Every week we highlight the work of a branch or activist. This week's we spotlight Hertfordshire Conservative Future, led by Sonia Chohan.

Here is their latest press release - in a word, superb! 

Brownism's – The Prime Minister's top 20 gaffes

Gordon Brown - a man of his word or a master of spin?

The US President, George Bush has become internationally acclaimed for his musings on modern life and even has acquired his own loyal following with his trademark Bushisms. Unfortunately, Gordon Brown's contribution to the gaffe industry has been largely ignored by the media. There is now a growing campaign to address this problem and ensure that equal recognition be given to the achievements of our own Prime Minister. With the release of this list of the Prime Minister's top 20 gaffes, the word 'Brownism' have been simultaneously submitted to the Oxford English dictionary by Hertfordshire Conservative Future to ensure that Gordon Brown finally receives the appreciation he so rightfully deserves.

Sonia Chohan, Hertfordshire Conservative Future Chairman said "In these difficult times, voters need a Prime Minister they can trust and this is something Gordon Brown promised us when he took office. Time and time again, scandal after scandal, this list shows that the Prime Minister is someone we simply cannot trust. This is a government of spin and not substance."

The top 20 Brownism's

20) "I will not allow house prices to get out of control and put at risk the sustainability of the future… the UK should not return to the instability, speculation and negative equity of the 1980s and 1990s" Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, November 1997

- Strangely enough, the UK housing market now faces years of instability and negative equity after the former Chancellor allowed rampant speculation to cause house prices to spiral out of control for 10 yrs.

19) "I am happy for there to be a leadership contest. I think there should be." Gordon Brown, Interview with BBC's Sunday AM 10th Sept 2006.

- As everyone knows there was of course no leadership contest. The Prime Minister should be careful what he wishes for though, as he may well get his leadership contest over the next few months.

18) "I did maths for a year at university. I don't think I was very good at it. And some people would say it shows."Gordon Brown, April 2007

- It certainly does Prime Minister. A surprisingly candid admission from a man who lost $9 billion on his gold sales and then ran our economy for ten years, leaving just before the banking and housing sectors collapsed.

17) "The failure to support the reform treaty will leave the Czechoslovakian people isolated in Europe." Gordon Brown, March 2008

- Looks like Geography wasn't Gordon Brown's strong point either. Our Prime Minister states his fears in Parliament forCzechoslovakia, a country that ceased to exist 15 years ago.

16) "There is nothing that you could say to me now that I could ever believe." Gordon Brown to Tony Blair in October 2004, after British Prime Minister appeared to renege on a guarantee not to fight a third term of government.

- Prime Minister, trusts us we know how you feel. That's how we feel about you both.

15) "The Arctic Monkeys really wake you up in the morning." Gordon Brown on the Sheffield band, quoted in 2006 summer issue of New Woman magazine.

- Our Prime Minister's reply when asked about his favourite music band. He was then embarrassingly unable to name a single track from their debut album beyond insisting that 'they are very loud'.

14) "I hope the Spice Girls will come back, although it may be beyond even Bob Geldof to get that to happen."Gordon Brown, June 2005

- The Prime Minister reveals his favourite pop group. He also realised that despite being one of the most powerful men in the world, there are just some things you can't have, even if you are friends with Sir Bob.

13) "To those who feel Westminster is a distant place and politics simply a spectator sport: I will strive to earn your trust" Gordon Brown acceptance speech, May 2007 

- Only a few months later, in November 2007, Gordon Brown admitted that the Labour Party had received £600,000 in donations which "could not be justified", were "completely unacceptable" and "were not lawfully declared".

12) "And to honour those who raised us, I can affirm our commitment to restore the link between the Basic StatePension and earnings." Gordon Brown, Labour Party Annual Conference Speech 2007

- This was after Gordon Brown deliberately ignored warnings to push through pension tax changes in his first Budget in 1997. Officials admit that it cost pension funds up to £75 billion and made millions of pensioners worse off. Interestingly, he has just withdrawn the 10% income tax band which will further hit pensioners hard. I bet pensioners across the UK wish that the PM would stop 'honouring' them now.

