The hounding of Adam Rickett, both by the media and disdainful Conservatives, has gone far enough. It's time to stop. It's a disgrace that he has been villified in such a disgusting manner by people who should know better. He has become the lightning rod for the whole 'A' List saga, and it should stop now. Surely the Conservative Party should be welcoming a 28 year old into its fold rather than ritually slagging him off? I have never met Adam Rickett or spoken to him, but I know a witch hunt when I see it. Of course people will question his experience and why he should be on the 'A' List, but it's gone way beyond that now. The latest example comes in today's Daily Mail, where Jonathan Holborrow has the following to say: "I think it is unlikely that Mr Rickett will advance much further in the selection process in Folkestone & Hythe, which is a very traditional Conservative seat." Well, it's a point of view you might say, and what's wrong with that? What's wrong is that Jonathan Holborrow is the constituency chairman in Folkestone & Hythe and has no business commenting in public on either the selection process or the people who have applied. I trust his wrists will have been well and truly slapped by the powers that be at CCHQ. Adam Rickett is no one's fool. He had a place to study law at Cambridge before deciding to take the part of Nicky Tilsley in Coronation Street. He's been successful. Surely as Conservatives we ought to be welcoming that. While his appearance on Question Time was not an unqualified success - as I am sure he would himself admit - it was hardly a disaster. He actually answered the difficult questions reasonably well, but was weaker on the easier questions. Surely that's the best way round for it to be! As everyone reading this will know very well, I think there are probably a number of people who ought to have been on the 'A' List in preference to several of those who are actually on it. But that's life. And it should not provide the excuse for people who should know better to publicly slag off a fellow Conservative. We should have learned from the past how far that gets us. So let's call off the dogs and wish Adam Rickett well. End of lecture.
