Time was when the Tories believed in persuading people to do the right thing by encouraging rather than coercion. Not any more.

Representatives attending this year’s party conference are obliged to pay a fee which includes “a carbon-offsetting charge of £3”.
“Im appalled by this. It’s outrageous”, blasts Philip Davies, MP for Shipleyand a climate change sceptic.
“I’ve already indicated to the organisers that I’m not going to pay it. If we believe in anything as Conservatives, it’s in freedom of choice.”
(Telegraph 23/4/08)

Another Conservative parliamentarian has joined MP Philip Davies in condemning the party’s compulsory “carbon offsetting charge” now being included in party conference attendance fees.
“I’m both shocked and disturbed that my party is requiring me to pay real money to a purpose with which I and many others profoundly disagree,” says East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer.
“Scientists are increasingly questioning the alarmist position that global warming is driven by CO2 emissions and it appears to me that the whole 'carbon offsetting’ industry is wide open to scams and fraud anyway.

“I’ve written to the party chairman outlining my grave concerns and await her reply with interest”. (Telegraph 25/4/08)
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Well done, Mr. Philip Davies MP - a member of the Better off out of the EU group of MPs.
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Remember how difficult it used to be to get tickets to the conference unless you were one of your constituency's half-dozen reps?

Well now any paid up member of the party can go. It was the only way they could keep the numbers up.

I believe that this year they are holding the conference in Brum. Ghastly place. Ghastly people.
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Originally Posted by Bluemerle:
Time was when the Tories believed in persuading people to do the right thing by encouraging rather than coercion. Not any more.

Representatives attending this year’s party conference are obliged to pay a fee which includes “a carbon-offsetting charge of £3”.
“Im appalled by this. It’s outrageous”, blasts Philip Davies, MP for Shipleyand a climate change sceptic.
“I’ve already indicated to the organisers that I’m not going to pay it. If we believe in anything as Conservatives, it’s in freedom of choice.”
(Telegraph 23/4/08)

Another Conservative parliamentarian has joined MP Philip Davies in condemning the party’s compulsory “carbon offsetting charge” now being included in party conference attendance fees.
“I’m both shocked and disturbed that my party is requiring me to pay real money to a purpose with which I and many others profoundly disagree,” says East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer.
“Scientists are increasingly questioning the alarmist position that global warming is driven by CO2 emissions and it appears to me that the whole 'carbon offsetting’ industry is wide open to scams and fraud anyway.

“I’ve written to the party chairman outlining my grave concerns and await her reply with interest”. (Telegraph 25/4/08)

How dare they question the Gods of MMGW. They must pay and pay and pay and pay.
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Originally Posted by Bluemerle:
Time was when the Tories believed in persuading people to do the right thing by encouraging rather than coercion. Not any more.

Representatives attending this year’s party conference are obliged to pay a fee which includes “a carbon-offsetting charge of £3”.
“Im appalled by this. It’s outrageous”, blasts Philip Davies, MP for Shipleyand a climate change sceptic.
“I’ve already indicated to the organisers that I’m not going to pay it. If we believe in anything as Conservatives, it’s in freedom of choice.”
(Telegraph 23/4/08)

Another Conservative parliamentarian has joined MP Philip Davies in condemning the party’s compulsory “carbon offsetting charge” now being included in party conference attendance fees.
“I’m both shocked and disturbed that my party is requiring me to pay real money to a purpose with which I and many others profoundly disagree,” says East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer.
“Scientists are increasingly questioning the alarmist position that global warming is driven by CO2 emissions and it appears to me that the whole 'carbon offsetting’ industry is wide open to scams and fraud anyway.

“I’ve written to the party chairman outlining my grave concerns and await her reply with interest”. (Telegraph 25/4/08)

It's good to see there are some real Tories left. Cameron & Zac Goldsmith will not be able to hold out with this hypocrisy for very long. All real Tories should refuse to pay it and they will see their support grow.
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I can recommend a book by George Walden (ex Education Minister in the Thatcher Govt) called "Time to Emigrate?" It is written in the form of a letter to his son and daughter-in-law who are thinking of moving. But where to go??

To give you a flavour of what it contains. He speaks to Blair about sending his children to the London Oratory instead of a local school in Islington. Blair said he was not going to impose political correctness on his kids. Cameron is now playing similar games. "It's hardly an encouraging sign for the future to think that, when it comes to education, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition are a couple of condescending phonies."

"There's something curiously immature about Cameron and his boys - Osborne, Letwin et al. In the first generation of Tory leaders to have lived a life of unremitting ease, perhaps it's not surprising that they appear less than grown-up. Now and again they try to put on grave faces but you get the impression that, for them, running Her Majesty's Opposition is a bit of a wheeze".

It's a witty analysis of what Britain is like today.
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Originally Posted by Bluemerle:
"There's something curiously immature about Cameron and his boys - Osborne, Letwin et al. In the first generation of Tory leaders to have lived a life of unremitting ease, perhaps it's not surprising that they appear less than grown-up. Now and again they try to put on grave faces but you get the impression that, for them, running Her Majesty's Opposition is a bit of a wheeze".

Unfortunately I think you're right! Does anyone on this forum know, how many, or if any, of today's Tory Ministers ever did a stint in the armed services, or run their own business before entering Parliament?
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kernow, There are no Tory ministers, only wannabes!
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...unless you mean the present 'Tory' government where the answer is of course 'none'.
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Originally Posted by Aardvark:
kernow, There are no Tory ministers, only wannabes!

Sorry, I meant Shadow Cabinet!
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