11) "…a small number of hybrid vehicles with virtually no emissions will be exempt altogether through a zero-rated car tax." Gordon Brown promises no road tax on low-polluting cars in his March 2006 Budget

- In a spectacular display of smoke and mirrors, the former Chancellor actually promised a tax cut! Unfortunately officials later admitted to the Times, that not a single car in the UK would qualify for this zero-rated road tax.

10) "It is about a different type of politics, a more open and honest dialogue." Gordon Brown, June 2007

- Apparently under Gordon Brown, we would have a government with "no spin". We learn now that the Prime Minister is spending more on spin than Tony Blair whilst he was in office. Currently he is paying nearly £2million on personal advisers alone. His team includes Stephen Carter, the former chief executive of Brunswick, one of the world's leading PR companies.

9)  "No more boom and bust." The former Chancellor, Gordon Brown, BBC Election website, 1997

- The Prime Minister's words come back to haunt him now as the economic boom goes bust.

8) "I believe that by the end of the year the British forces that have been 5,500 can be reduced to 4,500." Gordon Brown re-releases old news of troop cuts he had already promised in Summer 2007 just prior to the election that never was in Oct 2007.

- The Prime Minister learns how easy it is to generate headlines by re-releasing the same story over and over again. On a BBC interview with Jeremy Paxman, the Defence Minister later admitted 500 of these troop cuts had already been promised back in Summer 2007 and the other 500 troops were still in Germany awaiting deployment.

7)  "Factories: not recommended. Early starts and monotonous work." From Gordon Brown's 'How to scrounge off the State' Political Manifesto released during his earlier days as a Labour party activist

- Pearls of wisdom from the Prime Minister, as he advises British workers to avoid working in factories. Could this be why British manufacturing declined so quickly under the former Chancellor?

6) "If you're caught by police while working any scam, don't worry. You may think you are guilty but legal advice can show otherwise." Surprisingly the thoughts of the young Gordon Brown again in his 'How to scrounge off the State' Political Manifesto

-  Reassuring words from our Prime Minister at a time when his own deputy Party Leader, Harriet Harman, had to wear body armour to tour her own South London constituency of Peckham. Even the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, admitted that she did not feel safe walking home in London at night. This was a government that promised to be "tough on crime".

5)  "I lied. I lied. My credibility will be in shreds. I lied. If this gets out, I'll be destroyed." Gordon Brown quoted directly by Andrew Rawnsley in his book 'Servants of the people'.

- Gordon Brown words after he lied in the national media, by denying knowledge of Bernie Ecclestone's donations on the Today programme, Nov 1997. Interestingly Gordon Brown has never denied this quote. He needn't had worried though, his lack of credibility didn't stop him becoming Prime Minister.

4) "The manner of his departure became the true measure of the man" Gordon Brown in reference to Robin Cook's resignation

- Strangely, the Prime Minister doesn't think these words apply to his own departure though. With many of his own MPs joining the British public in calling for his resignation, Gordon Brown does not seem keen to demonstrate his own 'true measure'.

3)  "Counter-information is the key to success." Gordon Brown as young Labour party activist, as quoted in the Daily Mail's expose on his 'How to scrounge off the State' Political Manifesto, 2006

- The words of the same Prime Minister who promised us a spin-free government. Gordon Brown managed to create a whole new industry of spin doctoring and media manipulation with the New Labour project.

2) "I don't like to use the phrase running commentary, but in this case I am not going to
give a running commentary." Gordon Brown, Daily AM Lobby Briefing 5 March 2008

- Upon hearing that he had been submitted to the Guinness Book of Records by Hertfordshire Conservative Future, as the world's worst Rogue Trader for losing over US $9billion on his disastrous Gold sales. These spectacular losses continue to soar with the rising gold price. It is widely known that Gordon Brown acted against the advice of the Bank of England and City experts when selling this gold. The Treasury however, continues to suppress these documents despite being asked to release them during Parliamentary questioning by Peter Lilley, MP, in March 2008.

1) "Girls are advised to work as go-go girls." Gordon Brown as quoted in the Daily Mail 'How to scrounge off the State' article

It seems as if Gordon Brown and Peter Stringfellow share much more than the same taste in fashion. As bizarre as it seems, our Prime Minister believes that the modern woman's place should actually be in Spearmint Rhino and not the boardroom. Any comment, Prime Minister? 

