I've moved for the rest of the Rock4CF Campaign!

This site will remain static for the next six weeks or so, as I concentrate on the final stretch of my campaign to become National Chairman of Conservative Future.



The improved Rock4CF campaign site, is now live. It's been a while since we launched the first version, we wanted to pack in as many new things as possible for a special re-launch, as well as line up a programme of updates, extensions and features, providing more interesting and flexible ways for you to communicate with me, follow my campaign and read up on what I stand for and why I want to be CF National Chairman.

You should now find it easier to navigate, with the addition of tags for blog posts and divided sections for the Manifesto and upcoming Business Plan. Any comment, feel free to leave a comment on this post or contact me at michael@rock4cf.com.

Please explore the new site, the headline features are a full blog (and obligatory RSS feed), Campaign Trail Map and a new, improved, page providing nice, easy, copy-and-paste code to embed support badges in your website!

Shortly, I will launch my Business Plan, laying out in detail how I plan to implement the theories and concepts illustrated in my Manifesto of Principles. The plan will go up in its entirety, but I will be highlighting a section per day, to give as much scope as possible for comment and discussion.

Onwards and upwards!

Michael

¡Peru Libre!

I'm spending Christmas and New Year in Peru, visitng family and taking my 'summer' holiday. I'm staying in the family house in Arequipa, which is a fantastic city. I should think most people who have visited Peru have been here as it is the second city and a beautiful place.

The Plaza de Armas is stunning, with the cathedral set against the backdrop of Mt Misti. It's somewhat different from my little town in Herts! I've spent nearly three months here over the past nine years, including getting married here, so feel a real affintiy to it; there is a phrase used in Arequipa, 'Mi Tierra Segunda', which tranlsates, roughly, as my second home and is very apt. If you do plan any trips to Peru, you should definitely visit!

Hope you all have a Happy New Year, wherever you are!

Slogan Competition - only a few days left!

Back in November I launched a competition to come up with a slogan for my campaign - "Come up with a slogan that Rocks!"

Well lots of ideas were sent in and I am now going through and picking the ones I like. I plan to use 5 of the slogans below during the campaign. It is not too late to have yours chosen. You have a few days left to submit your slogan ideas before the 5 'winners' will be announced at the start of 2008!

Visit the Facebook group to submit them, or email them to michael@michaeldavidrock.com

Happy New Year!

Michael David Rock
Candidate for CF National Chairman

Merry Christmas

To all CF members

2007 was a good year for the Conservatives and Conservative Future: I hope 2008 is even better!

I'm visiting family in Peru for Christmas this year and will be away until the middle of January. I would like to thank you all for the support and interest in my campaign and look forward to meeting you all in the coming months. The publication of my 'Manifesto of Principles' has been exceptionally well received and I am looking forward to presenting my 'Business Plan' in January, hopefully to an even better reception!

I hope you enjoy the festive season, have a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2008.

All the very best wishes,

Michael David Rock
Candidate for CF National Chairman

http://www.rock4cf.com/

Free CF Branch Websites: http://rock.cfbranch.com/

Rock4CF Campaign Site: http://www.rock4cf.com/

Manifesto Of Principles: http://www.rock4cf.com/mop/

Manifesto Download: http://www.rock4cf.com/mop/Michael_David_Rock_MOP.pdf

Rock4CF Campaign Launch

I have now launched my 'Manifesto of Principles' and my official campaign to be the next National Chairman of Conservative Future. The campaign site is Rock4CF.com, where you can browse the manifesto or download the PDF version.

I make no apologies that my Manifesto of Principles is an expansive document. In it I share my views on Conservative Future, where I feel the organisation is now and where it should be going. On the discussion boards in my Facebook group you can comment, and ask questions, about my Manifesto of Principles.

I hope that this document brings a different perspective to this election: I believe an open, fair and lengthy debate will strengthen CF and put our organisation in good stead for the future. I hope it provides some food for thought. My business plan, which will be published in January, will set out, in detail, exactly how and when I expect to implement these solutions.

I genuinely want people to enjoy their membership of CF and, in particular, this election campaign. I want people to join CF because they want to spend time with like-minded people, at enjoyable events and I want everyone to associate us with the positive, progressive aspects of politics. Let's not add to the disillusion that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society: let's focus on getting young people engaged at all stages of the political process!

