Letters
Conservative democracy
19 July 2005
Dear Sir
As a Conservative party member, I read with interest the call for grassroots involvement by 10 Conservative MPs. While it seems only fair that members are given a say in choosing their future leaders, they clearly have little say in dismissing them. Having voted for Iain Duncan-Smith in 2001, I found that Tory MPs exercised the right to sack him without consulting party members. Then the party went one better by selecting only one candidate for the succession, which barely merited the endorsement of members. If MPs can dismiss a leader, let them do the selecting too. And let it be on their heads if they make a bad decision.
Yours sincerely
Jeremy Havardi
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