The event will be held at 55 Tufton Street, London, SW1P 3QL from 5:30pm – 7pm and tickets are completely free thanks to the generosity of our donors.

For free tickets please click here

Focusing on the world of think tanks, the event will be hosted by:

Matthew Elliott

Matthew is the Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance and Big Brother Watch. Matthew launched the Taxpayers’ Alliance in 2004 as a non-partisan grassroots campaign for lower taxes and better public spending. Under his leadership, the TPA has grown to become “arguably the most influential pressure group in the country” according to the Guardian, with over 60,000 supporters, 15 full-time campaigners and a huge media profile. He also founded Big Brother Watch in 2009 to campaign for civil and personal liberties.

From September 2010 to May 2011 Matthew took a sabbatical from the TPA to lead the NO to AV campaign in the nationwide referendum on changing Britain’s electoral system. The NO campaign won by a spectacular margin of over two to one.

Speakers during the event will include:

Alex Deane

Alex was Prime Minister David Cameron’s first Chief of Staff. Following this, he was the founding director of Big Brother Watch, the civil liberties think tank. Alex read English Literature at Cambridge University and took a Masters degree in International Relations as a Rotary Scholar at Griffith University. A World Universities Debating Champion, Alex is now Head of Public Affairs for Weber Shandwick.

Stephanie Lis

Stephanie is the Campaign Manager of The Freedom Association, Britain’s premier libertarian pressure group. She started working for TFA as an intern in early 2011 before being promoted to her current role. Stephanie read history at Nottingham University before completing her masters at LSE.

Raheem Kassam

1. Casting bad votes/missing votes: research how your opponent voted on a controversial or important local issue. Don’t just look at the title of the vote, research the substance of the motion. You might find that your opponent did a John Kerry – voting for something before voting against it. And make sure you look at votes that your opponent missed – is he lazy too?
2. Taking trips at taxpayers’ expense: while some trips are necessary, are all of them? Overseas junkets or where your opponent travels first class and stays at a five star hotel are always newsworthy. It may even explain why he missed votes.
3. Voting for his own pay rise: voters hate to see politicians lining their own pockets when the rest of us cannot usually give ourselves pay increases. Particularly check if he said one thing and did another. But double check that he isn’t the family’s sole breadwinner, has infirm aged parents or is struggling to care for a disabled child.
4. Voting for higher or new taxes: people know they are over-taxed. If you can paint your opponent as a high-tax politician in today’s climate, that will help your campaign. Pay particular attention to wasteful, unpopular or inefficient programmes and projects.
5. Not living in the constituency: this increasingly matters. The days of a Ted Heath living in Salisbury and representing a seat in Kent are long gone. If your opponent is not local, point this out. But make sure you live locally yourself!
6. Becoming involved in scandal: financial and sexual scandals ruin an increasing number of political careers. While they can be overridden (Ted Kennedy survived Chappaquiddick, Bill Clinton survived the Lewinsky affair), usually they prove fatal. The key is the timing of the deployment of your research.
7. Repeating any of the above: voters know politicians aren’t saints. But if someone is a repeat offender, this can suggest a lack of judgment – as David Blunkett and Peter Mandelson found out to their cost.

All campaigns need opposition research to be undertaken. Those that do not are risking failure. Those that do it badly are risking embarrassment. If you would like help with your campaign’s opposition research, YBF will be able to help. Email info@ybf.org.uk for further information.

Every Tuesday YBF publishes a public speaking or debating tip to help young conservative activists become even better at promoting the causes we share. 

One of the most effective tactics adopted by great orators is to repeat their best lines. I don’t mean that they should cut and paste excerpts of speeches or, worse, do as Joe Biden did and plagiarise others’ speeches. But if a public figure has a line that resonates with voters, he or she shouldn’t be afraid of using it – rather like a catchphrase. Ronald Reagan frequently said: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet”, Bill Clinton reminded voters “It’s the economy, stupid” and Barack Obama tells his supporters: “Yes we can”. In Britain, David Cameron frequently returns to “Share the proceeds of growth” while Tony Blair extolled “Education, education, education” and promised to be “Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”.

The ability to return to themes that inspire supporters was shown a couple of years ago by Senator Ted Kennedy, the liberal lion of the US Senate who was then dying of brain cancer. Hearkening back to his unsuccessful 1980 campaign for the Democratic nomination (and his powerful podium speech at the 1980 Democratic Convention), Kennedy repeated the refrain from that powerful 1980 speech. Many in the room wouldn’t have picked up on the technique – they were simply inspired to hear from one of their party’s big beasts, particularly in his current condition. But seasoned observers knew what Kennedy was doing. He was laying claim, on behalf of the Kennedy clan, to the then likely Obama victory that November. When Obama won Kennedy acolytes predictably said that he owed his victory in part to the vision of the soon-to-be departed Senator from Massachusetts.

Places at YBF Career Development Workshops will be awarded on a strictly first come, first served basis and can be booked here.  

