Martin Vander Weyer’s Any Other Business
Having spent more hours than I care to remember chairing voluntary committees of all shapes and sizes, I am firmly of the view that generous benefactors do not necessarily make good board members.
By all means butter up the moneybags, offer them naming rights on the new toilet block, whatever it takes to make them feel suitably appreciated. But remember that those who write cheques freely
usually give strong opinions with them — and expect to be listened to. So it’s best to maintain a courteous arm’s length, and to give the job of treasurer in particular not to the
richest supporter but to the quiet retired bank manager with the sharpest pencil.
Strangely, the Conservative party has never sought my advice on this issue. But the parting volley of criticism of David Cameron’s election campaign from Lord Ashcroft, the megabucks donor
who is stepping down as deputy chairman (having been treasurer from 1998 to 2001), ought to give the men in grey suits pause for thought — coming as it does after their latest nominee for
treasurer, former tax exile David ‘Spotty’ Rowland, had to pull out before he had even found his desk, apparently in response to negative vibes from elsewhere in the party.
The rollcall of recent Tory treasurers, most of them elevated to the peerage for their efforts, would make a colourful entry in any ‘fantasy boardroom’ competition. Imagine the noise
level if you put this lot together: bon viveur Alistair McAlpine, who defected to the Referendum party and now runs a bed-and-breakfast in Italy; Dixons tycoon Stanley Kalms, who went on to urge
voters to back Ukip; carpet salesman turned academy funder Philip Harris; insurance broker and Hunter wellies entrepreneur Jonathan Marland; hard-dealing City money broker Michael Spencer; and the
incumbent Stanley Fink, so-called ‘Godfather of hedge funds’, who had to stay on after Rowland’s withdrawal.
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in