Notes to editors:

1. All quotes have been attributed to Gordon Brown and can be cross referenced in national UK media articles.
2. The How to Scrounge off the State by Gordon Brown article was written by Simon Walters, Daily Mail (7 April 2007)
3. Definition of Brownism:

(braun'ĭz'əm)

1. (verb) The subtle art of combining of words into sentences that are meant to deliberately mislead or confuse the general public.

Origins: A term coined to categorize all of Prime Minister Brown's eccentric speech.

Example: A sample Brownism: "This will be a government of no spin."

Notes: See also: Spin doctor; Machiavellian; dishonest.

Submitted to the Oxford English Dictionary by Hertfordshire Conservative Future, May 2008 

Each Wednesday we will focus on public speaking and debating tips. Today the focus is on Barack Obama, likely to be the Democratic Party's nominee for the presidency.

Obama's campaign has divided his party and he has not been helped by his association with his pastor. Both men, however, are outstanding and charismatic orators. Their style of delivery should be studied by anyone who is serious about learning how to speak in public - even if you disagree with the content. Have a look at these two clips to see what I mean. 

YBF is hosting a Public Speaking Workshop in London on Saturday, 12 July 2008 which will be led by former Reagan Administration speechwriter, John Shosky. Full details are available from Donal Blaney at donal@ybf.org.uk. 

Every Tuesday we will profile a prominent branch or activist. This week we profile Chris Kelly, the PPC for Dudley South.

Chris, 30, is a former CF activist and a member of the Executive Committee of Conservative Way Forward. He is also undoubtedly one of the party's most assiduous campaigners, regularly being photographed with leading conservatives throughout the free world.

Having studied for an MBA, Chris has moved on to become Marketing Director in his father's impressively successful lorry distributor, Keltruck. Chris' father (also called Chris - hence the young Chris referring to himself as Chris D Kelly) is a prominent member of the Midlands Industrial Council.

Chris has registered the domain names www.proudofdudley.com and www.tellchris.com - two useful communication tools that will only help reinforce the image that Chris seeks to project of a local activist who actively seeks the chance to listen to and represent the people of the West Midlands.

A few years ago, Chris famously placed a bet with bookmakers that either he or Justin Tomlinson (PPC for Swindon North and a former CF National Chairman) would become Prime Minister. Both are now on course to become MPs - so maybe it wasn't such a daft bet after all!

You can contact Chris at www.tellchris.com.

Enoch Powell once said that "for a politician to complain about the press is like a ship's captain complaining about the sea". Dealing with the media is one of the hardest things for any politician to do - be they a Member of Parliament, local councillor or student politician.

Here are "the 10 B's" to remember when dealing with the media:

1. Be Realistic: the press is not your PR machinery. It faces time and space limitations. Before peddling news, think like a journalist.

2. Be Prepared: know who the editors and reporters are. Only do interviews when you are ready. If you need more time, ask for their deadline, tell them you need to collect more information, offer to get back to them at a specific time - and do it!

3. Be Accessible: media relations is about human relations. Never say "no comment" - it suggests you are hiding something. Explain why you cannot comment, discussion general policy (not specifics) or switch to something you can say.

4. Be Honest: admit bad news and move on to corrective action. Lying always comes back to haunt you.

5. Be Quotable: make your quotes memorable. Put your issues into plain English in a way that connects with voters. It is better to delay to get the message right than to rush into giving an unmemorable quote.

The final five B's will be revealed next Monday. Make sure you bookmark the YBF website in the meantime and come back daily!

Tomorrow: the first of our Branch & Activist Profiles.

To learn more print and broadcast media tips, register to attend a forthcoming YBF workshop by emailing training@ybf.org.uk. 

Each Sunday, the YBF Blog will focus on the Hero & Zero of that week. This week is undoubtedly the easiest for quite a long time.

This week's Hero is...Boris Johnson, the new Mayor of London. He has managed to hit the ground running, appointed a team of stars around him and has come forward with eye-catching initiatives that have already shown his mayoralty to stand in stark contrast to the previous regime of Ken Livingstone. Johnson's optimistic and happy-go-lucky approach to life has had an invigorating effect on Tory MPs, activists and voters alike. Tired of the cynical approach of Ken Livingstone, voters seem to have welcomed a change of control at City Hall with arms surprisingly more open than even Boris' greatest fans might have expected.

