YBF are hosting a range of events at Conservative Party Conference which this year is being held in Birmingham. We look forward to seeing some of you there!
Media Training Workshop
Saturday 2nd October
Austin Court
1pm- 5pm
The Young Britons’ Foundation is widely recognised as being the leading provider of state-of-the-art political training to conservative activists in Britain. Join us for a Media Training workshop where you will experience one on one practice in front of the camera and hear from speakers who are experienced in broadcast journalism and New Media.
YBF & Tory Bear Karaoke Party
Saturday 2nd October
Bar Risa, Hood Street
8pm-late
YBF and Tory Bear want you to join us to kick the Conference off in style in the VIP lounge of Bar Risa, located just minutes from the ICC. Enjoy some free cocktails while catching up with old friends in exclusive surroundings. Also, make sure you “sing now we’re winning” as state of the art karaoke will be on offer throughout the evening for you and your friends to enjoy.
TFA & YBF Panel Discussion
Monday 4th October
Austin Court, Freedom Zone
2:15pm
The Freedom Association and The Young Britons’ Foundation will be hosting a panel discussion on the topic “The Unfinished Revolution: Smashing the Closed Shop of Students’ Unions and the NUS”. Confirmed speakers so far include: Harry Cole, Tory Bear blogger; Andre Walker; Sam Westrop, York Freedom Association and will be chaired by Donal Blaney, Chief Executive of YBF
YBF at the Freedom Zone
Monday 5th- Tuesday 6th October
The Freedom Zone, Austin Court
Don’t forget to visit YBF’s stall at the Freedom Zone. We will be there to talk about what YBF can do for you and your branch or organisation. Find out more about our workshops, conferences, speakers panel, trips and campaigns.
For more information on any of the events and to secure your place at the workshop and party please email emma@ybf.org.uk and purchase your tickets via the Pay Pal button below.
The Leadership Institute, on whose work the Young Britons’ Foundation is based, has as the basis for its training workshops the principle that “being right is not enough”. There is no point being correct on the issues of the day (be it Europe, hunting, taxes, crime or whatever) if you cannot communicate your viewpoint effectively and persuade others to follow or agree with you.
Barry Goldwater was right in 1964 but he lost in the then largest ever landslide to President Johnson. By contrast Ronald Reagan demolished both Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale in 1980 and 1984. He had the same views as Barry Goldwater but, through his sunny demeanour and ability to communicate to Americans, he was able to win and to win well.
While it is rare for younger activists to get exposure to local and national broadcast media (although there are, of course, exceptions), it is much easier for young conservatives to spread the word in written form. Many do so by blogging. Some writes letters to the editor of their student, local or national newspapers. But often the best way to persuade is by writing considered pieces in, for example, the student newspaper. A feature on, for example, a conference or speech you recently attended or discussing a particularly newsworthy event or policy issue is a great way to persuade others. It is also very good practice.
When you begin to write your first pieces will inevitably not be Pulitzer Prize winning pieces of journalism – nor should you expect them to be. But over time you will eventually develop a writing style – a personality in prose – that will enable you to define what conservatism is to you and to help you communicate it to thousands of your fellow students and countrymen.
It is likely that your student newspaper will not have a conservative viewpoint. Offer to write a piece. If the editorial team turns you down, write a letter to the editor for publication (which letter is, of course, essentially just a shortened version of an article in any event). If you still cannot get published, maybe it might be time to consider setting up your own campus publication – be it online or in print.
The left has only developed its hegemony in the classroom and lecture hall because too many who could have stood up to their bullying chose the easy life instead. Just because conservatism seems likely to prevail in the next general election does not mean activists can simply sit back and wait for the government to run out of steam. Indeed that would be the very worst thing to do.
If you care passionately about politics – and surely you do if you are a campus activist – then you need to ensure that as many of your fellow students embrace your values and campaign for real conservative values. The more younger people that proclaim the conservative message, the better not only for the Conservative Party but, more importantly, for the country. Get writing!
One of the main tools to have as an activist in the new media age is online videos. If you want your CF branch or political group to get plenty of coverage one of the easiest ways is to use video. For example take a camera with you on a campaign day in your local constituency. Show everyone what you have been doing through the use of videos. If you have a specific event that you want to promote make sure you capture some of it on film. It’s always a useful promotional tool in the future to entice new people to get involved or get coverage from other organisations.
