Questions for Cash

A bit of Westminster-bubble intrigue has eeked out into the mainstream press it seems with Joanne Cash, Tory PPC for the perfectly winnable Westminster North seat, resigning her position and then being reinstated within 24 hours.

Paul Waugh, as is so often the case, has the inside scoop and it seems the shenanigans boil down to an embarrassing example of David Cameron riding roughshod over ordinary members. It's a fascinating account of old-world Tory vs new-world Tory and one of the many chasms that could pull the party apart with Cameron falling through the middle.

Tweets from Ms Cash after today's shenanigans include the following:

'I did resign. Assoc did not accept. CCHQ has resolved specific issue so I am not leaving. It's official DC has changed the party!!!!!!!! '

Personally, I think anyone who uses 8 exclamation marks shouldn't be allowed within a mile of Westminster, let alone represent the area, but the subtext from Joanne's message is that CCHQ is a stumbling block to change.

So how did Joanne Cash, who has never been a councillor or lived in the area, come to be the PPC? Againwe turn to Paul Waugh:

In a fascinating insight into the way the party selections can work, Ms Cash was first introduced, ever so gently of course, to members of the Westminster North association at the party conference in Bournemouth in 2006.

We've seen it in Labour and the Tories. Indeed I think I even saw it with the former today with this tweet from the Edinburgh Labour Club:

Des Browne ++ THIS THURSDAY++ Come and put your Qs to the Frmr Def & Scot Sec this Thurs Teviot Mdl Reading Rm @6pm

Further clear evidence that Des Browne, former Kilmarnock MP and born in Ayrshire, is being parachuted into Edinburgh as a list MSP.

Indeed, I would pay good money for someone to attend this Q&A with Des and ask him directly 'Will your name be on the Lothians regional list for the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections?' and report back the exact answer.

Parachuting in candidates against the locals' wishes, certainly going by today's evidence, only ever spells bad news in the end.


(viz-a-viz Joanne's eight exclamation marks, Gerald Warner has made the worrying point that Ms Cash studied English Literature at Oxford University. Our futures is in there hands peeple...)