This week's Zero is...Gordon Brown, our beleaguered Prime Minister. His relaunch last Sunday was an unmitigated disaster. Rather than reassuring the troops he has managed to accelerate the spread of panic among Labour MPs who fear losing their seats at the next general election. Another below par performance at PMQs on Wednesday was followed by the ignominy of Wendy Alexander's nonsensical decision to call for a referendum on the Union and Frank Field's threat to bring down the government over the 10p tax rate furore. And to cap it all, the Labour Party is running a class-war by-election campaign in Crewe that is going down appallingly among Cheshire voters.

After training over 500 activists in the past 4 years, the Young Britons' Foundation has exciting plans that will see at least 500 activists being trained in 2008 alone - with many of these training workshops taking place outside London and more conveniently to where activists are based.

Full details of forthcoming YBF training workshops in public speaking, debating, fundraising, internet activism, campaign management, candidate development and media training skills will be published on the YBF website, on Facebook and in email bulletins throughout the year.

In the meantime, the Young Britons' Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a series of audio, video and written resource materials for activists on the YBF website as follows:

• Mondays - Print & Broadcast Media Tips
• Tuesdays - Branch & Activist Profiles
• Wednesdays - Public Speaking & Debating Tips
• Thursdays - Conservative Movement Organisation Profiles
• Fridays - Campaign Tips
• Saturdays - The Laws of the Public Policy Process
• Sundays - Hero & Zero of the Week

Make sure you bookmark the YBF website (www.ybf.org.uk/blog) and that you check back for regular updates and campaign materials designed to help advance our shared agenda over the coming year - starting in April.

The Young Britons' Foundation is delighted to announce details of the its 2nd US Summer Conference Programme.

Applications are invited to attend Skills Training at the Leadership Institute, the Young America's Foundation Conservative Student Conference and a week of training and sightseeing in California which will include private tours of Ronald Reagan's home and the Reagan Library & Museum.

Attendees will also get the opportunity to tour the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court, to walk the monuments in the National Mall, to go shooting at a rifle range and many more excursions.

In addition you will hear from, and meet, leaders of the American conservative movement, develop your campaigning, fundraising and public speaking skills and also take part in one-on-one media training in the Leadership Institute's television studios.

The dates are as follows:

*Sunday, 27 July to Sunday, 3 August: Leadership Institute (Arlington, VA);
*Sunday, 3 August to Saturday, 9 August: Young America's Foundation Conference (Washington, DC);
*Saturday, 9 August to Thursday, 14 August: Young Britons' Foundation Campaign Workshop (Santa Barbara, CA).

You can apply to attend one, two or all three weeks as you wish.

Thanks to the generosity of the supporters of the Young Britons' Foundation - and the cooperation of the Leadership Institute and the Young America's Foundation - attendees will benefit from FREE accommodation, FREE meals, FREE tuition and FREE materials. YBF will also make a contribution of £100 towards each attendee's flights.

If you are interested in coming to Washington DC and California during this US Presidential election year, email donal@ybf.org.uk for more information and an application form or learn more on our dedicated Facebook group.

The Chief Executive and Board of Directors of the Young Britons' Foundation are delighted to announce the move of the Foundation to new offices. As of 17 March 2008, YBF has become based at 50 Churchill Square, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent.

The aptly named offices are part of a state-of-the-art commercial complex close to the M20/M26 junction, less than an hour from Westminster.

YBF Chief Executive Donal Blaney said: "The move to Churchill Square provides YBF with substantially larger offices than would have been the case had we chosen to rent space in London. This means we can have more staff promoting conservative values in schools, colleges and universities - and training the next generation of conservative leaders and activists - than would otherwise have been the case".

The full contact details for the new YBF offices are: YBF, 50 Churchill Square, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4YU. The telephone number is 01732 525923.

YBF has today launched details of its summer internships with some of the highest profile political organisations in the world.

The full details can be viewed here:
http://www.ybf.org.uk/summerinternships