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‘In the end, the Labour party could cease to represent labour. Stranger historic ironies have happened than that.’ So predicted Enoch Powell in 1968, a time when Harold Wilson’s party had just begun to introduce right-on luvvie liberalism alongside its rapidly dating economic socialism. Fast-forward half a century and YouGov now says age is a more reliable indicator of whether a person will vote Labour than class. In fact, if anything, you’re more likely to vote Tory these days if you’re a low-skilled or unskilled worker.

So it was probably never much of a stretch to ponder, at the Liberal Democrats’ birth in 1988, whether there could come a time when they would cease to be either liberal or democratic. If they ever were, their cover was blown on the democracy bit following a referendum they sought to deny the British people, and the result of which they vowed to overturn. On the liberal bit, they finally broke ranks in their disgraceful treatment of their former leader and evangelical Christian, Tim Farron. Hounded out of his position for failing to have the ‘correct’ opinions on abortion (which is always subject to a free vote in Parliament for the reason it is a matter of conscious which cuts across party lines) and the morality of homosexual relations (an issue unlikely ever again to grace the pages of Hansard and therefore an entirely private affair), his colleagues have shamed a party once known almost exclusively for its radical heterodoxy.

Lord Paddick, as it turned out, was not even the worst of them when, in a manner reminiscent of the innuendo of Victorian prejudice, he stuck the knife in by resigning as the party’s home affairs spokesman, citing concerns about Farron’s ‘views on various issues that were highlighted’ during the general election. No, the worst came from David Laws, a man I had always had a great deal of time for due to his classical liberalism and political bravery – most notably in calling for the NHS to be replaced by a private insurance system in the party’s fabled Orange Book. But Laws’ reaction to Farron’s resignation, which seemed to be said exclusively ‘as a gay man’, was devoid of any such liberalism. ‘Tim has propagated the dangerous myth,’ he said, ‘that our society can respect and embrace people in same-sex relationships, while believing their activities and character to be in some way immoral.’

I picked up this quote from a piece in The Times which was headlined ‘Farron was prejudiced and illiberal, says gay Lib Dem’. I don’t know whether Laws actually spoke the words in the headline, as they didn’t appear to be in the article, but what strikes me is that ‘prejudiced’ and ‘illiberal’ describe pretty well what he did say. In fact, the quote above explicitly rejects the second word of the party’s latest catchline – ‘Open, Tolerant and United’. Tolerance, if it means anything at all anymore, means just what Laws condemned; the ability to ‘respect and embrace’ people with which you have profound differences. And that’s a beautiful thing. It means you don’t have to agree with everyone – you don’t even have to like everyone – but you treat each other with respect regardless. This has essentially defined English liberalism for hundreds of years and is a modern British virtue if ever there was one.

How sad that ‘tolerance’ now means compelling people to agree on liberal dogma as the only morality. The appalling treatment of the Democratic Unionist Party since its MPs emerged as likely props to a Conservative minority government is another timely case in point, particularly regarding the party’s policies on abortion and same-sex marriage. Almost everywhere in the media, these positions were painted as somehow beyond the pale, regardless of the fact the DUP’s policies represent many voters in a highly religious region of the United Kingdom (illustrated by the fact Labour’s sister party in Northern Ireland, the Social Democratic & Labour Party, takes an even more stringent view on abortion than the DUP), or that opposition to what pro-life activists see as the wholesale murder of defenceless children is a legitimate political opinion.

There is also the insidious inference that politicians, of all people, cannot distinguish or in any way separate their personal beliefs from their politics. That Tim Farron cannot consider homosexual relations as a sin and vote for same-sex marriage. Even though he did. That men like Ron Paul in the United States and recently-appointed Brexit minister Steve Baker here at home cannot hold robust Evangelical Baptist beliefs and be leaders of a libertarian world view which essentially exists to leave people alone, whatever their lifestyle, orientation, or beliefs. Such two-dimensional thinking ought to be the preserve of Corbynista children on Twitter, not seasoned politicians.

Bizarrely, though, Farron reflected upon his political defenestration by taking aim at the ills of society. ‘I seem to be the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in,’ he said, with his permanent ‘kicked puppy’ expression somehow turning even more kicked. ‘In which case we are kidding ourselves if we think we yet live in a tolerant, liberal society.’ I don’t think your average man on the street gives a damn, to be honest. The intolerant, illiberal, culprits are Farron’s fellow travellers in ‘progressive’ politics and the media. That he will probably never see that is perhaps saddest of all.

Paul is Creative Editor for Conservatives for Liberty. Follow him on Twitter: @Whiggery

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The views expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Conservatives for Liberty

This was Theresa May’s election: it was her manifesto, her campaign strategy, and all the messaging was for ‘Theresa May’s candidates’. And the Conservative Party has lost as a result.

