Truss and the fuss over Tory selections
seems to have exposed some .
The two most prominent recent Conservative selections in our patch, have failed to find local candidates.
, and .
Yet there was at least one credible local candidate (I won't name names) who did apply, who I was surprised not to see on the list.
And I've also been contacted by the partner of another local Tory whose spouse has been passed over several times for seats in the region.
They contacted me confidentially, so I'll be sketchy about the details.
But this candidate has stood for Parliament before, and has been an active and influential party member for many years.
Their partner says they have a "real" job outside of politics, and know the region inside out.
My correspondent isn't knocking the people who've been selected, but points out that they do seem to come from a metropolitan "old school tie" background.
And they may have a point if you look at the selections in Penrith, Hexham and Skipton and Ripon.
None of the constituencies chose a woman or someone from an ethnic minority. All ended up with white men.
Penrith and the Border's Rory Stewart was educated at Eton, Hexham's , and although did go to a Comprehensive up to the age of 16, he then got a scholarship to Millfield public school.
All three have interesting (if rather similar) backgrounds and may well make excellent MPs,
And I'm sure the party would point to other selections in the region which ended up with a different kind of candidate.
But remember these were three seats certain to return Tory MPs.
If any of you have any other thoughts or experiences to pass on, let me know.
Incidentally, you may have seen that .
There are five candidates. Two from Carlisle, one ex-pat Cumbrian, another from Hexham, and one from London.
They are Carlisle City Council leader Michael Boaden, CWU union activist Tricia Clarke from Islington, Veronica Killen from Hexham, who's a lecturer in midwifery at Northumbria University, Kevin Parker a Carlisle-born communications manager from Leicestershire, and to complete the list, Chris Southward, the chairman of Carlisle Labour Party.
The most high profile name that didn't make the cut from long to shortlist was the former MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Lawrie Quinn.
Selection's on November 21.
I'm Richard Moss, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Political Editor for the North East and Cumbria. Welcome to my irreverent - but hopefully insightful - northern take on reporting politics for Look North and the Politics Show.
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