So, it seems that if you want to win a primary contest in the modern Tory party it helps to be a GP. Having selected a local GP in Totnes the Conservatives have selected another local MP in Bracknell. As Liberal Vision’s Mark Littlewood says, Phil Lee may well become an admirable Member of Parliament but, from an ousider’s perspective it does seem a shame that neither of the two high-profile candidates – Iain Dale and Rory Stewart were selected.
Since I’ve complained about excessive control from the centre it may seem churlish to grumble that there are problems with the way that local parties select their candidates too. But there you have it. There are trad-offs everywhere and nothing and no system is perfect. As Littlewood argues:
It strikes me that the key attributes that the three main parties look for in candidates are usually:
1.
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