Joanna Reeves is an association chair, a candidate at the general election, and is standing for the chairmanship of the National Convention.
While the election for the leadership of the Conservative Party takes place in the public eye, another Conservative Party leadership election is taking place under the radar. This is the election for the Chairmanship of the National Conservative Convention, a.k.a. the voluntary party or, simply put, the membership.
The Chair of the Convention is a key leadership role, representing the membership with a seat on the Party Board. But most members are only vaguely aware it exists; unlike the party leadership election, there is no hustings.
And until recently, it was expected to be a simple coronation. Then I threw my hat into the ring. My name is Joanna Reeves, and I believe myself to be the right person to be Chair of the National Convention at this crucial moment.
I lived through the last election as a longstanding association chair and as a candidate, and I have the battle scars to prove it. You won’t be surprised to learn that I was not astonished by the result, and I know that my peers – Convention members such as other association and federation chairs and officers – will not have been either.
We are the leaders of the voluntary party. We have drive, common sense, determination, and experience in spades – experience in politics, in our businesses and professions, and from life in general. We have every hope of building our Party back up to electoral success.
But making the membership clearly heard at party board is crucial. The rebuild cannot be done without the voluntary party.
As an association chair, I know that supporting associations in selecting the parliamentary candidate of their choice is crucial. That means giving them as much scope as possible in choosing both the timing and the shortlist. MPs represent a local area, and the best people to know who that representative should be are the local members themselves. We Convention members know it, and our members know it.
Unfortunately we went into the recent general election with a last-minute scramble to allocate candidates. How can we expect our members to remain engaged if they are left feeling neglected and taken for granted on this most crucial issue?
We party members are also very conscious of the role that MPs play in whittling down the final shortlist to be put to members. As a part of the process for electing our leader, the importance of faith in local parliamentary candidate selection is often overlooked – but cannot be overstated.
I know many of you, both my fellow Convention members and the wider party membership, have been candidates too, in the past or during the last election. It’s not an experience for the faint-hearted – even with the benefit of all my experience, there were plenty of surprises on the campaign trail.
But overall, we need to be matching the right candidate to the right association. There really is no more to it than that.
As we consider what led us to this low point electorally, there is much talk of policy. But before we get to that, we need to talk about our principles. I am certain that we are all clear on what it means to be a Conservative: small government; property rights; the rule of law; secure borders. personal responsibility, with a safety net for those who need it; and letting us keep as much of that money that we earn as possible while maintaining essential services
These principals need to be at the heart of any policy. Policy is rudderless without them. I seek a place on the Party Board, as NCC Chair, to represent our principles, and provide leadership in getting our party back on track for government.
Just like my peers, who will be voting in these elections, I have been doing my best for the Party for years, any which way I can. That’s why I couldn’t stand back and let the Chairmanship of the National Convention go uncontested – not when I can see that I am uniquely placed to take this role on and be the leader to make the difference.
If you are a National Convention member and what I am saying resonates with you, be sure to vote for me online between 27 August and 16 September. For more information, please visit my website.
Joanna Reeves is an association chair, a candidate at the general election, and is standing for the chairmanship of the National Convention.
While the election for the leadership of the Conservative Party takes place in the public eye, another Conservative Party leadership election is taking place under the radar. This is the election for the Chairmanship of the National Conservative Convention, a.k.a. the voluntary party or, simply put, the membership.
The Chair of the Convention is a key leadership role, representing the membership with a seat on the Party Board. But most members are only vaguely aware it exists; unlike the party leadership election, there is no hustings.
And until recently, it was expected to be a simple coronation. Then I threw my hat into the ring. My name is Joanna Reeves, and I believe myself to be the right person to be Chair of the National Convention at this crucial moment.
I lived through the last election as a longstanding association chair and as a candidate, and I have the battle scars to prove it. You won’t be surprised to learn that I was not astonished by the result, and I know that my peers – Convention members such as other association and federation chairs and officers – will not have been either.
We are the leaders of the voluntary party. We have drive, common sense, determination, and experience in spades – experience in politics, in our businesses and professions, and from life in general. We have every hope of building our Party back up to electoral success.
But making the membership clearly heard at party board is crucial. The rebuild cannot be done without the voluntary party.
As an association chair, I know that supporting associations in selecting the parliamentary candidate of their choice is crucial. That means giving them as much scope as possible in choosing both the timing and the shortlist. MPs represent a local area, and the best people to know who that representative should be are the local members themselves. We Convention members know it, and our members know it.
Unfortunately we went into the recent general election with a last-minute scramble to allocate candidates. How can we expect our members to remain engaged if they are left feeling neglected and taken for granted on this most crucial issue?
We party members are also very conscious of the role that MPs play in whittling down the final shortlist to be put to members. As a part of the process for electing our leader, the importance of faith in local parliamentary candidate selection is often overlooked – but cannot be overstated.
I know many of you, both my fellow Convention members and the wider party membership, have been candidates too, in the past or during the last election. It’s not an experience for the faint-hearted – even with the benefit of all my experience, there were plenty of surprises on the campaign trail.
But overall, we need to be matching the right candidate to the right association. There really is no more to it than that.
As we consider what led us to this low point electorally, there is much talk of policy. But before we get to that, we need to talk about our principles. I am certain that we are all clear on what it means to be a Conservative: small government; property rights; the rule of law; secure borders. personal responsibility, with a safety net for those who need it; and letting us keep as much of that money that we earn as possible while maintaining essential services
These principals need to be at the heart of any policy. Policy is rudderless without them. I seek a place on the Party Board, as NCC Chair, to represent our principles, and provide leadership in getting our party back on track for government.
Just like my peers, who will be voting in these elections, I have been doing my best for the Party for years, any which way I can. That’s why I couldn’t stand back and let the Chairmanship of the National Convention go uncontested – not when I can see that I am uniquely placed to take this role on and be the leader to make the difference.
If you are a National Convention member and what I am saying resonates with you, be sure to vote for me online between 27 August and 16 September. For more information, please visit my website.