Let’s be clear – no one else has won. Faced with the worst Conservative campaign in an awfully long time, Labour has failed to get anywhere near enough MPs to form a government; and they aren’t even in a position to form a coalition government.

We were promised a landslide. We were told to shut up about our concerns that the manifesto was un-Conservative and the campaign didn’t play to our strengths. Our associations were directed to campaign in distant seats that it is now clear we had no chance of winning, while neighbouring seats were lost to Labour and Liberal Democrats.

These losses should be compared and contrasted to the gains made in Scotland by Ruth Davidson’s Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party – a tremendous success for which Ruth and her team are warmly congratulated by Conservatives for Liberty.

All of this was down to the judgement of one person: Theresa May. And now it is time for her step aside.

In the Conservative Party we don’t tolerate leaders who limp on through failure, and attempt to cling on to power despite the clear verdict of the electorate.

Theresa May needs to stay in place long enough to achieve only two goals:

1. Form a government, preferably a minority administration informally supported by the DUP
2. Oversee a swift leadership election to replace herself.

If she attempts to stay on, May will be fatally weakened. She will be weakened in Brexit negotiations. She will be weakened by her own rebellious backbenchers. And she will be weakened by an activist base that is extremely angry with her for this failure, and who felt betrayed by the shift left in the manifesto.

As a party we need to deal with this swiftly and decisively. And then we need to focus on delivering the Brexit that people voted for last year – an endeavour in which we will have the DUP’s hearty support.

Today we call for a return to Conservative principles: low tax; small, efficient government; individual liberty; unionism and a strong defence. When our Party embodies these values, it is at its strongest.

Edinburgh North and Leith might not strike you as a potential Tory seat but a referendum and a decent set of council results have combined to make this urban seat a potential game changer for the Tories in Scotland.

Our prospects are also enhanced by the candidature of local businessman, football referee, friend of CfL and all round good guy, Iain McGill. While the area’s healthy No vote in 2014 and council election results this month that left us only 1.6% behind the SNP make a win mathematically possible, it’s Iain’s persistence, local presence and likeability that will take him over the line. He certainly has a backstory that shames many of today’s bland career politicians.

The constituency itself is in easy reach of Edinburgh Airport and Waverley station

It’s close, but it can be done.

Campaign for Iain

iain.mcgill@scottishconservatives.com

This constituency was held by the Conservatives until 1997. We finished second in the roughly similar Holyrood constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine in 2016 but the Westminster constituency saw the Conservatives beat the SNP by over 5% in May’s local elections.

Ross Thomson is an Aberdonian born and bred. In 2012 he was elected to represent. Hazlehead/Ashley/Queen’s Cross on Aberdeen City Council. He subsequently went on to stand in the 2015 General Election in Aberdeen South and in the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary elections in Aberdeen South and North Kincardine where he achieved a 19.4% swing and was elected to the Scottish Parliament via the regional list. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party’s spokesman on Higher Education, Further Education, Science and Technology, Ross was one of two Tory MSPs who came out for Vote Leave.

And that is crucial – while every one of Scotland’s voting areas voted Remain, Aberdeenshire saw a higher leave vote than average, with several wards overwhelmingly backing leave.

Aberdeen isn’t as inaccessible as it may at first appear – it has an airport and flights are reasonable.

Campaign for Ross

Davy Braden
davy.braden@gmail.com

The CfL Ten: Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland – Conservatives for Liberty

One of the only low points of an altogether unforgettable 2015 election night was the defeat of Esther McVey in Wirral West. Not only did the result confound the pundits – the seat had been won by the government in every election since its creation in 1983 – the loss of McVey was felt keenly in a party still seemingly struggling in the North West of England.

However the Labour majority of 417 looks distinctly surmountable in no small part down to an excellent candidate selection.

As his bio from his 2012 run at the Liverpool mayoralty points out, Tony Caldiera is far from blue-blooded. The product of a Merseyside single parent, free school meals, household he worked out how to make cushions when he was 15 and from there turned a stall in Liverpool’s Great Homer Street market into a cushion empire. The former chairman of Liverpool Conservatives, following his 2012 run he challenged for the city region mayoralty in 2017, winning a fifth of all votes cast on Merseyside. Not bad.

Winning back this corner of Merseyside would mean reversing one of the few injustices of 2015 and – crucially – elevate a real grafter to the Commons.

Campaign for Tony

Wirral West Conservatives
0151 632 1052
office@wirralwestconservatives.co.uk

For years pro-Brexit Conservatives were told that ‘banging on about
Europe’ would render them unelectable. While that may have been true in the circles that David Cameron ran in, in many parts of the country, banging on about Europe has put the Conservatives back in play, in a way that the Notting Hill set could only have dreamed of.

