Blue Skies

It is getting to that stage in the Exec's life when people are expecting to see results.

Three months in and our members are perhaps getting restless. More likely than not they are so divorced from CF that the inner workings of the NME are irrelevant - perhaps they're right.

But it shouldn't be like this. A National Exec has a duty to ALL its members and we are no different, but how to go about changing CF for the better?

The answer (thanks to Ranil) may be to do less.

At the moment there is an all-consuming desire to put things on paper, to form an imaginary tick-list that proves how hard we are working- this is the wrong approach. Hard work is a given (at least amongst this year's exec), but all that effort needs to be concentrated where it will do most good.

In two year's time no-one will care when we went for drinks at a posh bar, or met an MP. Even directly useful work like getting Fresher's Fair packs ready is a short-term goal. What should define the success of this exec should be its legacy. How can a group of eight people change the way the organisation works for the better?

Ranil got it right - focus on the regions.

Building up the party structure, recruiting and training members will do more lasting good than working flat out to deliver 20 events. The NME must develop the organisation so that when our term expires we leave behind a healthier CF with a clear idea of where it is going.

(Your comments welcome - AndrewYoung@conservativefuture.com)