By Holly Whitbread
I first caught the political bug early on from my father and politics has always played a part in my life. After leaving University I knew I wanted to give something back to my local community and play an active role in local politics, so I ran for the district council. Four years on I am now the Cabinet Member for Housing and it is a role that gives me a huge amount of gratification.
One of the huge challenges I think the political system currently faces is how to attract women into politics and how to support women in office. There are many reasons why women might not feel comfortable pursuing a political career or even engage in political debate; from the often heated discourse, the abuse many politicians have highlighted they regularly receive and the anti-social hours. However, I am currently working to play my part to bridge this gap and champion more female voices across the board in my role as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Young Women branch. I hope that as a young woman with an important role on my local council, I can show others how rewarding a career in politics can be.
This year I attended my second Conservative Party Conference. I initially feared that a vote in Parliament to stop recess for the Conservative Party Conference would dampen the spirits of delegates, but this was not the case. Despite the lack of parliamentarians in attendance, not only did the show go on, it was an enormous success.
Attending my first conference aged 22, I was somewhat overwhelmed. However, this time I felt more at home recognising more people and understanding the format a little better. Conference must seem a strange concept for those who aren’t politically engaged, but for members of all the main political parties, it is a rite of passage. It’s an opportunity to hear from politicians on their vision and policies and to be able to ask questions and enter into debate on those key areas such as health, housing, crime, transport and the economy. It is time for debate and conversation. The keynote speeches are the big-ticket events but surrounding these are smaller events that discuss every topic under the sun. From animal rights to knife crime, no topic is left undiscussed and the theme is very much one of collaboration and discussion. These events are an opportunity to hear from voices you might not necessarily hear from in your day to day life, and to see things from a different perspective. I often found myself reassessing things I believed having heard an entirely different perspective or learning something completely new. I think in this political climate keeping an open mind and coming together for healthy debate is so important.
My main observation this year was that the atmosphere was much improved from the Conference I attended a few years ago. The Conservative members whom I met and spoke with were energised and optimistic. The Party led by Boris Johnson is clearly on an election footing and his speech felt more like an election rally speech to energise activists, like myself, ahead of what is set to be a historic and lively election campaign. He laid out a vision for the country, which I think has been lacking in past years.
As a younger Conservative, I felt that the agenda set out in the main conference hall was very positive. Boris's one nation vision will see much-needed investment in health, education and law and order - the people's priorities. The Labour Party seemed to have strayed away from the areas they usually focus on, including the National Health Service. Indeed, Boris noted that for the first time in many years the polls indicated that the Conservatives were more trusted than Labour with the NHS. The Labour Party’s central announcements, around banning private schools, scrapping universal credit and having open borders seem to speak to a small group of people, which I find odd as their slogan talks about the many and not the few. As a Conservative, I find that those policies promote unfairness but more so, don’t promote an even footing for everyone to get on in life and would make life harder for those people they claim to be a voice for.
In contrary, I thought the Prime Minister not only focused on issues that would make life better for people but clearly demonstrated how he would achieve it. It aroused a sense of excitement in the room with people clapping enthusiastically at the political content and hysterically laughing at the many jokes peppered throughout. Unlike Corbyn’s somewhat lacklustre address, Boris showed passion and spirit.
One issue that dominated many of the fringe events that I attended, but not as prominent on the main stage, was housing. This is a huge passion of mine. Younger generations are increasingly struggling to buy their own homes and looking for answers from politicians about making both buying and renting more affordable. There are divisions between people from rural and urban communities and those from different generations. The government is seeking a pragmatic solution, which preserves the character of our communities, defends the green belt and green spaces, whilst delivering housing with the appropriate infrastructure. I think this is the right forward because balance is vital in ensuring that communities are enhanced not undermined by development. It is a natural Conservative principle that we should be a nation of homeowners, whilst also supporting affordable housing needs, which is why there are incentives to help people get on the property ladder. I agree that owning your own home gives you freedom and security and it is something I personally aspire to. Labour instead focus on affordable housing, but at the cost of property ownership. I disagreed with this as I believe those policies stop people from taking that step and climbing higher, by unfairly taxing the property and the land people own. Trapping people into rented accommodation isn’t my idea of helping people. However, it was good to see so many discussions around housing because this is not a one solution fits all problem to fix. We need a variety of approaches and methods to ensure that young people have decent housing and have a fair chance of one day owning their own home.
It was brilliant to see that the numbers of younger people in attendance at Conference far surpassed previous years. Perhaps this can be attributed to the so-called 'Boris Bounce' in membership. It was great to see a younger generation inject enthusiasm, ideas and a different perspective into debate and discussion. Whilst the lack of MPs in attendance was notable in the fringe events, this was remedied by the younger attendees, who contributed innovative ideas and reflected upon their experiences and the impact of policies on them and their generations. This is something we need to see more of in our own local communities. Young people definitely have a voice, but we need to make it easier for that voice to be heard.
I sat on a panel talking to young people from across the country, not affiliated with the Conservative Party; it was great to see a wider engagement. Sharing ideas outside the echo chambers of social media, which I think we can all get a bit trapped in on both sides of the political spectrum. What I loved the most about Conference was hearing new views, having my views challenged and finding solutions to problems in places I would never have thought to have looked. This is something I really want to continue to promote. I think in the Conservative Party we have been slow to engage on social media and now many young people identify more with the Labour Party and left-leaning politics. This isn’t good for debate if, on social media, they only hear the same arguments reinforced. From iPhones to Uber, the younger generation love the products of capitalism and reap the benefits of an inherently Conservative society - as a Party, we must promote this by reaching out and having those conversations and not being afraid to engage with people who might not initially agree with us.
I was involved in several panels encouraging women to get involved in politics. On the whole, there is a supportive audience, across the political spectrum on this issue. I spoke about my experience with the Conservatives who provide a supportive network for women and we have excellent role models including the only two female UK Prime Ministers. I discussed the importance of women’s voices on a local level, how we can impact change by shaping our communities. I advised people that having a thick skin and being resolute is vital to ensure your voice is heard. A common theme in the questions I was asked as a panellist is the impact of growing hostility and concerns about intimidation in public life. I told people about why a strong support network is necessary, particularly in terms of mentoring.
Although slightly blurry-eyed from a late night before, travelling back on the train from Manchester to London on Wednesday afternoon, I felt a great sense of pride to be involved in the Conservative movement. The conference was buzzing with ideas. People from all corners of the country, from different ages and backgrounds, were represented. The conference left me feeling that our broad church, one nation, democratic party, is ready for the future.