In today’s tough climate for graduates, YBF is pleased to be working with senior members of both branches of the legal profession to lay on the first of six Career Development Workshops aimed at those who wish to become barristers or solicitors.

The Working in the Legal Profession Career Development Workshop will take place next Wednesday, 12 October 2011 from 7pm to 9pm in Central London. This is your chance to hear from – and speak to – experienced barristers and solicitors to learn what life as a lawyer is really like and to learn how to obtain the best and most useful internships and work experience before you embark on a legal career.

Places are strictly limited and cost £10 for students in full-time education (and £15 otherwise). You can apply for places here or you can find out more by emailing YBF Chief Executive Donal Blaney at donal@ybf.org.uk.

But hurry! Time is of the essence.

Tickets are now available for YBF’s 2011/2012 Career Development Workshop Programme.

YBF know that securing the best jobs in the toughest arenas is not easy and so we will make every effort to help conservative activists be the very best that they can be.

Places on each workshop are strictly limited and are expected to sell out quickly so make sure you purchase your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Price (per individual workshop):

£10 (students), £15 (full price)

Location:

Central London.

Each workshop will take place by a host venue.  Details will be released closer to the date of each workshop

For more information regarding any of our Career Development Workshops, payment options and discounts please do not hesitate to contact Operations Director, Emma Carr

YBF is very pleased to announce that tickets for the 2011/2012 Skills Training Workshop Programme are now on sale.

YBF has pioneered policy and skills training among young conservatives in Britain since its formation in 2003. Having trained thousands of activists who are now MPs, PPCs, councillors, lobbyists and parliamentary staffers – as well as many who have gone on to successful careers in the City, the professions and business – YBF stands ready to help you achieve success in your chosen career too.

Places on each workshop are strictly limited and are expected to sell out quickly so make sure you purchase your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Price (per individual workshop):

£10 (students), £15 (full price)

Discounts:

Group Booking Discount: 6 places on an individual workshop for the price of 5

Block Booking Discount: attend all 5 workshops for the price of 4

(please email Operations Director, Emma Carr with a full list of names and for more information if you are interested in the group booking discount)

Price Includes:

* A full days training

* Tuition from the very best speakers in each field

* Printed course materials

* Buffet Lunch

For more information regarding any of our Skills Training Workshops, payment options and discounts please do not hesitate to contact Operations Director, Emma Carr

So how do you reach that dream graduate job?

Simple, you need to make every interview count and make sure that you stand out from the crowd.

But how?

In the news recently, it was reported that hundreds of young British graduates are going to China for work experience and to improve their CV’s. This is great, but not everyone can afford to go 5,000 odd miles AND take a year out, for a beefier CV.

A much easier and less costly option is to work with what you’ve got, exploit your own talent, experiences and learn how to sell, both on your CV and in that interview.

Professional Coaching from a Professional Coach

A former tennis coach, Peter Botting has over 23,000 hours experience helping people present and sell themselves better. This has included working with 13 PLC’s 2 governments, and over 1000 politicians including coaching and speech-writing for a Prime Minister.

In other positions he has also spent some time as the evil interviewer:-

• As Group Managing Director of 3 manufacturing companies with 135 staff
• In Magistrate Selections – Sussex
• During 12 months working with the Head of International Human Resources at SAP headquarters.

Peter, a regular speaker at YBF Conferences, is offering YBF graduates a discounted rate of £50 off his courses (£20 off for virtual courses).  Please email Peter if you are interested in any of this courses with the Reference YBFGRAD.

So in that spirit, today I encourage you to adopt the same approach to activism. We are to become “proactive activists” – and the first campaign will be to attack the BBC for its astonishing bias over the US presidential election campaign. The contrast between last week’s coverage of the Democratic Party Convention in Denver and this week’s coverage of the GOP Convention in St Paul is astonishing. So here’s a way to get off your backsides and to campaign hard against the Barack Broadcasting Corporation.

1. Saying “er” or “um” are irritating. The bond of trust with the audience is broken. If you feel the urge to say “er” or “um”, pause and use silence instead. Practice this in every day speech until it becomes second nature.
2. If you are not pumping with adrenaline before you speak, you may be suffering from complacency. Harold Macmillan used to be physically sick before Prime Minister’s Questions. It’s ok to feel nervous!
3. The better prepared you are, the less likely you are to feel nervous. If you leave anything to the last minute or worse, to chance, this will only make you feel nervous. Eliminate as many uncertainties as you can before you start.
4. Walk slowly and purposefully towards the lectern (if there is one). Breathe deeply and take time to adjust your posture. If you exhibit confidence, the audience will be receptive.
5. Once at the lectern, adjust the microphone. Survey your audience, make eye contact. Get your notes ready. Breathe. Pause before you begin.
6. Radiate a sense of warmth, caring, sincerity and credibility. If you project a sense of liking yourself, your audience will like you too.
7. If it all goes wrong, it’s not the end of the world. Nobody will have died. Keep things in perspective and resolve to learn from any avoidable mistakes.