For the Record: CF TV - almost Live

I managed to get Jesse Norman for an event next Tuesday 15th August @7pm.

Jesse is one of the key thinkers behind the Cameron revolution and is best known for his work at the Policy Exchange. Recently, his book 'Compassionate Conservatism' has caused quite a stir and he'll be taking questions from everyone. Admission is free.

CF TV will be putting questions to him and YOU are invited to have your say. Check out the site.

This will also be our first attempt at a 'virtual event'. To solve the long-standing problem of getting good speakers out beyond the M25, we are recording the event and will be posting it on CF TV. This is hopefully a long-term improvement to our communications strategy, and, technology problems permitting, we hope to do a lot more of these events.

CF Net

(To be launched soon)

To fill the gap left in our commmunications strategy I formed a team of IT volunteers who produced a national network of regional sites and who now moderate them. The sites are based on blog software as we have no funding and they are designed to be used by non-technical people.

The moderators take care of the upkeep of the site, posting national news and dealing with any requests to advertise events. In addition the moderators provide technical assistance in setting up new branches.

CF TV on the elections

Last Friday CF TV converged on Victoria street to shoot its first set of films. The first of them, on the subject of the CF Elections is available now - Click here (MP4 format)

CF TV is still at that early stage where we are learning lessons about how to get the best product from the limited resources we have (the ENTIRE project is run for FREE using the efforts of CF members and with no support from CCHQ).

CF TV is a project with a lot of potential for communication with our members and the public. It shows what can be achieved when members are brought together, trained and set to work according to a detailed plan.

The CF TV team, like the copywriters team and the soon-to-be-announced CF Net team, are my proudest accomplishments. Their hard work, shows what can be achieved when CF works smartly. If given the chance I hope to be able to do them justice, by taking the lessons learnt and applying them to a strategy of Regionalisation.

To do this I need YOUR help. I realise that many of you may have signed up for one of the two campaigns three months ago, but rather than campaigning, I've been working to deliver these permanent changes to CF.

CF needs change, will you change your vote?

For the Record: CF TV

I had a good run of success with the Conservative Future.com Copywriters team, and when I was elected onto the NME I was given the e-Campaigning portfolio.

After a few unsuccessful tries to improve the website - I had drawn up a list of 42 items to be fixed, only 2 eventually were - it became clear that Central Office were not willing or able to offer us any IT support.

I also knew from researching what was likely to happen with broadband internet - we can expect a steady shift towards online activism as more and more people get online.

On this basis, with no support and a looming gap in our ability to engage our members, I launched CF TV - a multimedia site run by our members. The idea was slow to get off the ground as it is disporportionately labour intensive, but the formula for CF TV matched that of CF.com - recruit a large group of volunteers with relevant skills and organise them in a system that allows each to contribute a little to achieve a lot.

Today CF TV is starting to find it's feet. We have recently finished our first batch of filming and the weekly radio show, though only four weeks old, is improving week on week. Eventually, we hope to have a dynamic media team, that helps in our outreach to an increasingly media savvy generation.

Though filming is currently limited to London, it really is a national effort. Our scriptwriters can email in their scripts, editing is done via email in different parts of the country and best of all, anyone in the world can tune in.

Not bad for something we got totally for free.

Importantly, like the Copywriters and CF Net teams, CF TV is designed eventually to be self-sustaining. All these projects are not dependent solely on me once they are set up, this means all the hard work is not for short term goals (like the events this year), but rather for long term aims.

Caroline was kind enough to give CF TV a plug on her campaign blog, (she still appears with me on the weekly CF Radio show). However, if I'm going to persuade people, whom she and Mark have nabbed months ago, to switch their votes, I have to point out that my one year on the exec has yielded quite a few permanent changes, including big successes like CF TV.

Caroline has had two years - including one as Deputy Chairman, and I think I can match up to anything she can claim as her record.

If I stand a chance of winning this election it will be based on my record, I am happy to measure what I have done for CF against any other candidate.

For the Record:ConservativeFuture.com

I loved the opportunity to write for CF's website - http://www.conservativefuture.com/. The Copywriters teams are a great way to involve members - after all you don't have to live in London to contribute to CF's flagship source of information.

When Richard Jackson and I were approached about running two teams of writers for the site, I thought it was a great idea and we both set about trying to deliver a massive amount of material (10 articles per week, up from 2 per month).

I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out a system that would work to produce the least work per person, but the greatest results.

Today, the Copywriters teams encompass nearly 50 people (70 on an informal basis). They are all ages and from all backgrounds. 29 year old academics, mix with students who have just finished their GCSEs. Many writers would not otherwise be involved in CF. They receive training at our writing workshops, which we are soon to open to the senior party. (CF.com alumni include ConservativeHome's Sam Coates, Exec member Claire Palmer, and North Southwark and Bermondsey Chairman Martin Cakebread)

Importantly, I no longer manage the teams on a day-to-day basis. Writers who have worked their way through the ranks now run their own teams. For specific projects, eg campaigns and scripts for CF TV I will give them some input, but they are in charge and thriving in the role.

The Copywriter Team's success was my inspiration in standing for the NME last year, I thought that if we could introduce those clear systems of working, the potential of our members would be huge. I'll talk later about CF TV and CF Net, but needless to say the possibilities are there for greater participation by ordinary members to make our organisation much better.

ConservativeFuture.com will soon be revamped according to the plan I have helped to draw up. In addition the presence of our new internet tools (CF TV and CF Net) will increase the ability of CF to communicate with both the public and its own members (communication between centre and regions is frighteningly bad).

If I stand a chance of winning this election it will be based on my record, I am happy to measure what I have done for CF against any other candidate.

For the Record: In the post

This morning whilst doing the post I saw the Conservative Future Information Pack. This is sent out to MPs, Assembly Members, Council Leaders, ACs etc. and contains a mini library of guides to each aspect of running a CF branch.

It marks the culmination of a year's experience and the fulfillment of my pledge to provide an e-library of advice (all booklets can be emailed to members on request). This is a decent start but imagine had we been focussed on this sort of support work from the start rather than trying to run a quasi-branch that specialised in events?

UPDATE: The Information Pack will now be featured in all Fresher's Packs. If you are a student chairman, expect to see what I've done arriving in time for the start of term in the post...

The Change Agenda: Blue skies thinking

My part of the election will focus relentlessly on the need for change in Conservative Future.

This is not a minor change, tinkering round the edges or for cosmetic effect. This is a root to branch transformation of how we work in CF.

The massive potential of CF is staggering. Five months ago when I conceived the idea for CF TV, I thought we might get some media students and a camcorder and try and make some short clips of middling to poor quality.

When I put out the ads, as with CF Net and CF.com I wasn't sure what we would see back - BUT every time I am amazed at the volume and quality of applicants.Professionals, students - all immensely talented and hungry to start getting involved. Regardless of their age or background, they wanted to start having their say in the party.

This is the amazing secret about CF, we are a diverse group that cares more passionately than most about the future of this great party - I care about turning it around and so far have had some success in uniting wildly different members in working towards a common goal.

This campaign has a lot of catching up to do, but if you are fed up of the status quo I could do with your help. Email me