We need to change CF. Not just the brand but the size, the range of personalities, views and aspirations. We used to be a significant political force; I believe we can be again. The Conservative Party is on the up, this Labour Government is ripe for a beating. I'm frustrated that we are not further ahead in the polls, that we don't have more members and we are not reaching out to a much wider audience. CF can help change the political landscape.

I am running for National Chair of Conservative Future because I believe the Conservative Party can form the next Government and I know CF can play an influential role in the next General Election. I believe the Conservative Party is the only party that can address the challenges our country face and I know CF can help in that process. Finally, I believe I am the best candidate to lead CF through the necessary changes and I know we can make CF bigger, bolder and better.

Michael David Rock
Candidate for CF National Chairman

rock4cf.com
michael@rock4cf.com

Hereford Campaigning

I went over to Hereford for the day to do some canvassing for Jesse Norman, who is the constituency's PPC. We were also gathering signatures for a petition to keep local Post Offices open, which was a popular cause and something that resonates well on the door step (even if you no idea where the nearest Post Office is!)

I missed out on the curry and drinks at night but have been assured that it was a splendid evening!

YBF Drinks

I like the concept of the Young Briton's Foundation and am pleased to see how well 'Comrade' Blaney has done over the last year! (If you don't know Donal, he's little bit to the right of centre!)

2007 has been a great year for them and to celebrate, Donal invited all the attendees of this year's YBF Conference for mince pies and mulled wine. I hate mince pies, btw, revolting things, and mulled wine isn't much better :P

But it was a very jolly evening and the East India is not too shabby a venue at all. It was almost enough to get me in the Christmas spirit...

Free CF Branch Website - from the Rock4CF Campaign

To CF Area & University and Branch Chairman,

Free CF Branch Website - from the Rock4CF Campaign

www.rock.cfbranch.com

I am a candidate to become the next National Chairman of Conservative Future. I take the view of our Party – we can currently run social action projects, events and campaigns because these are methods that can stimulate interest in what we are doing, even whilst in Opposition. The same goes for the CF elections - I want CF to be bigger, better and bolder but we need to stimulate interest in our organisation. As a further commitment to getting all members involved in the organisation, I want to make sure the election campaigns of all candidates is given exposure to as many members as possible.

An organisation's website is often its first referral point so it needs to be attractive and efficient to stimulate interest. To build and sustain a branch, members and potential members need to aware of news, events and developments within their locality: one of the main drivers for successful Conservative Future branches is communication. As Facebook has become such a success, it is even easier for the Chairman/President to get in touch with his/her members but Facebook is not enough by itself: we need to develop an independent online presence. Therefore, I am launching this offer to setup a free CF website for each and every branch that wants one, needs one or fancies a new design.

CF needs to become a much more professional organisation and the starting point for that is to ensure that every branch has effective communication methods in place. This is why I have already been working with MiLon Hosting who have setup CFBranch.com. They offer free website hosting to all University CF branches and are working with me to set up websites for any branch that wants one. Through this deal, the Rock campaign will setup a website for any branch - not just the Universities. A couple of working examples are Hereford.cfbranch.com
and Tooting.cfbranch.com

Get in touch with me (cfbranch@michaeldavidrock.com) and I will set up a website for your branch plus a Facebook presence if you want it. All the coding and technical stuff will be done for you so can focus on the message that matters in your area: once completed you will receive a link to your new website, plus instructions on how to run it! I ask that you pass this offer onto any branch you know or represent.

Thank you and lets work together to make CF bigger, bolder and better!

Michael David Rock
Candidate for CF National Chairman

CFBranch email : cfbranch@michaeldavidrock.com
rock.cfbranch.com

Personal email: michael@michaeldavidrock.com

www.michaeldavidrock.com

An English National Anthem

I joined anthem4england many moons ago as I think England should have its own national anthem, with my personal preference being Jerusalem. Some fine fellows have lodge a petition:

Anthem - epetition reply

16 November 2007

We received a petition asking:

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to initiate a Parliamentary debate on the adoption of a national anthem for England that is distinct from the British national anthem."

Details of Petition:

"The British anthem - God Save the Queen - should not be sung by the English as an English anthem. It is disrespectful to England, Scotland and Wales to conflate England with Britain in this way; for England is a nation every bit as much as Scotland and Wales, and those Scots and Welsh that still consider themselves British are now obliged to boo their own anthem for fear of being regarded as traitors by an increasingly nationalistic tendency. http://anthem4england.co.uk/."

