A manifesto FOR REAL CHANGE in 2014-2015

We are now less than a year away from the next General Election. It will be
Conservative Future at branch, area and regional level who will help to secure a
Conservative maority in !"#$% leafletting, tele&canvassing, 'noc'ing on doors in
every constituency. (hat is where the election will be won. (he )ational
Executive must do its part to support that wor'.
*s your +est ,ractice officer I would wor' to improve Conservative Future-s
relationship with the ,arty and with its members, wherever they are in our .nited
/ingdom. Giving )ational C.F. a constitution and a website that are fit for
purpose. ,roviding clear advice on all aspects of our wor' as a great
campaigning and socialising organisation. Finding out what the membership
thin's on matters which affect them. Educating members on the great history of
our ,arty. *ll of which is laid out in this manifesto.
(he wor' our members have done and will do in the run&up to !"#$ is
outstanding. (hey deserve to have the best support possible from their elected
)ational Executive.
I have served on executives at *ssociation, +ranch, *rea and 0egional level
and served as chairman of a maor university branch. I have been a member of
this ,arty for nearly a decade and have served it faithfully in one way or another
for the past seven years and counting. I-ve offered myself as a candidate for this
position before. I thought I was the best man for the ob then. I still believe I-m
the best man for the position now.
If you agree with my manifesto, and if you want a candidate who will do the
job, then please vote for me as your +est ,ractice officer.
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Best Practice
3y vision for +est ,ractice is as follows4
(he +est ,ractice officer should act as 5ecretary to the )ational Executive.
6e or she should be able to provide that body with corporate memory of a
nature which should negate the need for any form of 76and&over8 period in
the future.
6e or she should be able to provide any member of Conservative Future,
from branch to )ational Executive level, with advice on policy, practice, and
procedure on re9uest.
(he +est ,ractice officer should be responsible to the )ational Executive
for the maintenance of the constitution.
Accountability
:ne of the greatest problems we have as an organisation is a lac' of
communication with members, either from the )ational Executive or the ,arty
itself. Ignorance breeds mistrust, and mistrust breeds apathy.
(herefore, if elected, I promise to publish an online statement every wee' of my
activities as +est ,ractice :fficer. Whether much has been accomplished or not
members deserve to 'now what their )ational Executive is doing on their behalf.
Constitutional Reform
*nother sixteen months have passed without a satisfactory resolution to
Conservative Future-s constitutional mess.
(he ,arty +oard has finally resolved to hold elections annually. (his is to be
welcomed. (his will re9uire incorporating into the constitution.
For the record, other items I want incorporated into our constitution include4
* distribution of business for the )ational Executive.
0egional elections to ):( be tied to )ational Executive elections.
)o term limits for the )ational Executive.
0ecognition that not all members of the ,arty under the age of ;" and<or
students are represented or wish to be represented by Conservative Future.
0ecognition of constituent sections of Conservative Future.
*ny item concerning the organisation of Conservative Future at the national level
would be open to debate.
I also believe that there ought to be enshrined in the Conservative Future
constitution a pledge to defending the .nion by any and all democratic and
peaceful means possible, a glaring omission from both our constitution and that
of the Conservative and .nionist ,arty.
!
Fairness in Pricing
I thin' it-s wrong that we have a number of different tiers of pricing in
Conservative Future. (hose under the age of !; pay a membership fee of =$ per
annum, whilst those !; and over have to pay =!$, a five&fold increase. For C.F.
)ational Conference students regardless of age pay far more.
(his is wrong.
If Conservative Future is to be clearly defined as an organisation for those under
;" then there ought to be a single flat rate for members. It is wrong to assume
that anyone over the arbitrary age of !; is able to afford the =!$ membership
fee, ust as it is wrong to assume that anyone who is not a student is in a position
to pay far more to attend events.
*s +est ,ractice officer I would wor' to renegotiate fees and prices with the ,arty
to achieve a fair settlement for all members.
Conservative History
I continue to believe that Conservative Future can play a greater role in educating
our members about the history of our party which is intertwined with the history
of modern +ritain. (he past has many lessons to be drawn from as we act in the
present and plan for the future.
*s your +est ,ractice officer I would organise a series of lectures across the
.nited /ingdom by guest spea'ers on topics related to the history of the ,arty%
events, campaigns and personalities which have defined us as a ,arty and as a
country.
>ectures would be followed by ?@* sessions.
;
Website
(he Conservative Future website ought to be the first point of contact for any
member or potential member on the internet.
:ver a year on and it still loo's awful compared to the ,arty website. It is poorly
organised. 3uch of the content is out of date. (here is very little about what
Conservative Future is and what it does.
This needs to change.
*s +est ,ractice officer I would petition the ,arty to improve the appearance and
functionality of the website.
I would offer my services, in my capacity as professional face of the party, to 'eep
information on branches, areas and regions current and pass them on to the
webmaster. Every branch should have its own page on the Conservative Future
website.
(he membership needs to 'now what the )ational Executive is doing for them. It
needs to 'now what events are running across the country. It needs to 'now how
to get in touch with other branches. It needs to be able to download the
information it needs to help win elections. (he website is the best place for that.
Vote Harley
Aou can find out more about me and my campaign pledges online4
Website4 http4<<voteharley.com
Email4 simonharleyBgmail.com
(witter4 Bsimonharley
Faceboo'4 http4<<www.faceboo'.com<5ighmone
http4<<www.faceboo'.com<Cote6arley
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