YBF wants your political groups on campus to make videos of what you are doing on campus and elsewhere and submit them too our YouTube group YBF’s Activist’s Videos. The best videos will get further coverage on the YBF website. So if you want to show how good your activist branch is on campus let the YBF know by submitting your video online!
If you would like any help or advice uploading a video to YBF’s Activist Videos sent an email to steven@ybf.org.uk
One of the most misunderstood areas of campaigning is what is known as “opposition research”. Many people think that this means digging for dirt on your opponent and throwing it at him or her (or, if you are supposedly sophisticated, having others throw it on your behalf). That is not, however, what opposition research entails at all.
It is not negative campaigning. It has been described as “the interpretation of publicly verifiable documents, not a collection of unverifiable innuendoes and rumours”. It is a matter of finding out as much about your opponent as your opponent probably already knows about you.
The value of opposition research was brilliantly displayed by the Labour Party over the final weekend of campaigning prior to the Ealing Southall by-election when the memorable picture of the Conservative candidate, Tony Lit, standing alongside Tony Blair was released to the media. At a stroke Lit’s campaign died.
The goal of all opposition research is to demonstrate that your candidate is competent, capable and that his/her values match those of the voters. Equally you wish to demonstrate that your opponent is incompetent, unethical or does not share or represent the values of the voters.
As one leading conservative opposition researcher, Terry Cooper, once said: “If you’re challenging an incumbent, or running for an open seat in competition with someone better known or more experienced than you, the odds are that you’re going to lose – unless you have skillfully used opposition research”.
If engaging in opposition research consider the following:
Start Early – your campaign should be based on the fruits of your research; it should not be an afterthought.
Don’t Wait for the Knockout Punch – it is rarely delivered and you waste too much time waiting.
Start on Yourself – get an opposition research report produced about yourself to see what skeletons may be revealed.
Be Honest – if you are a candidate, be honest with your campaign manager. If you have a poor attendance record, have voted badly on a key issue or have financial problems, your campaign manager must know.
Verify Everything – just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean that it’s true!
Be Discreet, Ethical & Legal – trawling through rubbish, hacking into computers and accessing information through inappropriate means will not help your cause.
Do Not Overstate Research – the researcher must not exaggerate or embellish his findings in the hope of impressing a campaign manager. If the research reveals little of real use, so be it.
Research With Pride – you are conducting research on your opponent because he or she is running for public office. If you are accused of muckraking this will be because your opponent is scared of running on his or her record.
Document Everything – if you are challenged you need to prove your allegation otherwise you will lose all credibility.
Keep Perspective – whatever is discovered, is it really sufficiently relevant to form part of the overall campaign strategy?
Here at YBF we have been warning about the perils of Facebook and making sure that your profile is limited correctly so only the people you want to see Facebook get to see it. We have now created a short explanation video that gives you a step by step guide on protecting your profile.
Sunday 4th October from 12 noon – Don’t miss out on CF and YBF’s official half day conference!
Following the success of the training day in Birmingham last year, Young Britons’ Foundation and Conservative Future will be teaming up to hold a half day conference just for Conservative Future members. This will take place on the Sunday before the Manchester Party Conference begins.
The day will feature:
TV and media training
Speeches from leading figures in the political world
A party in the evening.
And remember that if you do want to come you will need to book extra accommodation for the Sunday night!
You may be involved in a Freedom Society, a Hayek Society, an anti-ID Card Society or a branch of Conservative Future. Whatever it is, make sure to use this time wisely. Exams are coming to an end and university terms are winding up. We don’t need to tell you how crucial it is to hit the ground running when you return in September. Make sure that your committee is strong, and that you all keep in touch over the Summer. If there is work to be done, organise it before you go your separate ways. Communication will be the key to ensuring that your society achieves its potential when you return to university. If you or fellow committee members are leaving university, do not let the society crumble. Be sure to have replacements trained up and in place to continue your good work. Enjoy the Summer!
Do you want to learn how to beat stage fright and deliver memorable, powerful, persuasive speeches?
Would you like to develop the oratory and rhetoric of Winston Churchill or Ronald Reagan?
Are you interested in learning the latest techniques in public speaking?
Led by former Reagan Administration speechwriter, Dr John Shosky, the YBF Public Speaking Workshop is a one-day specialist training programme that will equip you to be the best public speaker you can be. Conservatives owe it to their philosophy to study how to win.