The Cleveland area returned some of the biggest votes for Leave in the country with one ward, in the neighbouring Middlesbrough constituency, backing Brexit by 82.5%. With Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP and serial Twitter blocker Tom Blenkinsop deciding not to defend his 2268 majority, this seat is up for grabs.

Simon Clarke, 32, is a qualified solicitor and a health and education researcher. He supported leave and in 2015 stood in the neighbouring Middlesbrough constituency. He’ll be looking to build on the success of the party in taking the Tees Valley mayoralty earlier in the month – evidence, as if it were needed, wins in the North-East are more than possible.

Campaign for Simon

South Tees Conservatives
01287 631928

Neil Wilson is CfL Campaigns Director. Follow Neil on Twitter: @libertyneil

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Theresa Villiers has been Chipping Barnet’s MP since 2005 and represented the area
previously as a London MEP from 1999. She joined the Cabinet in 2012 as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, performing what is perhaps the most difficult job in British politics, at a difficult time for the province, exceptionally well. She is known to be right across the issues affecting her constituency – her passionate support for the reunification of Cyprus being just one example of this.

Open Britain are closing in on some constituencies where the MP backed leaving the European Union and the constituency did not.

Theresa is a committed advocate of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and while her majority is healthy, a key priority for this election has to be demonstrating to Continuity Remain just how many of our fellow citizens don’t share their disregard for democracy, and the will of the people.

Returning MPs like Theresa with a fresh mandate from their constituents is of utmost importance , so let’s keep Chipping Barnet blue!

Campaign for Theresa

Charles Lasock
020 8449 7345
cbca163@gmail.com

Neil Wilson is CfL Campaigns Director. Follow Neil on Twitter: @libertyneil

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Nick de Bois has fought every General Election in Enfield North since 2001. After losing his seat in 2015, he is aiming to return to Parliament on 8^th June.

Recently coming to CfL’s attention as a committed opponent of plain packaging, de Bois ticks a few other ‘ideal MP’ boxes. During his previous tenure as MP, after taking note of the above average unemployment level in his constituency, he organised the Enfield Jobs Fair which reduced youth unemployment in the constituency by 50% and overall unemployment by 42%.

With such a hands-on approach to problem-solving and a relatively sound pedigree, winning Enfield North back would not only mean another seat in the bag, but ensure that Enfield North has a strong (and stable) Member of Parliament until 2022.

Campaign for Nick with CfL

The CfL team are heading to Enfield North on 20^th May to campaign. To join us in helping get Nick elected get in touch with Emily Barley: emily@con4lib.com.

Campaign for Nick another time

office@enfieldnorthconservatives.org.uk

Neil Wilson is CfL Campaigns Director. Follow Neil on Twitter: @libertyneil

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Tom Elliott is the only non-Conservative in the CfL Ten and with good reason.

After sensationally taking Fermanagh and South Tyrone back for the Union in 2015, all other unionist parties, including the Conservatives, have pulled out of the race here. Ensuring that the most westerly constituency in the United Kingdom returns a candidate that will take their seat has been a team effort since 2010.

The constituency is a vast, sparsely populated yet beautiful part of the world where elections have always been notoriously close.  In 2010 Sinn Fein’s abstentionist candidate won it by just four votes. In 1981 poet, hunger striker and furniture factory bomber Bobby Sands was elected as its MP despite probably never having been there.

And if Elliott’s determination provide his constituents with representation at Westminster wasn’t enough, he was a committed Leaver despite his constituency’s huge land border with the Irish Republic and his party’s official Remain position.

Campaign for Tom:

UUP Enniskillen office
02866 322028
fstuup@btconnect.com

UUP Dungannon office –
02887 723265
southtyrone@gmail.com 

Neil Wilson is CfL Campaigns Director. Follow Neil on Twitter: @libertyneil

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With under a month of campaigning time left, it’s time to get some sensible footwear on and hit the streets.

If you’re wondering where to go to make the most of your time then don’t worry – we’ve got it covered. Your CfL team has selected ten great candidates in important, significant and – importantly –  winnable seats to get behind.

Sefton Central sits at the western extremity of what the Daily Express has called the ‘M62 Decapitation Strategy’.

To outsiders it looks like Liverpool but to anyone familiar with Merseyside will know that this constituency and the towns and villages within it have always maintained a separate identity. The Conservatives have often performed well here and held the old Crosby seat until 1997.

Our candidate is Jade Marsden, Deputy Chairman of Merseyside Area Conservatives, a 30-year-old  mother of three and former engineering apprentice. She previously stood in the neighbouring Bootle constituency in 2015. Jade’s explanation of why she is a Conservative was one of the best submissions we had in the series. Read it here.

