Jon Cruddas’s conference diary: part 5

Tuesday night/Wednesday morning

GB’s speech nailed it. No game changer in terms of tax policy, though. The ‘Spectator/Compass middle class tax cut’ was not even announced. Very clever; we must be saving it for next week. The speech worked for GB—the conference response was significant; indeed profound. The space for the coup plotters has been closed down. They in turn are seriously pissed off about how good it was. Rumours persist regarding the Flint martyrdom video.

I hate these big speeches and instead watch them on TV. Sarah showed guts. Most significant was Brown’s more emotional language through the use of individual stories rather than long lists of achievements and targets; for example the man who could be at granddaughter’s wedding due to waiting list cuts. He is sounding more ‘emotionally literate’. He’s obviously dusted down his copy of ‘The Political Brain’.