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Tory fall-out fury
Reporter: RICHARD HOOTON
Date online: 22/12/2009
Conservatives vent anger over selection ‘stitch-up’ stand
LOCAL Tories have blasted leader David Cameron’s “positive discrimination” policies saying Oldham’s election candidates have been forced upon them.
A selection meeting sparked a huge fall-out amid allegations of threats and candidate rigging.
Oldham East and Saddleworth Conservatives chairman Barbara Jackson will stand down in protest, while former Councillor Chris Shyne called it a farce after only five candidates stood for five seats.
But North-West leaders insisted they are “a lone voice” and that the party is fully behind the selections.
Barrister Kashif Ali was chosen to fight Labour’s Phil Woolas for the Oldham East and Saddleworth seat with Kamran Ghafoor taking on Labour’s Michael Meacher for the Oldham West and Royton seat.
Traditionalists have been angered by Mr Cameron’s plans to take control of shortlists to impose women and ethnic minority candidates to boost their numbers in Parliament.
Mrs Jackson, an active member for 30 years, claimed two candidates were removed from the selection list at the last minute and others weren’t allowed to stand.
She claimed Mr Ali had threatened management that he would recruit family as members to take over the association if he was not selected.
Mrs Jackson said she had been labelled racist for complaining, but added: “They paint it as a race issue but it’s nothing to do with race.
“I won’t give in to bullying tactics from anyone no matter what the race, colour or sex. I’m still a Conservative but I’m very disappointed with the party.
“The way they have done it is just wrong because the electorate deserve a choice. They have decided who our candidate is and that’s it, full stop.
“The constituency should be guiding the candidates, not the other way round.
“Very able people in our constituency have been rejected. Why they think it’s acceptable I can’t understand.
“It’s an exercise in ticking boxes and positive discrimination. They want women and Asians.”
She pointed out that Tories like Margaret Thatcher and Euro-MP Sajjad Karim have succeeded on merit. A furious Mr Shyne claimed other areas had 180 applications from would-be candidates.
He said: “It was a stitch-up. It wasn’t a selection it was a proclamation. It’s no longer a democratic party. It stinks to high heaven.
“The candidates have not been selected by traditional members of the party, they have been shipped in by families.
“If this is the way Cameron is running things before he becomes PM then what will he be like after?
“There were people locally that wanted to stand but it was pre-determined two years ago and they have made us look like idiots.
“The Tories have just given up and have no chance of fighting off Phil Woolas at the election.”
But North-West regional director Sue Gillett said: “We followed guidelines laid down by the party.
“Each constituency voted for the candidate they wanted to have and the decision was very clear and almost unanimous.”
Mr Ali said: “This has not been some hostile imposition of a candidate — far from it. People were not stopped from standing.
“The reality is there were no other good candidates who wanted a seat.”
He said no threats were made but he had pointed out to the association that it had to pick up campaigning to have a chance of election success.
He said traditional members were against his more modern approach of designing a website, actively recruiting more members and leafleting residents.
Mr Ali is from Higginshaw and said he had a huge interest in local issues.
Mr Ghafoor, a former Labour candidate, said he was proud to have been given the opportunity and he will fight to build a better and more prosperous Oldham.
Local Tory leader Councillor Jack Hulme said: “These appointments show that the party is ready to fight the forthcoming general election with local candidates who have a successful track record in the community at large.
“I am sure that all members of the party will be working hard to achieve their success.”
Comments
Well that’s another party that won’t be getting my vote, why vote for a party just like the rest that panders to the asians... Come on BNP we need some racial equality here.... instead of positive discrimination. But I suppose the conservatives would not stand a chance with a white person standing.
I had a slight feeling you might have been a racist from your previous comments on here Max Damage. Glad you've confirmed it.
what has Barbara Jackson as party activist for 30 years done in oldham for the Conservertaive party? Kashif Ali has distributed 90,000 leaflets in Oldham East and Saddleworth in the last 12 months and will continue to work very hard to defeat Woolas. The best thing Barbara will do for the conservertive party will be leaving the association.
WELL SAID MAX DAMAGE.LETS HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY GET OFF THEIR BACKSIDES AND VOTE BEFORE WE LOSE THE PLOT COMPLETELY.
Well I say "Welcome Kashif Ali"! I've heard he is a honest, friendly and able guy and deserves our support. I don't want to see Phil Woolas replaced by that odd-ball LibDem Watkins (who seems to spend more time with Middle East Sheikhs than here in Oldham) so I hope we can all get behind Kashif's campaign.
Yet another lawyer! Now I won't vote Tory because I don't want a parilament full of lawyers making laws to make themselves rich! There is not a chance though of SADdleworth voting for any kind of minority candidate gay ethnic or disabled. For some reason this enclave seems stuck in an Edwardian timewarp.
The Labour party have been doing this for years to get votes
and look where it as got us.A better prosperous area,for who?
well done Barbara Jackson for your protest... Of course its a stitch up. I have voted conservative all my life but not any longer and I do hope that Phil Woolas is defeated Where is the freedom of choice. Cameron is just a Tony Blair clone and will throw away the Tories chances at the next election if he is,nt careful.Oh for a good totally independant candidate.
Why worry? it won't make any difference in dyed in the wool solidarity from the neck up, Labour Oldham! There's as much chance of a Conservative being elected as Tommyfield surviving - None!! Short lists, with imposed candidates can effectively disenfranchises a lot of voters.
Said Ali: “.. there were NO OTHER GOOD candidates wanting a seat.” Oooh! get him! Got a tanner on 'isself ain't he? Don't he know self praise is no recommendation. What's he done that makes him 'good'? '..traditional members were against his more modern approach of designing a website, recruiting more members & leafleting residents. They may not have been, had he waited 'til after the selection process. Atif Ali, my postman has delivered far more than that & I won't be voting for him either.
Eddie have you never heard of UKIP. you are typical of what has gone wrong. You acuse everyone and everything of racism with toally wrong assumptions. I never had and never will vote BNP so tkae youe inverse racism elsewhere pal.
NO chance of winning carry on dreamin son!
The plot has been lost, but not by the ones most of you suspect. Psitive discrimination is illegal as far as I am aware, but nothing like a good article to get the you-know- who to make their you-know-what type of comments fired off without researching the facts.
Mr Shyne "There were people locally" Well Mr Shyne Kashif is local he has lived all his life in Oldham!
"Local" for some is being mentioned in the Domesday book, everybody else is an outsider.
Atif Ali asks what Barbara Jackson has done for Oldham East and Saddleworth. If he wasn't a political opportunist and knew anything about Oldham Conservatives he would know she was a local councillor for many years and kept Oldham conservatives going when they were unpopular. Without her and Mr Shyne, there would be no Oldham Conservatives. So next time you try to slur someone, having the facts might be useful.
Have Your Say
Yes and we all know who to vote for next election and it ain't the main 3 parties who have abonded the UK
By Max Damage @ 22/12/2009 14:33:31
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