Julian Ellacott is Chairman of the National Conservative Convention and Deputy Chairman of the Party Board.
We are, as a Party, often too hard on ourselves. After four punishing years – a chaotic end to the last Parliament, a devastating general election defeat, and defection of activists to Reform – it would be easy to conclude that our grassroots are a spent force. We are not. What has kept this Party alive is precisely what Reform cannot manufacture: institutional knowledge and strength, enduring networks and volunteers who do the patient, unglamorous work week in, week out.
As the summer ends, I hope colleagues across the Party have had some time to rest and prepare for the new political season. It is a good time to reflect on where we are as a grassroots body, and where we go from here.
The past few years have been tough for the whole Party, but especially for our members and volunteers. Seemingly endless turmoil at the end of the last Parliament, which we could only stand by and watch, followed by a devastating general election defeat, tested even the most loyal and determined within our ranks.
Day jobs, family and other interests all compete for our time and energy, and it is no surprise that many fellow activists felt that they had better ways of spending their time. Others fell for the siren call of Reform, leaving us with an ever smaller pool of dedicated volunteers to keep the flame burning in their local Associations. This was compounded by staffing cutbacks, leading to more activities being loaded onto fewer shoulders.
Those who have remained have set to the task of rebuilding the voluntary party with energy and enthusiasm, knowing that, more than ever, the future of our grassroots organisation is within our own hands. That determination has ensured that the Party has lived to fight another day.
Our resilience has been visible up and down the country. Our Regional and Area teams have held more and bigger local conferences in the past two years than in recent memory, each one full of volunteers giving up their weekends to learn, share ideas and network. Witness also the burgeoning activities of groups such as the relaunched Young Conservatives, various Friends Of groups and Next Gen Tories, as well as the activities of the Policy Renewal Programme and Conservative Policy Forum.
By continuing to knock on doors, raise money and keep the wheels of Associations turning, this determined band of volunteers has kept the Party going, and on behalf of the whole Party I thank and applaud them all for their dedication.
And how much brighter the future now is, with Kemi going from strength to strength, a refreshed, confident Shadow Cabinet, a growing programme of sound policies, increasing membership, returning donors and a new “forever home” for CCHQ in London.
What continues to set us apart from Reform, and which will (in my view) become increasingly evident, is our institutional ethos. We can often be guilty of being too self-critical and should instead, at least sometimes, acknowledge the strengths of our Party.
Movements do not endure for a century and a half by chance; they do so because they can absorb setbacks and renew themselves, generation after generation. Our deep internal networks and longstanding, shared experience enable us to manage a wide range of challenges – including maintaining discipline, vetting candidates, running campaigns across the country and building a coherent policy platform.
Parties that consistently win elections are built by people who do the patient, unglamorous work, week in, week out, not merely by those who show up at rallies. Reform is discovering in real time just how hard it is to run a grown-up political party – at all times we should, individually and collectively, ensure that we continue to avoid the traps that they are falling into.
Looking ahead, as I often say to senior volunteers, each of us only has a limited time in any one role, so there is no time to lose. Lasting success will only come from many activists each doing a little, not from a small band working themselves into the ground – now is the time to tap into our growing membership to develop new activists, spreading the load and thereby extend our effectiveness as a campaigning organisation.
I remain immensely proud of and in debt to my team of National Convention Officers, past and present, whose tireless work I have seen every day, and of every activist, candidate and councillor who has kept the faith during these difficult years.
Our members can once again feel proud to be part of a self-respecting Party – one with a strong leader and the discipline to match its ambition. We are the custodians of the party of Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher.
Our strength lies in our unity: not just within the grassroots, but between the grassroots, our councillors, our parliamentary members and other elected representatives, and our professional staff, both local and at CCHQ.
Combining that unity with sheer hard work, rebuilding our Party as an effective campaigning organisation, will take us from where we are now to winning the next General Election and rescuing the country from this disastrous socialist government.
