ConservativeHome is a British right-wing blog which supports the Conservative Party. It was first established by Tim Montgomerie in 2005 with the aim of arguing for a broad conservative spectrum, which is serious about both social justice and a fair competitive economy.[1] A second aim of the blog is to represent grassroots Conservatives,[2][3][4] and is supportive of the Conservative Party.
 | |
Type of site | Blog |
|---|---|
| Created by | Tim Montgomerie |
| Editor | Paul Goodman |
| URL | conservativehome |
| Commercial | No |
| Launched | 2005 |
| Current status | Active |
Editors edit
ConservativeHome was first edited by Tim Montgomerie, prior to the 2005 United Kingdom general election campaign.[5] In November 2008, Jonathan Isaby joined as a co-editor.[6] In 2009, Paul Goodman – the former Conservative MP for Wycombe – became the executive editor of ConservativeHome.[7]
In February 2013, Montgomerie announced that he would leave the site in April of the same year to become comment editor of The Times.[8] Goodman succeeded him as editor, and Mark Wallace joined the site as executive editor in May 2013.
Content edit
The site took a leading role in co-ordinating grassroots support in opposing Michael Howard's attempt to abolish the "one man one vote" rule in the 2005 Conservative Party leadership election.[9]
ConservativeHome was critical of the A list and believed that former Conservative Party Leader David Cameron was in danger of alienating working class Conservative voters,[10][11][12] and pressed Cameron for specific pledges on tax cuts.[13]
It was credited with the most accurate record of MP affiliation during the 2005 Conservative Leadership election, and it also was the first to reveal the names on the "A-list" of candidates.[14][15] The Conservative chairman Francis Maude described it during the leadership election as "the only place to find out what's going on".[9]
"A Lefty Lexicon", a satirical article published in August 2006 on the site and written by Inigo Wilson, a man described as someone who "manages community affairs for a large telecoms company",[16] was criticised by the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK).[citation needed] MPAC members discovered that Wilson was Community Affairs Manager for phone company Orange, and pressured the company to dismiss him. Wilson was initially suspended for the comments,[17] but later reinstated.[18]
In February 2012, ConservativeHome called for Andrew Lansley to be replaced as Health Secretary and for the Health and Social Care Bill to be abandoned.[19]
The site supported a Leave vote in the 2016 EU referendum.[20]
The site records a fortnightly podcast with Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg called "The Moggcast".[21]
Business edit
In September 2009 Lord Ashcroft, the then-Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, took a controlling stake of 57.5% in PoliticsHome, the politically-neutral sister-site to ConservativeHome.[22] In 2011, Ashcroft sold PoliticsHome to Dod's Group, which he co-owns, and retained ConservativeHome.
In 2017, the blog stated that it gets over two million unique visitors a year.[23]
ConservativeHomeUSA edit
In 2010, ConservativeHome launched an American site, ConservativeHomeUSA, which is edited by Ryan Streeter and Montgomerie. Contributors have included John Thune, Roger Bate, Herbert London, David Frum and many other Republican and conservative think-tank and media figures. On 17 May 2012 the site announced its closure.[24]
See also edit
- Iain Dale – columnist
References edit
- ^ "About ConservativeHome". ConservativeHome.
- ^ "Conservative Home". ConservativeHome.
- ^ Tory activists may get blog spot BBC News, 8 June 2006
- ^ Battle of the conference blogs BBC News, 15 September 2006
- ^ Bloggers ready for general election debut Used to raise campaign, Sunday Herald, 10 April 2005, by Steven Vass, hosted by FindArticles
- ^ "Introducing Jonathan Isaby". ConservativeHome. 28 December 2008. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2016 – via the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Paul Goodman – Conservative Home". Conservative Home.
- ^ "Conservative Home founder and editor Tim Montgomerie to edit comment pages of The Times". Press Gazette. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ a b Home boy Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Progress Magazine
- ^ New Leader Tries to Update Conservatives’ Image – The New York Times
- ^ Tories vow to learn over A-list – BBC News, 31 May 2006
- ^ Tories 'failing to recruit women' BBC News, 14 July 2006
- ^ Cameron set to avoid tax giveaway BBC News
- ^ William Rees-Mogg. "Too narrow, too wet, too dim". The Times. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011.
- ^ To Blogdom, A Book, Weblog with Adam Boulton, Sky News Archived 14 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Platform: Inigo Wilson: A Lefty Lexicon". ConservativeHome. 2 August 2006. Archived from the original on 16 January 2007.
- ^ "Orange spokesman suspended over 'racist' comments". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 September 2006.
- ^ "ToryDiary: Inigo Wilson reinstated". Conservative Home. 10 October 2006. Archived from the original on 28 October 2006.
- ^ "Tim Montgomerie, the man who takes the Conservative pulse". The Observer. 12 February 2012.
- ^ "If you want to Leave, vote with your heart today". Conservative Home. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "The Moggcast. Episode One. "Austerity in the NHS…will be very hard to continue with, however much there are limited resources."". Conservative Home.
- ^ "Lord Ashcroft buys into Tory site". BBC News. 22 September 2009.
- ^ "2016 was another record-breaking year for ConservativeHome – here's to 2017!". Conservative Home. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "conservativehome". Conservative Home USA. Retrieved 24 October 2017.