* Read the petition
* Petitions home page

Read the Government's response

There are currently no plans to introduce an official English anthem, but the Government recognises that the constituent parts of the United Kingdom may quite properly have national songs for which they have a particular attachment. However, the choice of anthem at sporting events is entirely a matter for the sport concerned. The English Cricket Board, for instance, made the decision to play 'Jerusalem' when the team took the field. Any such suggestions are best addressed to the relevant sport's governing body.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the response is a cop-out. Alfie is on the case however...

I am proud to be British, I'm a Unionist, a Monarchist but I'm also English. I'm a fan of 'God Save the Queen' but it should be cherished as the UK's national anthem, perhaps then there might be a strengthening of bonds between our increasingly dis-united Kingdom.

TPA Press Release, Council Spending Uncovered #1: Publicity

COUNCIL SPENDING UNCOVERED NO.1: PUBLICITY

* NEW SERIES TO REVEAL HOW COUNCILS REALLY SPEND THEIR MONEY
* AVERAGE PUBLICITY SPENDING DOUBLED TO £1 MILLION SINCE 1997

* TOTAL TOWN HALL PUBLICITY BILL £450 MILLION A YEAR

With council tax bills having doubled over the last ten years, the TaxPayers' Alliance has launched a new series to review expenditure by local authorities in all corners of the UK and highlight areas of spending that could and should be reduced.

The Council Spending Uncovered series challenges the claim that Town Halls are short of money by publishing figures that will allow council taxpayers to decide for themselves whether their local authority is spending their money wisely. These figures have never previously been compiled in one place because the TPA is the first non-government body to have collected the accounts for all 450-plus councils.

The first paper in the Council Spending Uncovered series examines the increase in town hall spending on publicity over the last decade, which is itemised in the annual accounts of all councils.

Key findings

• The average local authority spends almost £1 million (£985,000) on publicity.
• The average local authority is spending double the amount on publicity than it did in 1996-97:
  • Without taking account of inflation the average local authority spent £430,000 on publicity ten years ago. The average spend today is a 130 per cent increase on that 1996-97 figure.
  • In today's prices the average local authority spent £550,000 on publicity in 1996-97. The average spend today is an 80 per cent increase in real terms on a decade ago.
• The total local authority publicity bill is £450 million.
• There is one local authority, Birmingham City Council, that spends more than £10 million on publicity.
• There are 8 local authorities spending more than £5 million on publicity.
• There are 73 local authorities spending more than £2 million on publicity.
• There are 141 local authorities spending more than £1 million on publicity.
• The total spend on publicity is not broken down in a uniform way in the various local authority accounts. It is possible, however, to identify 44 councils that spend at least £1 million and 4 councils spending at least £2 million on staff recruitment advertising - despite the increased use of websites. If all local authority accounts provided a full breakdown of publicity spending, the number of councils spending at least £1 million on staff advertising would almost certainly increase.
• The doubling of average publicity spending per local authority in the last decade is extremely disappointing. There are, however, a number of councils that are actually spending less on publicity than ten years ago. For example:
  • Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council spent £669,000 on publicity in 2006-07, down 11 per cent from the £751,000 spent in 1996-97.
  • In 2005-06, however, the council spent £1,030,000 on publicity, meaning that the 1-year fall in spending was 35 per cent.
  • If Hammersmith and Fulham can reduce publicity spending by 35 per cent in one year (in part by allowing advertising by local businesses in council publications) make other efficiency savings and reduce council tax by 3 per cent, then it must be possible for other councils to follow suit.

Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:

"It's important for council taxpayers to see just how their hard-earned money is being spent by town halls. With council tax doubling in the past decade, it's extremely disappointing that councils have chosen to double their publicity budgets over the same period. With the internet cutting the cost of communication, it shouldn't be difficult for local authorities to find savings in this area and bring council tax down."

To discuss the research, please contact:

Corin Taylor, Research Director, on 07866 141110 or 0845 330 9554 (corin.taylor@taxpayersalliance.com)

Matthew Sinclair, Policy Analyst, on 07771 990174 or 0845 330 9554 (matthew.sinclair@taxpayersalliance.com)

Anyone from the Three Rivers area (Rickmansworth and Watford) who wants to get involved with the TPA, please email tpa@michaeldavidrock.com

Pre-emptive Resistance

I need to add nothing but my support to the following passage from NO2ID:

"The government thinks it is being clever. It will be registering people on the ID cards database when they apply for a passport or other official documents. You may have heard that the ID card is "voluntary", but once your details are entered onto the 'National Identity Register' database they are there for life.

