A Bargain Ringside Seat to History

Saturday, 26th September 2009

Apparently the Labour Party is selling tickets to sit behind Gordon Brown during his leader's speech for a bargain £130 a pop. At the same time they are struggling to fill the seats for their gala fundraising dinner in Brighton. Things are getting desperate. Already, last year in Manchester, the exhibitors' hall was dominated by Labour associated organisations and unions. The corporate world abandoned the party long ago.

The interviews in this morning's papers show a new change in the political weather. Ed Balls continues his charm offensive and even borrows the rhetoric of Peter Mandelson's "fighter not a quitter" speech as a rallying call for the party. (I'm not sure it's a great idea to evoke the image of that toe-curling moment though).

Meanwhile, Alan Johnson has made it clear that he has not ruled himself out as a future leader. And John Prescott has been wonderfully frank about the crisis in the party in The Independent.

A former Labour minister sent me a text on Thursday saying he was "disappointed" by my piece in The Spectator last week saying that no one in the Labour Party seriously believes the next election is winnable. But he didn't say he disagreed.

Each Labour conference has its own special atmosphere. Bournemouth 2007 was the "Moonie" conference, all cultish grins and tragic misplaced hope ; Manchester 2008 was the "Moody" conference, with a brooding, bullying nastiness everywhere you went. It's impossible to know how this year will feel until I get there, but the interviews this morning make it an enticing prospect.

If I was a member of the Labour Party I'd pay that £130 for a ringside seat. It could be very interesting indeed.

Filed under: Alan Johnson (67 more articles) , Gordon Brown (918 more articles) , Labour in Crisis (77 more articles) , Labour leadership (387 more articles) , Party conferences (183 more articles) , Unions (143 more articles)

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Thatcher-right

September 26th, 2009 11:39am Report this comment

Are banners allowed: "Gordon - Go!"

paracelsus

September 26th, 2009 11:40am Report this comment

You're about the only one then. A fool and his money are easily parted!

Hawkeye

September 26th, 2009 2:27pm Report this comment

Paraclesus - I have to disagree. If £130 is what you are prepared to pay to watch the total disintegration of a party then it may well be worth it if that sort of thing interests you.

I've already told my kids that they can stay up as late as they like on election night as it is likely to be a historic night, however it turns out.

I'm looking forward to Portillo moment after Portillo moment, not to mention the glum faces at the Bolshevik Broadcasting Corporation as they have to announce that the supreme leader has lost yet another member of the Politburo...