Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Reflections on Day 3

Just before I vacate our little holiday chalet at the Ribby Hall Holiday Village (for more, read The Spectator Diary this week, which I penned yesterday) a couple of observations from the various fringe events and parties I went to last night.

* Gordon Brown's trip to Iraq has gone down like a cup of cold sick with the journalists here in Blackpool. They are as one in their outrage. Why? Because he very stupidly only took two broadcast journalists with him, and not a single dead tree scribe. Not a good PR move.

* Ben Brogan describes the conference as a "triumph" on his blog. I'll wait until David Cameron has sat down before going that far, but he is not alone in that. Several left of centre journalists I spoke to last night took a similar view and reckoned it was the best conference they have been to in years. They contrasted the high quality of the platform speeches here with those in Bournemouth last week.

* I didn't see IDS's speech but I am told it was a corker. I'm really pleased for him. He and I do not see eye to eye on everything but I so admire the work he has done on social justice issues and the passion with which has thrown himself into it.

* I spoke at a King's Fund Question Time style debate last night, along with Andrew Lansley and Barabara Pointon - the lady who took part in an ITV documentary which catalagoued her husband's slow death from Alzheimers. What a lady. I was asked to take part in this last week and first of all said no, as health is not one of my specialist areas. They then said that it worked really well in Brighton and Bournemouth having a non specialist on the panel. I asked who they had and they told me it had been Janet Street Porter (who demanded a limousine to transport her to and fro...) and Polly Toynbee. So, I said, I'm the Tory Polly Toynbee, am I? I've been called worse. On second thoughts... :)

* David Davis's speech gets a slating on ConHome and in The Sun this morning. I must have been watching a different speech. But then again, so I was in 2005, so perhaps I am not the best judge. My partner rang me last night (and he's no great fan of DD - doesn't like it when he answers the phone at home andwithout a greeting, DD just says "is he there?"!) raving about his speech - "best one I've heard", "Cameron will do well to better that" and "told it how it is" were just three of the things he said.

* I was astonished at the number of people who said they had seen me do my little speech on Rwanda. Whenever you speak at a conference everyone always tells you how well you had done, even if they don't mean it, so I take compliments on speeches with a pinch of salt. However, virtually everyone said that it really came from the heart and they were glad I managed to hold it together. Luckily I took out the one line which might have made me lose it.

* The second fringe I spoke at was put on the by the Hansard Society with the provocative question: 'Are political parties a waste of time?' I argued that they weren't but it's easy to see why they are regarded as such. Ed Vaizey and Peter Oborne had a running hour long spat of insulting each other while Theresa May and I came across as the voice of sweet reason. I think. Oborne's main argument centred aroiund the fact that MPs use political parties for their own ends. I hit back at this and pointed out that if that were true, the same argument could be used for journalists using newspapers for their own ends. He described politicians being a narrow political elite which few could break into. I replied that newspaper columnists were an even narrower elite which virtually no-one could break into. As I was saying it, I thought to myself "you're on dodgy ground here, mate". The audience laughed, and I then asserted that bloggers were now undermining the columntariat, something I think Peter Oborne might have nodded at. But then again, I might have imagined it.

UPDATE: Peter Oborne has emailed to say: "This description of our robust and enjoyable exchange is misleading. I did not respond to yr newspaper analogy by saying that politicians were ‘a narrow political elite which few could break into’. I responded that yr analogy was false. I said that the market system dictates that newspapers only exist in insofar as they can attract readers. By contrast, I noted, MPs (particularly the so-called modernizers) have a hostile and abusive relationship to party members which cannot be compared to the relationship between newspaper journalists and their readers." I don't think I misrepresented his words at all, but there you go.

* I was bought a present yesterday by Jonathan Sheppard's (Tory Radio) wife. Suffice to say she picked it up in a Blackpool tat shop. Also suffice it also to say I won't be putting a picture of it on here. I did, however, show it to several members of the Conservative Womens' Organisation, who seemed rather impressed by it, despite the fact that it didn't buzz. All I will say, is that it was an unusally shaped stick of rock. Ahem.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Emily Maitlis is wearing jodhpurs and boots according to The Times. any chance of pictures?

ChrisC said...

"Is he there?"

Is David Davis really as rude as that? According to Guido he has very high staff turnover...

I wouldn't put up with it!!

Anonymous said...

You're buggered:

http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_a_l/simon_carr/article3021319.ece

"Where Blair and Brown were working 20 hours a day, Letwin does politics half time in favour of his day job at one of our more glamorousmerchant banks."

Daily Referendum said...

I've got a feeling that David Cameron's speech will make a big splash today, and the ripples will spread across the country.

I hope Brown calls an election because I'm sick and tired of his spin.

Being an ex-serviceman I will never forgive him for yesterday's sick stunt.

Anonymous said...

God I hope Cameron gives the speech of his life. That'll end the Broon boonce once and for all.

"Where Blair and Brown were working 20 hours a day, Letwin does politics half time in favour of his day job at one of our more glamorousmerchant banks."

Good. Most of our greatest politicians have had jobs outside of politics (Churchill being just one example). It keeps them in touch with the real world, unlike Bliar or Broon who had no lives outside politics. I've always distrusted politicians who work 20 hours a day, though some, e.g. Margaret Thatcher, are fine of course.

Anonymous said...

Gordon will be kicking the plonk who suggested he fly off to visit "our Boys" in Iraq from one end of Downing Street to the other. A SERIOUS mistake of judgement(but then again NOT surprising as he has made many over the last 13 years - starting with believing Blair and Mandelson in the Leadership contest after Smith's death) Labour are seriously worried(if you only count the number of NuLab Anymongs on the blogs that's a sure sign)

Labour had a pretty lacklustre conference compared to the Conservatives; their front bench are a pretty useless shower and if anyone is daft enough to still think that Gordon is the "Heir to Thatcher" they must need medication.

