks' and so forth.

It wasn't just the agent at work. One of the candidates was a nephew of the Duke of Norfolk. 'What's your religion?' came the inevitable question to which the answer 'Roman Catholic' drew sharp intakes of breath from a couple of committee members. He was dumped.

Two weeks later, after some very nasty infighting involving a local bigwig who forced his way onto the final shortlist, we ended up with one of the men CCO wanted in the first place. He was useless and lost us the seat.

Mind you, it's lucky the local councillor 'most likely to' was kept out by CCO. Years later he was jailed for paedophile offences.