Sonia Jordan catches up with William Hague MP at the launch of the Conservatives’ Future Campaign in Durham…
the issues: going green? | Conservative students | politics in the Durham ‘bubble’

The City of Durham Conservative Future Campaign was launched last Thursday by former leader of the Conservative party, and current shadow foreign secretary, the Rt. Hon. William Hague MP. Aimed at inviting young Conservatives to run in the local council elections, the event allowed members of Durham University Conservative Association (DUCA) and other prospective local councillors to meet and converse with Mr Hague.

Held in the luxuriously decorated, if somewhat overly floral, Ramside Hall Hotel, the event was initially slow to gather guests; mostly attributable to the hotel’s location outside of Durham, and the Conservative’s decision to hold the event on the penultimate day of term. However, as time drew closer to Hague’s arrival, the room became occupied with members of the DUCA, local Conservative supporters, and the regional press. Within minutes of his arrival Mr Hague was circling the room, spending time speaking with small groups of students, as opposed to addressing the guests in a speech. Sophie Hunt, an active member of DUCA asserted that “[This decision] allowed William to meet all the DUCA enthusiasts on a very personal and interactive level.”

The issues: going green?

The Conservative’s chances of winning the next general election; the importance of running for local Conservative councillor (even in typically left-leaning areas); and the severity of environmental issues, were amongst the topics that Mr Hague discussed. Whilst nationally, the Labour party and the Conservatives battled it out last week in a fight to win the green vote, Mr Hague emphasised the importance of environmental policies on a local level: “The Conservative’s ‘Vote Blue, Go Green’ campaign does not only apply to national policies, but is also designed to target environmental issues within the villages, towns and counties where we live.” The shadow foreign secretary went on to assert that Conservative constituencies benefit from a more efficient recycling and waste disposal system, and as a result, are significantly cleaner than Labour or Lib Dem areas.

Whilst Hague’s assertions were convincing on a local level, the recent criticism over the Conservative’s arguably impractical approach to national environmental policies, calls into question whether Hague’s emphasis on the ‘local’ will be enough to persuade the environmentally conscious electorate to vote for the Conservative party. Whilst Blair, Brown and Miliband joined together last Tuesday to present the draft Climate Change Bill, which promises to make Britain the first country in the world to establish legally binding restrictions on its carbon emissions, the Conservative’s plan to increase the price of flying may be considered, by contrast, rather tokenistic, considering British flights account for less than 0.1% of global CO2 emissions.

Conservative students
However, there was not even a hint of criticism for Hague or the Conservative party at last Thursday’s event. This is unsurprising; support for the Conservative party amongst young Durham students is astounding. The DUCA boasts a total membership of more than its Labour and Lib Deb counterparts put together, with approximately 400 members currently. For local inhabitants, however, the case is quite the opposite. With 26 Labour councillors in County Durham to the Conservatives’ 2, Conservatism is practically obsolete outside of the University ‘bubble’. It is precisely for this reason that Hague agreed to launch the 2007 City of Durham Conservative Future Campaign. In encouraging both students and local inhabitants to stand for the Conservatives in the local council elections, Hague believes he is ensuring a “democratic right”: that is, the option to support, stand, and vote for the Conservatives in Durham and the surrounding area.

In particular, Hague welcomed representatives from DUCA to stand; ideal candidates to represent the new ‘younger’ image of the Conservative party. When questioned as to the importance of young people in politics, Hague replied: “I don’t see it necessarily as a question of attracting any group in particular, for me, it is important to encourage people to vote from all ages. That said, the low participation of young people in recent years is indeed worrying, the youth ensure the democratic health of the party, they are the Prime Ministers of the future. It is vital that the youth immerse and involve themselves in the world of politics.” It is no surprise that Hague is attempting to recruit young members of the Conservative party to run in these elections; since Cameron’s inauguration as leader of the party in December 2005, and the birth of a ‘younger’ and more modernising Conservative party, their popularity has soared, currently standing at 40%, 11 points ahead of Labour (ICM).

This popularity is not solely attributable to a charismatic, youthful leader, but, as Hague pointed out, “This ‘youth’ is also reflected in the Conservative’s new proposals; a move away from traditional policies aimed at the family to those focusing on the environment, the NHS and other public sectors. These are tough choices, and illustrate the modernising nature of our party.”

Politics and the Durham ‘bubble’
With regards more specifically to Durham, and the seeming lack of student activism in our little university town, Hague was quick to point out that: “People have the tendency of assuming that political activity is only seen through protest. I believe that one can be active without protesting. Surely standing for election is another form of activism? In many ways, running for local councillor is the best education a student can get. It connects the student with life outside of university. In reality, university life can be very insular.” A fact that most students, living in the Durham ‘bubble’, would surely agree with?

With both Lord Tolstoy and the Rt. Hon. William Hague visiting our quaint little Cathedral town in the same the same week, it seems that Durham may become a hive of political activity. President of the DUCA, Ben Howlett commented on the event: “My first intention upon my election was to make the Conservative party realise that Durham actually exists. In the past we felt that the Conservative party has ignored us somewhat. Today, however, Durham has made its mark.”

Sonia Jordan