The Value of Conservative Future

This post is going to be slightly different to my others because it is not the one I intended to post today, in fact until 11am today I hadn't even started writing it. This piece formulated in my mind when I read an excellent article by my friend Isaac Duffy in Conservative Home. Isaac argued that Conservative Future as an organisation was worthless and it should be scrapped. While the argument was excellent, as it always is from Isaac, I find myself wholly disagreeing with it - which as anyone who knows me will understand is slightly confusing since I myself have expressed great distaste for Conservative Future in the past.

My problem with Conservative Future has never been though that it was pointless. My objections to the organisation fall into two specific categories: first that it has no real place in side the party hierarchy and second that 16 - 30 is far too wide of an age range for it to properly represent it's membership. Additionally there have been... issues lately with Conservative Future that have also earned my displeasure and several tuts as I read ever more depressing stories about some of their activities.

This isn't to say though that Conservative Future is worthless or to quote Isaac's article is a home of Francis/Frank Urquhart/Underwood figures. It means the organisation needs to change and be empowered rather then ignored by party officials as it is now.

After all if you aren't valued it is easy to become the Machiavellian figures that Isaac described out of sheer boredom. I was lucky that my local association in Sunderland valued me so highly, making me a Council Candidate and asking me to manage a Parliamentary Campaign, because otherwise I too may have succumb to the temptation.

In terms of what Isaac mentioned about socialising, I can again understand his point, but as a man in my mid-twenties I have a slightly different perspective. It gets harder as you get older to find the time to socialise and make new friends. I recently met a 19 year old who had moved to London a year ago and still had not made friends with people his own age because he was busy working and most people in his profession are in their 30s. Being a part of the Conservatives has helped me to meet new people and going along to CF events has helped me make good friends around my own age, which isn't something I can always do through work or regular Conservative events which I often find are ill attended by younger members.

What we need is two separate Youth Movements. CF Students and CF Young Professionals. Both organisations should have a full seat on the party board for their chairmen so they can have a real say in the organisation of the party at large, both organisations should receive separate funding from the party proper so they can actually do things for their members without charging huge fees and both should be valued by party officials because of the energy, enthusiasm and skills in fields such as digital campaigning that they can bring to the table.

I do hope the Feldman review reflects the sort of change the organisation needs and I sincerely hope we do not see an end to the Conservative Youth Movement idea.