It is not just about a card. Once the details of your life are captured the government will be sharing them with and between an ever growing list of agencies and building an ever more detailed picture of your life. The HMRC disaster with child benefit records has shown just how dangerous that can be.

Millions of people now know that having their identity "managed" by the government is a bad idea. In just four weeks in 2005, more than 10,000 people pledged online to refuse to register for an ID card. You may have seen public figures declaring that they will go to prison rather than be registered.

The NO2ID Pledge is your opportunity to make a personal and public declaration that you will refuse to comply with government control of your identity. Keeping this promise means you avoid registration on the National Identity Register. It is a serious commitment. Though at the moment there is little to resist, the government is going to try and make life gradually more inconvenient if you don't comply "willingly". But with tens of thousands of others making the same declaration, life could get pretty inconvenient for the government too.

It is currently perfectly lawful to declare that you will not comply with the ID scheme. It is possible that refusal could be made a crime, but the government has shied away from that so far. If enough people say no, it will be impossible. There would not be enough courts to prosecute 100,000 resisters, let alone millions. Together, now, we can build a wedge of opposition that will jam the wheels of the ID scheme, and protect the personal privacy of everyone in the country.

The more people who commit themselves to resist, the more effective it is. Say no to ID and it becomes more difficult to put pressure on you and everyone else. Get your friends to pledge too, and everyone protects one another. If you say no, then ID cards will fail."


Download your certificate here.

Campaigning with Mary Macleod

Mary Macleod, PPC for Brentford and Isleworth held a campaigning day across her constituency on Saturday. We were blessed with clear skies until around half four and a fine spread of food!

The group of local MP's PPC's ,including Justine Greening, are all agreed on a strategy to oppose the expansion of Heathrow. In Mary's words:

"My personal view is very simple. I am a business woman so I am certainly not against business growth and expansion. The problem here, is that future expansion at Heathrow Airport will affect the lives of thousands of residents and have huge implications on the environment and the quality of life of the local community"

Having been there for just a day, it did strike me how noisy and constant the planes were. One resident commented on the dichotomy the expansion presents: she herself had benefitted from BA shares and the employment opportunities Heathrow provides but she was frustrated at the constant level of noise generated by the overhead flightpath.

It is issues such as these that reinforce my belief that the winning elections is all about local issues, which is why it is so important to re-build and expand CF at a local level.

Essex University Social Event

I had the pleasure of a trip to Colchester for an evening with Essex University's Conservative Society. The night was notionally themed 'Best of British' with Michael Champion, a Councillor in Rushcliffe and active Tory, giving a speech on British History and why he was a 'young' Conservative, which he described as being intrinsically linked.

I know Mr Champion from Conservative social events and we are both proud patriots and Monarchists: I am helping in a small capacity to promote his charity event to celebrate 300 years of the British Empire next May. I'll post more details in the coming weeks.

It was good to see a thriving, engaged branch and I was pleased to hear that my vision for CF is shared by so many involved with the wider CF movement.

Douglas Carswell & UCL Libertarians

I missed the NW London drinks night as I had 'one of those days' at work and only managed to get to the UCL Libertarians' event with Doug Carswell.

I am very much a Classic Liberal/ Libertarian Tory and believe the political battle for our generation will be over issues of freedom, liberty and privacy, which are all intrinsically linked.

The fiasco regarding the negligent loss of data proves how dangerous a large, pervasive database state can be. We are heading into a true information age yet have a Government and administration that is clueless when it comes to protecting our privacy.

By reducing the influence of the state, as we Conservatives should instinctively encourage, I believe we will deliver a more prosperous, affluent and happier society.

Brown is Dead and Buried

Brown is right in the, err, brown stuff. Vince Cable's great quip about Brown's transformation from 'Stalin to Mr Bean' is the stuff of political legend! Fantastic!



I've suffered over 10 years of my adult life under a Labour Government and I have never seem them so weak, disillusioned and in such rapid freefall. It is quite a pleasant experience!

Brown is genuinely not up to the job, in terms of methodology, presentation or vision. For all of Blair's weaknesses, and there were many, he could never be accused of being a poor politician. In fact, Blair's greatest weakness was that he was too good a politician.

No-one will ever accuse the Mr Bean Brown of that.