CHLOE SMITH MP - THE RISE AND RISE OF THE POLITICAL CAREERISTS
The interesting thing about the massive win for the Conservative Party in the Norwich by-election, is the nature of the victorious Tory candidate.
She is a 27 year old woman who has essentially worked up until now mainly for the Conservative Party.
The BBC explains that she has been on secondment to the Conservative Party’s central office - she describes her work there as bringing her business skills to help the party “draw up detailed plans to put our policies into practice”.
What a sad day when the party that used to be filled to the gunnels with the captains of British industry needs to turn to the “business skills” of someone with just a few months experience in a management consultancy behind them to draw up their detailed policy plans.
And in a by-election overshadowed by the MPs’ expenses row, her Lib Dem rivals accused her of playing down her links with Tory frontbencher James Clappison, who paid back £3,100 claimed for gardening. The official register of MPs’ interests lists her as one of his staff.
She has also had Westminster connections for some time - saying on her website she “got into politics when I left school” by working, in her Gap year, for Gillian Shephard, the former Conservative education secretary whom she describes as a “real mentor”. She also worked for former Conservative vice chairman Bernard Jenkin.
There is a new category of hapless career politician, with negligible skills, and no ideology, who simply see it as a good job, very well paid considering their meagre talents and lack of experience. They gravitate towards which ever party seems most likely to get them elected, and parrot whatever the on-message sound-bites they are given to say.
The Tories are not alone, the same breed infest the Labour Party as well.
This thread could be titled “Green Party bye-election loss” just to counterbalance the other one about Brighton.
Despite the hype the Green vote was derisory.
Despite what Cameron is claiming, there was nothing particularly “historic” about them winning in Norwich.
The only reason they did, was because the idiotic Brown and his cronies at Central Office forced Ian Gibson to resign the seat against the wishes of the local Labour Party.
The biographical details of the Tory candidate are a secondary issue. This was a New Labour own goal.
Comment by prianikoff — 24 July, 2009 @ 4:46 pm
If this is a taster of how people will vote in the general election i don’t think we need to worry to much about the bnp
Comment by simon — 24 July, 2009 @ 5:35 pm
Bloody hell you lot are unbelievable!
Comment by Frank — 24 July, 2009 @ 6:29 pm
What did the Greens get? 9%? That’s not derisory surely.
Comment by Martin Wicks — 24 July, 2009 @ 6:29 pm
Absolutely correct martin, the Greens got 9%, and their vote was in the same ball park as UKIP and even Labour. I highly creditable result, especially as the Green candidate was a chap vulnerable to the mud-slinging by the Lib Dems that he was an extremist.
Comment by Andy Newman — 24 July, 2009 @ 6:56 pm
I am a bit suprised by her name as well.
If it was Chloë then it would be a standard name and pronounced Cloh - ee
But spelt Chloe, I assume it should rhyme with shoe ?? and be pronounced “clue”. It is definitely odd.
Either that or the Tories have selected someone whose parents didn’t know how to spell her name when they registered her.
Honestly, when even the Tory Party cannot be relied upon to maintain basic standards, they will be wearing brown shoes with a blue suit next.
:o)
Comment by Andy Newman — 24 July, 2009 @ 7:03 pm
I took a couple of days AL to help out the Greens in the by-election and they ran quite a good campaign. They almost gained 10% of the vote and more than 3,000 votes. This is the highest ever by-election vote for the Greens. It must be remembered that Norwich North is not the seat they have been targeting -this is Norwich South where they are likely to do much better.
Comment by Nick Long — 24 July, 2009 @ 8:34 pm
“She is a 27 year old woman who has essentially worked up until now mainly for the Conservative Party. The BBC explains that she has been on secondment to the Conservative Party’s central office.”
Let’s be clearer about this. Throughout the campaign she ran claiming to be a management consultant employed by Deloitte Touche. Which she is. What she didn’t mention was that she was paid by Deloitte and seconded into Tory Central Office.
This is someone being lauded *right now* on Newsnight by some chinless Tory twat for running such an honest campaign.
We all know why Deloitte are making this kind of investment in the Tories right now. That is the real scandal, and it is incredible that there is anybody in this country prepared to believe that they will get the kind of change we need from the bloody Cameronistas.
Comment by Strategist — 24 July, 2009 @ 10:49 pm
Why are people surprised by this? This shit has been going on for decades, and isn’t soemthing that has suddenly crept up on us in the last ten years.
Neil Kinnock was a classic example. Student politico . . . . couple years lecturing for the WEA so it would look good on his CV . . . and into Parliament by his late twenties.
She’s the most recent in a very long inglorious line.
Comment by Darren — 25 July, 2009 @ 1:52 am
Anybody out there interested in what the candidates actually looked and sounded like, might be interested in this clip at http://www.putanhonestman.org/index.php
The Craig Murray campaign managed to get the evidence that their chap was the clearest speaker and best debater up on the web about an hour before the polls closed. Ho-hum… Anyway, what use are those skills in today’s House of Commons?
It was a scandal that the University & College Union excluded Craig Murray from their own hustings event, despite the support he had given to UCU members under attack at Dundee in his role as Rector there. As a bureaucratic organisation they don’t deserve to be quickly forgiven.
Comment by Strategist — 25 July, 2009 @ 2:49 am
Don’t give a toss mate, she’s well fit.
Comment by anon — 25 July, 2009 @ 9:22 am
#11 So it’s true, Tory Students are all wankers.
Curiously enough, Chloe Smith reminds me of Sid Vicious
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/23/26864574_73f661fa12.jpg
Comment by prianikoff — 25 July, 2009 @ 10:52 am
Chloe pushed herself as non politicalal and even oppose cuts etc
how does that sit with tory cuts plans
we have to brace ourselves for a massive attack against public services
and the civil service will be first
iam sure pcs are planning for this as we debate
but undoubtedly them first and a also those on benefit, followed by childcare/early play.
are you getting ready comrades or will you wait for day one of the Tory attacks
our problem is good people are voting to the right as they did across europe in the Euro’s
We have failed to answer in a coherent way how theleft can deal with the crisis (bar ending capitalism and while true is not going to secure more than 5% of the vote)
WE had the bankers/Priate Equity on the run, the G20 we were still moving forward but seem to have lost it)
Comment by Sean — 26 July, 2009 @ 10:07 am
“Curiously enough, Chloe Smith reminds me of Sid Vicious”
Holy crap, you’re right! I was wondering why she looked so strangely familiar…
Comment by ibs — 26 July, 2009 @ 11:25 am
shes also active in conservative friends of israel
and ban rolled by bankers
well done Ian obviously a principled stand
not
Comment by tom — 26 July, 2009 @ 11:46 am
Why does the fact she’s 27 matter?
Comment by LBJ — 27 July, 2009 @ 3:59 pm
#16
The fact that she is 27 only matters in the context that she has spent her entire relatively short adult life working for the Conservative Party.
Comment by Andy Newman — 27 July, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
I really liked your article. Keep up the good work
Comment by Canada flower shops — 24 July, 2010 @ 1:00 pm