Yesterday I wrote to Tim Montgomerie of Conservative Home and asked him to allow me write an article arguing why the so-called partnership between the Conservative Party and the UUP was now completely discredited. He declined my offer.
Tim was always very keen to offer me space when I was Vice Chair of the Conservatives here – prior to my expulsion as an officer of the Party. Moreover he is very happy to provide Owen Paterson virtually unlimited blog inches. Just yesterday he covered the unfolding events here…and featured statements from Sir Reg and Owen.
However, he refused me the opportunity to argue why the partnership is now throughly discredited – based on the disingenuous behaviour by the UUP leadership and the lack of discipline within the Party. This lack of discipline allows the incumbent MP to distance herself from her own leadership and for 2 MLAs (Danny Kennedy and David McNarry) to publically back a union with the DUP - without any attempt by the leadership to distance itself from them (largely because they are part of that leadership).
Tim’s decision to refuse me any opportunity to counteract the Paterson/Empey propaganda shows a clear lack of balance in Conservative Home editorial policy. Tim must know that this deal is full of holes. However his owner and paymaster, Lord Ashcroft, has been backing the UUP/Conservative deal with his personal wealth and bank-rolled Jim Nicholson’s election campaign. Therefore criticism of the “partnership” is a little bit too close to Conservativehome.
Come on Tim. You know you want to.
Leave a comment and links on the site. At least anyone remotely interested in the topic will have your view.
I do – but am making a bigger point. It’s analagous to be on the panel rather than in the audience.
Why would they be interested in your views when you have your own site? – you have already admitted you tried to sabotage the pact, which was party policy and remains so.
You now represent yourself no one else, you have no mandate. When you had one people were interested in your views now they are not, that is how life is.
Emanonon – well you seem to be interested in my views – given your volume of comments. Plus I do get rather a lot of traffic. Indeed this site gets more traffic than the Conservatives in NI site ever achieved I know because I edited the CNI site before central office closed it down). Moreover I’d imagine this site gets substantially more traffic in Northern Ireland than Conservative Home.
That bigger point is entirely valid. We both, however, know the Conservative Party inside out. Nevertheless, it is a point worth making.
As an aside been wondering what mandate emanonon has to be consistently rude to bloggers with whom he disagrees.
Dissenter, I suppose rudeness is something we have to put up with if we express our views in public. But I agree that some commenters sometimes over-step the mark.