Type of site Blog Website conservativehome.com Commercial No | Created by Tim Montgomerie Alexa rank 5,870 [1] (UK 10/2015) Launched 2005 | |
ConservativeHome is a centre-right political blog in the United Kingdom. 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. A second aim of the blog is to represent grassroots Conservatives, and whilst being independent of the Conservative Party, is supportive of it.
Contents
Editors
ConservativeHome was first edited by Tim Montgomerie, prior to the 2005 United Kingdom general election campaign with Samuel Coates as a deputy. Samuel left the blog in July 2008 to become a speech writer for David Cameron, and is now the party's head of digital. In November 2008, Jonathan Isaby joined as a co-editor. In 2009, Paul Goodman became the Executive Editor of ConservativeHome. He was the Conservative MP for Wycombe between 2001 and 2010.
Agenda
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.
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, and has pressed Cameron for specific pledges on tax cuts.
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. The Conservative chairman Francis Maude described it during the leadership election as "the only place to find out what’s going on".
Business
In September 2009 Lord Ashcroft the then Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party took a controlling stake of 57.5% in PoliticsHome, the company which owns and operates ConservativeHome. In 2011, Ashcroft sold PoliticsHome to Dod's and retained ConservativeHome.
The site claims that it gets 250,000 unique visitors a year.
Controversy
A Lefty Lexicon, a satirical article published in August 2006 on the site and written by Inigo Wilson, a man described as a "community affairs for a large telecoms company", was soon criticised by the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK). MPAC members discovered that Wilson was Community Affairs Manager for phone company Orange, and pressured the company to dismiss him. Mr Wilson was initially suspended for the comments, but later reinstated.
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.
ConservativeHomeUSA
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.