Does it matter? It sure does! Successive MP's have neglected chunks of the constituency.
Borwick and Bailey can legitimately claim to know the constituency and can hit the ground running.
That is something Charlotte Vere will find tough.
Dear Dame
I have has been doing some digging about Charlotte Vere, the new person who wants to be MP for Kensington but have drawn a blank so I ask these questions......
- Who is this person?
- What does she stand for?
- What difference has she made?
It is clear that she moves around a great deal.
Many different jobs; many different places lived in but never in any place long enough to make a difference.
But great at getting noticed. Clever too, with a nice turn of phrase and plenty of presence.
And socialite and rebel Zac Goldsmith on her coat tails.
But it is all smoke and mirrors and too much biting the hand that feeds her.
In a recent speech about education entitled Politics and Independent Education, the then Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, came in for a sneer or two....odd for a person with political ambitions in the Conservative Party.
And then there was that sideswipe at David Cameron for sending his daughter to Grey Coats, a State comprehensive School. Odder still, when we are all meant to be being a bit more egalaterian
And now she wants to be MP for Kensington. But the lady has no political track record in local or national Government....just an attack dog on whichever political system comes into view, including the Tory tribe. Very odd. Is she the ultimate uber schmoozer?
Charlotte has two daughters but what of her family life? Nothing to be found.
Maybe an impertinent question - but the voters of Kensington are about to elect their next representative to Westminster and need to know who they are dealing with.
Is this a balloon that needs to be pricked?
Yours sincerely
J..........n P.........r
I have to say, as an Association member, I have never seen M/S Vere canvassing or leaflet delivering in our constituency, yet I have seen Borwick and Bailey working hard at elections.
ReplyDeleteGove, Cameron and Osborne are all residents of Kensington. Ms Vere should not be criticising Kensington residents. She does not get my vote
DeleteWell said. Some years ago both VB and SB were spotted in the frozen north of the constituency; escorting one B Johnson I seem to remember. Whereas CV's cv does not seem to show a marked interest in the concerns of the person on the proverbial Clapham omnibus.
ReplyDeleteI hear that she is anti hunting....
ReplyDeleteI have lived in the borough for over 70 years and do not believe fox hunting has ever been a particularly popular sport in Kensington
DeleteWell, Madam I can assure you that it is and we don't like busybodies telling us we can't hunt.
DeleteOff with her head!
DeleteNope, not anti-hunting but not particularly pro either - I am rubbish at riding.
DeleteThis stuff on Miss Vere makes interesting reading...
ReplyDeletehttp://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2013/08/the-tory-who-says-i-want-girls-to-leave-school-at-14.html
The background of Ms Vere requires careful analysis and raises important questions. She has had a large number of jobs where she stays for 6 months to 2 years and then moves on. Never staying long enough to make a real difference.
ReplyDeleteAn accident waiting to happen or a person in a hurry?
Experienced recruiters know that there are people who interview exceptionally well. They sweep the panel away. But as soon as they get their feet under the desk they are focused on their next move. Often it is an established and known person in the organisation that can be promoted with better results. Kensington needs to think very carefully about Ms Vere
This is another Luise Mensch. Kensington you have been warned
DeleteSnake oil Charlotte. Touch it at our peril
DeleteThe political recruitment process in recent years has become obsessed with the glitterati. And those competing for seats in Parliament have become experts at spinning their wheels, and bobbing around like a whirling dervish. But democracy requires more than this. It needs hard work, determination, drudgery and humility.
ReplyDeleteMs Vere sounds like a spinning top with a loud whistle. She would have been perfect in Tony Blair's Government. But not for Kensington.
This top will wobble and topple in double quick time. They always do.
DeleteBorwick is going to win this contest because she has a team helping her to win because they want her to win. There are lots of people of ability who pitched for this seat and a few came through to the final. But the magic ingredient is Victoria's ability to gather people around her and build a team. It is the empathy that she has which Boris Johnson keeps banging on about. In life it is always the star team that makes a difference - never the team of stars.
ReplyDeleteEat your heart out, Charlotte baby
DeleteScribe is a wise person and absolutely right, Victoria Borwick is the only candidate! Her ability to share her expertise, bring people together for the good of residents in this Borough will be a first in the history of politics in this Borough.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone really imagine that Charlotte Vere will ever roll up her sleeves and get stuck into all that boring and tedious case work on behalf of residents? The hours required to understand the problems of constituents and then to figure out who and what to tackle and get results?
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing in her background that shows that she has ever been near anything like this and clear evidence that her temperament will never let her get anywhere near anything like this.
Never a truer word was said. Back to basics is what Kensington needs for its next Member of Parliament. A constituency representative. Nothing more, nothing less. And a bit of style thrown in.
DeleteI know that if I need urgent help I can telephone Cllr Borwick at midnight and she will answer her telephone. I sort of have the feeling that Ms Vere would switch off her phone at 4.30pm
DeleteVictoria Borwick has committed to immediately resign as Statutory Deputy Mayor if selected. Will Charlotte give up her job if selected?
ReplyDeleteYes I will.
DeleteThe Kensington Conservative Association wrote a very simple job description for the neext Member of Parliament.
ReplyDelete(i) he/she should be a local resident
(ii) the person should be capable of flying the flag for Kensington.
These are the two tests that need to be applied at the Open Selection on Friday 13th by members of the Association.
Flying the flag is more than a slick power point presentation and seductive words. It is knowing the constituency and knowing how to pull the levers that count.
How many months has Charlotte Vere lived in Earls Court?
DeleteWell, that's sorted Charlotte Vere. But what of Shaun Bailey? He's almost local and certainly experienced, but what would he bring to Kensington that offers a fraction of Victoria Borwick's qualifications? Answer, not a lot. Or am I missing something?
ReplyDeleteCharlotte Vere is part of the "been there, done that" crowd. Propelled by ever increasing "highs" to the next trophy activity. And prizes in public life carry their own exotic highs.
ReplyDeleteThis is not what public service is about - there are too many people seeking public office who are only interested in self aggrandizement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThUAahmAtDE
ReplyDeleteHilarious. Earls Coort uber - ca 1070
DeleteOh, ouch - but I am a tough old campaigner and I can take it.
ReplyDeleteAnd most of it is so inaccurate that it is really not worthy of a response (are you SURE I have two daughters? I didn't last time I looked).
But I will say one thing - if selected, I will not agree with absolutely everything that my party says all of the time. Politics is about debate and reaching an agreement. So yes, whilst I agree with the vast majority of the Gove-reforms, there are a few things that schools tell me are an issue and I believe them and am happy to say so.
I look forward to tomorrow - I will give it my best shot.
Sorry about the two daughters but it 's what is out there. Trouble is that we only know you through press cuttings. No one on the ground in Kensington seems to have the first clue who you are, what you stand for and what difference you have made. And there is a huge hostility towards Luise Mensch types. So why not put the record straight and drop a blog on the Hornet?
ReplyDeleteVictoria Borwick is the only candidate who has the ability to represent Kensington and Chelsea residents in Parliament and locally. She will not be fobbed off by the Hammersmith officers who seem to have culled the good Kensington officers like a swarm of Hornets (sorry Dame not targeted at you personally!) They will finally be made accountable for the chaos they are causing.
ReplyDeleteThe only parties that have had a role in the culling of candidates are CCHQ and representatives from Kensington Conservatives. Many Hammersmith activists would like to see Victoria Borwick win the selection because she has helped us on the ground in the past! Know your facts before posting such drivel.
Delete