Editing Conservative Future (section)

==Purpose==
CF's purpose was to encourage Conservative Party values and assist in local and general elections. Conservative Future is aided in its aims by [[Members of Parliament]] (MPs) and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) with visits to branches. They participated in lectures, debates and many more activities.  Many members of Conservative Future branches often went on to contest local and national [[elections]], and the organisation as a whole was, by the end of its active life, increasingly turning to the internet to attract new active members.

Conservative Future also played an important role in the party's campaigning.  Described as the Conservative Party's 'shock troops',<ref name="Rock papers over crackpots">{{Cite news |title=Rock papers over crackpots of Conservative Future's past |author=Allegra Stratton |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=30 September 2008 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/sep/30/toryconference.conservatives2 }}</ref> CF made a major contribution to the parliamentary [[by-election]] victories in [[2008 Crewe and Nantwich by-election|Crewe and Nantwich in 2008]] and [[2009 Norwich North by-election|Norwich North in 2009]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Drive boosted by army of young volunteers who feel it is cool to be Conservative again |newspaper=[[Yorkshire Post]] |date=8 August 2009 |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Drive-boosted-by-army-of.5535867.jp }}</ref>  They were significantly more numerous, visible, and active than Labour's young supporters in the [[2008 London mayoral election]], in which young voters were one of the key demographics of [[Boris Johnson]]'s vote.<ref name="A Rhapsody in Blue">{{Cite news |title=A Rhapsody in Blue |author=Rob Blackhurst |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |date=2 August 2008 |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ca7e8a2c-5d0a-11dd-8d38-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1 }}</ref>  Michael Rock, Chairman of CF from 2008 to 2010, said that one of CF's virtue is being able to take part in stunts and activities that older members can't.<ref name="Rock papers over crackpots" />  A contingent from Conservative Future went to the United States to campaign for [[John McCain]] in the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Young Brits flock to US election campaign |author=Alexi Mostrous |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=4 November 2008 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5080412.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605002623/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5080412.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 June 2011 }}</ref>