Gordon 's has allowed himself to be "painted into a corner" on the election. He has little option but to call one if he is to keep any political creditability. Trouble is as PM you can't really do "MacCavity Moments" anymore or send poor saps like Ainsworth to be given a good kicking by "Paxo" in your stead.

Oscar Miller said...

I think it's another trap to invest too much in Cameron's speech as the press pack is egging us on to do. The 'make or break' narrative is a dangerous one - and anyway it's rather demeaning to think people vote as if politics is just a branch of celebrity all about 'performance'. What's been so impressive this week is the strength of the team, the well thought out policies, the passion and sincerity that has come across so well. Cameron's speech is simply one part of a strong, steady process that is not based on one liners or 'rabbits out of a hat'. Leave that to Labour. A speech isn't even just for Christmas - policies are what counts. Substance is what counts.

Mark M Heenan said...

I can vouch for IDS's speech being a "corker". I watched it on BBC Parliament and he really was as passionate as I've ever seen a politician, and he came across very genuine. Sadly the TV news didn't show any of that...

Wrinkled Weasel said...

Did you make up the story of the unusually shaped stick of rock? It sounds like a cock and balls story to me.

Anonymous said...

Press officer: Prime Minister, do you think we should invite the press, as well as the two broadcast journalists?

GB: No! I'm not having the Tory press there, sniping at me.

Press officer: I think the print journalists might resent it, Prime Minister.

GB: I said No! Whose side are you on?

Unsworth said...

The real value of this conference for the Conservatives has been to show the strength in depth of the current Conservative front bench. There have been excellent performances throughout the week.

Government is not about one individual - as we (should) have learned over the last ten years. The politics of personality is a busted flush.

The centrist Blair was found out - eventually - and will not dare to face the public for many years. Brown is now trying (ineptly) to emulate him, supported by a bunch of seriously incompetent toadies. Where's the real skill, vision, passion and dignity in NuLab? Completely blown away by lies and mendacity.

And Labour still arrogantly and stupidly believe that the British Public is so incredibly gullible as to continue to have any belief in their deceits. Labour has simply pissed the hopes and aspirations of the electorate up aginst the wall. A shameful, dishonourable, waste of faith.

Anonymous said...

You could always put your Blackberry up against it to give it a little extra 'zing'..

Anonymous said...

Yes, I think the Tory Polly Toynbee (TPT for the gossip and celeb columns) will do nicely.

Anonymous said...

It's clear it's been a great conference and even some of the BBC and Sky journalists have noticeably warmed to the Tories in the last 3 days.

Brown's sick stunt over troop withdrawals yesterday has blown up in his face. Even Micheal White has strongly criticised it on TV.

Brown is now between a rock and a hard place: call an election and risk losing his majority, or bottle it and be condemned for cowardice.

It's entirely a situation of his own making and shows he doesn't have even half the political acumen of Blair/Campbell/Mandelson. Putting the oafish Bob Ainsworth live on Newsnight to be torn to shreds by Paxman was a unbelievable incompetence by the Brown camp.

It's been a disastrous week for New Labour and will probably only get worse.

Anonymous said...

I was moved by the passion displayed by IDS - and I'm no fan! He was genuine.

The David Davis speech was pretty feeble.

Hope DC rocks Blackpool today! :)

Gordon Brown must GO!

Anonymous said...

Iain

I'm bemused by yesterday's news coverage. Throughout the day the BBC slowly began to switch their headlines away from Brown's "announcement" and on to the unanimous condemnation it subsequently received.

Hmmm, I thought. Has the BBC realised that it has been treading a fine line lately and that it had better show a bit of independence in it's reporting of Brown's shenanigans?

No, I concluded, there must be some benefit to Brown in this reporting, what might it be? Why would Brown and his BBC lackies be happy to take the hit on the catastrophic headlines on Iraq?

The it dawned on me. Hardly any covereage whatsoever on Hague's pledge to hold a referendum, not only on the current, proposed EU treaty but also to legislate for a referendum on ALL future treaties.

Surely this is a vastly more profound event than the Iraq story. At a stroke, the Tories are willing to stop any further EU integration, at least for the UK, for that is surely the consequence of pledging referenda. Why would you vote UKIP if this were on offer from one of the two main parties with a prospect of governing after the election?

Or have a missed something?

Anonymous said...

behaviour of audience at hansard meeting was appauling. rude and aggressive. they complain that politicians have become clones. well as far as i can see they always were: white old self satisfied w**kers. TIME FOR CHANGE

Tapestry said...

Iain, you slated IDS's 2003 speech which many in the hall loved.

Now you say that you don't see eye to eye with him on many things. What are they? Europe presumably, a topic which never troubles your blog.

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes, yes, but will you promise NEVER to plan and wage aggressive war? Will your party reinstate the civil liberties for which our ancestors fought and died? Or will you all turn out to represent the same corporate powers who turned the party-formerly-known-as-Labour into a fascist monster?

Rich Tee said...

I was at the Hansard meeting as well. I take Pip's point about the aggressiveness but myself and my colleague both enjoyed it.

This is the first time I have been to a political conference of any party and it is many years since I have seen the level of discussion and enthusiasm in many of these fringe meetings.

Anonymous said...

if a group of young people behaved like that in a meeting they would be the first to complain of yob behaviour. robust interesting educated debate is stimulating but this was just a rabble of incoherent argument feeding off seething resentment.