The Daily Mail has published an article about Conservative Future (CF) labeling it "a failed institution", with a clique of just a couple of hundred active members.
The article draws on the fact the Tory youth wing celebrates that it has over 18,000 members yet, "Weirdly (it) appears that only 2,621 ballot papers were sent out at the latest leadership election". This is an undeniable fact that the current Chairman, Ben Howlett, was elected with just 113 votes - And we all know that number is much higher than the year before.
The Mail says CF is dominated by infighting and many right-minded young activists have sought pastures elsewhere at YBF, Liberty League and UKIP. And it so happens a massive chunk of Leeds Conservative Future have defected to UKIP over the summer.
Reporter Alex Singleton goes on to endorse Oliver Cooper as the unifying potential "saviour" type chairman who can save CF from peril. He says Cooper is, "Someone with the gravitas to represent young people's views to the leadership, rather than repeating the leadership's cliched catchphrases". One CF'er commented that "Cooper is a clique of 1, himself..."
The article comes after tbg. reported, earlier this month, that northern CF branches are to bid for positions on the CF National Executive to break the 'London clique' once and for all.
