Change? What change?

Written by Cllr Alan Dean on Mon 23rd Jul 2007

One could be forgiven for thinking a general election were imminent from the tone of Alan Haselhurst's article (Herts & Essex Observer, July 19)) 'Change? What change?'

Indeed, those are questions that Alan might well ask of his own party, the Conservatives. The two parliamentary by-elections he referred to saw the Conservatives grounded in third place well and truly behind the Liberal Democrats despite the candidate for Ealing Southall being officially labelled 'David Cameron's Conservatives'.

It would seem that the electorate doesn't see much change in the Conservative Party; but rather perceives a party rooted in celebrity rather than substance; a party with no clear sense of direction.

It may be too early to claim that Ming Campbell's substance but lack of glamour has yet caught the public's imagination for the Lib Dems, but Sir Alan won't convince many of Tory worth by simply slagging off Gordon Brown for being no change from Tony Blair. Perhaps he could tell us next time what the Conservative Party really stands for these days? Even many of Alan's parliamentary colleagues and his traditional supporters are confused, it would seem.