Tories get ridiculed as their chairman Grant Shapps claims they are the ''workers’ party'' fighting for a ''classless society'', part of the idea is a “John Major apprenticeship programme”, first two placements, son of a Tory mayor and an intern working for a Conservative MP

Dear All

It seems that the Conservative Party down south have decided to run with an idea to rebrand themselves as the "workers' party."

I have to say that given the number of Tory millionaires in the Cabinet and the number of people also who come from privileged backgrounds, that maybe a tough sell.

Fronting the idea is Sir John Major, the former Prime Minister; he isn’t exactly short of a few quid.

In fact what does he have in common with ordinary workers?

I would have thought to make any sense, that the Conservatives should have taken someone off the scrapheap and put them forward as MP material.

It looks like they haven’t thought this through; in fact it looks odd and bizarre to me.

Also they haven’t fixed their social policies, so that remains a problem, a big problem, it still looks like ‘them and us’.

Anyway The Tories have gone accusing Labour of being rooted in class warfare and class division.

And they don’t do it?

Maybe they missed walking by people in the civil service who all for the most part come from very privileged backgrounds.

Labour's own rebranding exercise 18 months ago wasn’t effective at all, Ed Miliband labelled it the "one nation party."

What the fuck does that mean?

Is it anything like ‘we are all in this together’ which the Tories used?

Turns out that  ‘we aren’t all in this together’ as the number of people using food banks continues to climb.

Grant Shapps, the Tory Chairman, yesterday used a speech to activists in London to seek to grab the blue-collar vote.

His test comes at the European elections this spring.

He and the rest of the Conservatives are being pressed by Nigel Farage and UKIP, who did well in a recent by-election pushing them into 3^rd place.

And of course there is the General Election in 2015 which is wide open, Labour hasn’t found a narrative to put them in the driving seat and the Tories are in an argument among themselves to whether they should be more right wing.

In fact they should be more left wing and do away with the bedroom tax and other anti social measures.

Shapps said:

"We are the party on the side of the whole nation. We are the party on the side of working people. Our politics isn't about a list of statistics or numbers. There's a moral purpose to it; a mission."

I would say to him.... food banks!

And we should also remember that five Old Etonians are writing the party’s 2015 general election manifesto.

Doesn’t look good as the “workers’ party’ suggests, looks like a scam.

Mr Shapps used the example of Sir John, who rose to the highest office from humble beginnings, as a "symbol of our party".

Just because a few “poor” people make it doesn’t really cut it.

And Shapps also said that the Tories were "not here to defend privilege; we are here to spread it".

Check out the Cabinet for poor people!

The party chairman also unveiled a John Prescott-style pledge card.

Copying others, not exactly mind blowing.

The Conservatives are worried by the rise of UKIP so in that respect they say that they plan to reduce immigration to try and undermine their support in party.

I suspect a lot of Tory MPs are looking over their shoulders about possible re-election chances.

Grant Shapps also revealed the Tories were launching a “John Major apprenticeship programme” as part of its plans to widen the support base.

The first two placements on the scheme are the son of a Tory mayor and Parliamentary candidate and an intern working for a Conservative MP.

I think that this scheme will die a death in the eyes of the public, you just can’t take this ‘workers party’ idea serious when it comes under the microscope.

The first two placements rather put things in context.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University