Don’t be put off by the 2015 result here – by all accounts the campaign was shockingly mismanaged and 2010 (when Debi Jones was only 4000 behind) is probably a better indicator of where we are in this seat. This time there’s no UKIP candidate and with only the incumbent Labour MP and a Lib Dem standing against our candidate, this is as close to a straight fight as its possible to get. Where those 5000 UKIP votes go will be crucial and Jade intends to leave no stone unturned to ensure they go Conservative.

Get in touch with Jade’s campaign:

Simon Jamieson
synergybuild@yahoo.co.uk
07465 993750

Neil Wilson is CfL Campaigns Director. Follow Neil on Twitter: @libertyneil

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As we build up to the hearing in April that will determine whether Alexander Adamescu is to be extradited to Romania in accordance with the European Arrest Warrant, we at Conservatives for Liberty have been campaigning to highlight the political motivations behind the warrant, exploring the wrongful assumption of parity in the criminal justice systems of Europe and warning of the human rights abuses that Alexander could face if he sent to face trial in Romania.

The horror story of his father’s suffering in prison, culminating in his death having contracted sepsis in the high security Rahova prison, has put the conditions in Romanian prisons in the spotlight once again. Alexander fears dying in prison like his father; English judges can prevent this by doing the right thing.

Dan Adamescu suffered from a number of serious medical conditions, including, among others, type II diabetes, ventricular fibrillation and severe knee arthritis requiring the urgent and complete replacement of one of his knees. However, he was refused permission to leave Romania to Germany or Austria to receive the urgent knee operation that he required, despite his doctors’ warnings that delaying the procedure placed him at risk of death.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident and prison conditions in Romania are notoriously among the very worst in Europe. Even Romanian officials admit they are worthy of the medieval age.

In July 2016, there were a series of protests from detainees over conditions. Prisoners set their clothes alight, rattled their cell bars, smashed bottles against windows and refused food. The protests began in the high-security prison in Iasi and quickly spread to eighteen other prisons, with around 500 inmates taking part out of 30,000 detained across Romania; a number already improved from 52,000 in 2006. For context, there is only capacity for about 20,000 prisoners in Romania.

According to the activists the main issues of protest were over overcrowding, inadequate medical attention and poor diet. Many jails still have inadequate hygiene conditions, with insufficient access to warm water, insufficient sanitary facilities, insufficient natural lighting and ventilation, and poor food quality, campaigners say.

Some progress has been made in recent times, so it would not be fair to say it’s all doom and gloom. After pressure from the UN, Romania has made some progress in improving prison conditions with an emphasis on reducing overcrowding. The UN Subcommittee for Prevention of Torture found that increased safeguards and mechanisms are necessary to “prevent torture and ill-treatment” in Romanian prisons.

In April 2016, the government approved several measures to improve conditions, requiring €838.5million in investment over the next seven years. The National Prison Administration also plans to create 10,895 new places for prisoners and to modernise 1,651 places in local penitentiaries by 2023. On top of this effort, two newly-built prisons are also planned. Early this year, the European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, ruled that Romania must pay almost 100,000 euro in compensation to 18 convicted inmates who have served prison sentences or are currently incarcerated because of the poor conditions in local prisons. However, despite efforts to modernise, Romanian jails still fall below European standards.

Everything may not be lost for Alexander Adamescu who is facing a European Arrest Warrant charge from Romania. Mr Robert Căldăraru also faced this prospect at the beginning of 2016, charged with driving without a driving licence. However, in a landmark case the European Court of Justice on 5 April 2016 upheld a decision taken by The Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht in Bremen (Higher Regional Court of Bremen, Germany) which had found that the detention conditions to which Mr Căldăraru might be subject in the Romanian prison were contrary to fundamental rights, in particular the provision of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibiting inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This remains one of Alexander’s few hopes of avoiding imprisonment in Romania.

It is clear that Dan Adamescu was denied a fair trial and subject to extremely poor and unhygienic conditions during his imprisonment at both Centrul de Arest Prentiv and Rahova prisons. Worryingly, he was denied his medication for a period of 37 days whilst at Rahova, an extremely life risking move. It is imperative that Alexander does not face a similar fate in such dire, inhumane conditions.

The conditions which Dan was subject to were a clear breach of fundamental human rights and the Romanian justice system needs to have a long, hard look at the way inmates are treated.

Join Conservatives for Liberty and special guest speakers from inside and outside Parliament on 28th February as we ask the government to withdraw from the European Arrest Warrant

strong>Read more

• The European Arrest Warrant is making Britain complicit in political persecution
• On the tragic and unjust death of Dan Adamescu
• The European Arrest Warrant on trial: The case of Alexander Adamescu”
• Fair Trials International: The European Arrest Warrant – Cases of Injustice

Sarah is a Project Manager for Conservatives for Liberty

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The views expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Conservatives for Liberty