The YBF Public Speaking Workshop covers:
The Fundamentals of Communication
The Keys to Dynamic Delivery
Organising and Building a Speech
Speech Delivery
Speaking Under Special Circumstances
Dealing with Nerves
The £35 course fee (£20 for students in full-time education) includes:
Tuition fee and printed course materials
Tea, coffee, water and refreshments
Buffet lunch
To reserve your place on a Young Britons’ Foundation Public Speaking Training Workshop please email info@ybf.org.uk or call (01732) 525923.
Join us at The London Guildhall between 10am and 5pm on Saturday, 23 May 2009.
One of the wisest pieces of advice I have heard handed out to students comes from Patrick Coyle, the Vice-President of the Young America’s Foundation. Pat reminds student activists that while it is all well and good having views as to who should be the Republican Party’s nominee or what the basic rate of income tax should be, a true activist should be focussing his or her efforts on how deliver the conservative message effectively at the level where they can truly have an impact. More often than not that is at the campus level – and it is too often overlooked by young conservatives in Britain too.
Yes you may have strong views whether the top rate of tax should be 45% or not , or whether Britain should be inside the EU – but can you really, hand on heart, say that what you think really matters?
Just as Tony McNulty and Jacqui Smith are symptoms of a greater problem of increasing sleaze in British politics, so it will be that your students’ union will also be a snapshot of taxpayer-funded waste, sleaze and incompetent administration as well. Not every students’ union necessarily – but a significant number of students’ union will be poorly governed, sleaze-ridden and wasteful.
Conservatives need, if possible, to engage in their students’ unions, take control, reform structures, cut wasteful expenditure and give students and taxpayers real value for money. In that sense, students’ unions are a useful training laboratory for those who are considering running for office in the future. Well-run conservative-controlled students’ unions are also a great way to show fellow students that conservative-run organisations do not see the routine slaughter of the first born or the clock being turned back to Dickensian England.
So what questions might you want to ask?
Start with the National Union of Students. Ask how much your students’ union has paid to the NUS in the past decade, on what dates and when each year’s decision to pay that money was made and by whom.
Then look at Clubs & Societies, particularly political and cultural societies. Ask how much has been given in the way of grants to all political and cultural societies in the past decade. For example, has the local Hayek Society been unfairly treated in comparison to the campus Green Society even though the Hayek Society has 50 members and the Greens only a dozen? Does the Islamic Society get more or less than the Christian Union? Or the Palestinian Society more than the Israel Society?
Then move onto Sports Clubs, key allies of conservative activists on campus across the country and whose budgets are often cut in favour of left-wing hobby horses and pet projects. In the past decade have grants to the men’s and women’s rugby, cricket, hockey or football clubs been cut? Pledging to increase their funding is usually a sure fire way of ensuring their support in students’ union elections but as fiscal conservatives remember that you will need to make savings elsewhere in the budget.
Look at the Staff of your students’ union, some of whom will revel in Whitehall-style titles such as Permanent Secretary. They are normally your employees, not those of the university. They are accountable to you. If they fail to perform their tasks properly then, subject to the country’s onerous employment laws, they can be sacked. How much are they paid? What other perks – such as pensions, private healthcare, car and other expenses – do they get? Has the budget for their pay and perks increased in the past decade?
Another area that is full of waste is the Conferences budget. It’s the same in local government too. How many of your fellow students have attended external conferences such as the NUS Conference in the past decade? Who went and why? How much did it cost to send them to those conferences – including registration fees, travel, accommodation and subsistence?
Students’ unions currently fall outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act, despite being wholly funded by taxpayers – a state of affairs that an incoming Conservative government will need to change. However you, as a student at your university and a member of your students’ union, are entitled to this information as of right. Prepare for stonewalling and delaying tactics from sabbatical officers and permanent staff. They will doubtless demand to know why you want this information – tell them it is none of their business. You are entitled to it – full stop. And then, when you have the results, send the information to the Young Britons’ Foundation so that we can expose quite how wasteful your students’ union has become.
At a time of recession, when millions are worried about losing their jobs and homes, conservatives everywhere need to follow the lead of the TaxPayers’ Alliance in exposing waste. With your help, the Young Britons’ Foundation can do this on your campus. Now get asking!
Recent posts in the Every Monday Matters series include:
One of the most misunderstood areas of campaigning is what is known as “opposition research”. Many people think that this means digging for dirt on your opponent and throwing it at him or her (or, if you are supposedly sophisticated, having others throw it on your behalf). That is not, however, what opposition research entails at all.