Julian Ellacott is Chairman of the National Conservative Convention and Deputy Chairman of the Party Board.
We are, as a Party, often too hard on ourselves. After four punishing years – a chaotic end to the last Parliament, a devastating general election defeat, and defection of activists to Reform – it would be easy to conclude that our grassroots are a spent force. We are not. What has kept this Party alive is precisely what Reform cannot manufacture: institutional knowledge and strength, enduring networks and volunteers who do the patient, unglamorous work week in, week out.
As the summer ends, I hope colleagues across the Party have had some time to rest and prepare for the new political season. It is a good time to reflect on where we are as a grassroots body, and where we go from here.
The past few years have been tough for the whole Party, but especially for our members and volunteers. Seemingly endless turmoil at the end of the last Parliament, which we could only stand by and watch, followed by a devastating general election defeat, tested even the most loyal and determined within our ranks.
Day jobs, family and other interests all compete for our time and energy, and it is no surprise that many fellow activists felt that they had better ways of spending their time. Others fell for the siren call of Reform, leaving us with an ever smaller pool of dedicated volunteers to keep the flame burning in their local Associations. This was compounded by staffing cutbacks, leading to more activities being loaded onto fewer shoulders.
Those who have remained have set to the task of rebuilding the voluntary party with energy and enthusiasm, knowing that, more than ever, the future of our grassroots organisation is within our own hands. That determination has ensured that the Party has lived to fight another day.
Our resilience has been visible up and down the country. Our Regional and Area teams have held more and bigger local conferences in the past two years than in recent memory, each one full of volunteers giving up their weekends to learn, share ideas and network. Witness also the burgeoning activities of groups such as the relaunched Young Conservatives, various Friends Of groups and Next Gen Tories, as well as the activities of the Policy Renewal Programme and Conservative Policy Forum.
By continuing to knock on doors, raise money and keep the wheels of Associations turning, this determined band of volunteers has kept the Party going, and on behalf of the whole Party I thank and applaud them all for their dedication.
And how much brighter the future now is, with Kemi going from strength to strength, a refreshed, confident Shadow Cabinet, a growing programme of sound policies, increasing membership, returning donors and a new “forever home” for CCHQ in London.
What continues to set us apart from Reform, and which will (in my view) become increasingly evident, is our institutional ethos. We can often be guilty of being too self-critical and should instead, at least sometimes, acknowledge the strengths of our Party.
Movements do not endure for a century and a half by chance; they do so because they can absorb setbacks and renew themselves, generation after generation. Our deep internal networks and longstanding, shared experience enable us to manage a wide range of challenges – including maintaining discipline, vetting candidates, running campaigns across the country and building a coherent policy platform.
Parties that consistently win elections are built by people who do the patient, unglamorous work, week in, week out, not merely by those who show up at rallies. Reform is discovering in real time just how hard it is to run a grown-up political party – at all times we should, individually and collectively, ensure that we continue to avoid the traps that they are falling into.
Looking ahead, as I often say to senior volunteers, each of us only has a limited time in any one role, so there is no time to lose. Lasting success will only come from many activists each doing a little, not from a small band working themselves into the ground – now is the time to tap into our growing membership to develop new activists, spreading the load and thereby extend our effectiveness as a campaigning organisation.
I remain immensely proud of and in debt to my team of National Convention Officers, past and present, whose tireless work I have seen every day, and of every activist, candidate and councillor who has kept the faith during these difficult years.
Our members can once again feel proud to be part of a self-respecting Party – one with a strong leader and the discipline to match its ambition. We are the custodians of the party of Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher.
Our strength lies in our unity: not just within the grassroots, but between the grassroots, our councillors, our parliamentary members and other elected representatives, and our professional staff, both local and at CCHQ.
Combining that unity with sheer hard work, rebuilding our Party as an effective campaigning organisation, will take us from where we are now to winning the next General Election and rescuing the country from this disastrous socialist government.