I’ve never felt an atmosphere quite like this in a party conference. The press pack is silent, waiting for Cameron to come on. Its like we’re waiting for a tightrope act with no safety net where the artist could triumph, or perish. Anyway, so much for the promised 2.00pm start. And in wallks Cameron, as promised with no podium and no autocue. Notes left on a desk, there for emergencies. No one can deny the man’s got balls.
Standing in the press gallery waiting to go into the 5 Live bubble. Just finished BBC, Anglia and Sky. The BBC make up woman has made me look like the cookie monster! Conservative conference goers are creatures of habit. They like to go into the auditorium in the morning, put their towel on a seat and then come back later for the leaders speech. Not allowed this year it seems. Everyone has been chucked out of the auditorium and made to queue outside to re-enter. The queue is twice round the Winter Gardens and it is a queue of very unhappy people. This is not a good start! Nadine
We were finally served our dinner at 10.30 last night. Thank goodness I was with the Countryside Alliance who are good fun and tolerant. It was then onto the News International reception, which is the gossip reception of the conference and the only one it is impossible to get into unless you have been invited. It was here the conference speech whispers took flight: fascinating to watch the networking in action. One person I was with was absolutely desperate beyond the realms of normal behaviour to drop a word in Fraser Nelson’s ear, and he did! Staggered home and into bed at midnight, wiped out. Blackberry wakes me at 1.15
The Tories don’t like to be beside the seaside. Or, more specifically, I’m assured this is the last time they will choose a coastal resort for their conference; which means that–God willing–this will be the last time I see Blackpool. A colleague is already in bed with food poisoning. I have heard three separate stories about people finding blood stains in their hotel. Bring on Manchester…..
Intro of the Day: A convent in Italy is being shut down after a fight between its last three remaining nuns. So badly did relations deteriorate between the sisters of Santa Clara in Bari that the Mother Superior ended up in hospital with scratches to her face. Read the rest here.
There’s a delightful piece by Howard Jacobsen in the latest edition of The New Republic in which the author mourns the sad decline of table tennis. I don’t know why the magazine hasn’t promoted it more. The problem, you see, is the sponge bat. It has changed everything, and not, you will be unsurprised to discover for the better. Sponge ushered in the era of Asian supremacy, thanks in no small part to an athletic revolution that, well, changed the game forever… The single exception to Asian dominance, provided by Sweden, is only to be explained, I think, by that aspect of table tennis which no technology has ever been
I am in the Hilton at a dinner hosted by the Countryside Alliance. There is someone I know on almost every table in the restaurant. Everyone is talking about the speech Iain gave tonight and absolutely everyone is talking about how the tears flooded their eyes and the hairs on the back of their neck rose. There is a lady on my table who is in tears now—she has said that her hands are still hurting from clapping and the only reason people sat down was because Iain began to look embarrassed by the length of his standing ovation. The gist of what made everyone cry was the very typical
I’ve just been speaking to over hundred business people who have come up to Blackpool for our Corporate Day. I spoke alongside Miles Templeman, Director General of the Institute of Directors. Richard Lambert of the CBI, the British Chambers of Commerce, and Federation of Small Business were also there in force. The event was just part of an action packed day of policy discussions and seminars organised by our business relations operation. We’ve done an enormous amount of work over the year, engaging with small and large businesses, up and down the country, and across every sector. We had record attendance, and the event was oversubscribed. My morning was a
I have tried so hard all day. I have kept myself distracted. Fully immersed in meetings and preparing for my fringe tonight. I forced myself not to look at the comment section on my blog – and then it happened, someone noticed and now I just can’t help myself. Here goes – I told you so. I said weeks ago on my own blog and yesterday on this one that Brown would announce a withdrawal of troops and use emotive language with words like ‘our boys’ to do so, as a pre election stunt to rain on our parade. And that’s just what it is, a cheap political stunt; as
So exciting. Was at secret meeting with Dave last night when he told us Gordon was going to call the election on Friday, or possibly Monday. Or, possibly not for a while. But probably quite soon. Atmosphere is electric. Policy count 173 and rising. Got a bit squiffy at the north west regional development agency bash but doing best to obey our iron discipline “low alcohol” rule. We were going to go for no alcohol in run up to election but Jed thought that made us seem a bit puritanical. Best if we’re all seen getting a bit drunk, so we can connect with People Out There. Anyway, if you
Bumped into Baroness Peta Buscombe at the bar in the Imperial Hotel last night – Peta is the CEO of the Advertising Association. She told me that last week she had attended the Labour party conference, for business purposes only I hasten to add. I asked her how it had compared to our own conference. “No where near the number of delegates” she said.”No real activists as such, a very corporate affair, focused, driven and very smart – so glad I wore my Armani” Priceless! I am about to take her to my friends on a local council estate for a cup of tea. They will love her and she
Woke up to blanket coverage. Seems the speech went down well.
Blackpool. Tuesday morning. Windy. Been here for 24 hours now, and why are there quite so many policemen? It’s not as if the Tories are in power. They are probably further away from it than ever. The big question is my mind is not whether Gordon will call an election or whether George is cute, but what would the IRA or any terrorists achieve by blowing up the Imperial? I think that everyone has gone overboard on policing because all the security makes shadow politicians feel important, or because Blackpool is a marginal seat and most voters work for the Lancashire constabulary. I had plenty of time to admire the
I was surprised to see Andy Coulson, George Eustice et al at the packed (and hot) Telegraph party last night with big smiles. Seeing today’s papers, I see why. This is the best day for the Tories for a long, long time. “9 Million Families Free from Death Tax” says the Mail. The Times, Telegraph & Sun are similarly supportive. All indicative of a party which is back in the game. The reaction? Gordon Brown is as panicked as he was when he saw the Broken Society theme doing so well. Then, he ended the good headlines by scrapping the Manchester Supercasino. Now, he has brought forward the Iraq withdrawal
It’s a question I’ve asked before, but it’s worth revisiting: if school choice is a nefarious right-wing plot to keep poor people poor and uneducated why is it that Sweden – Sweden! – has a nationwide school voucher programme that is supported by all political parties? Now clearly this doesn’t in and of itself demonstrate that open access school choice programmes are necessarily a magic bullet, but it might – or rather ought to – quieten some of the hysterical shrieking one hears from defenders of the status quo in both the USA and the UK. If school choice can be embraced by left-wing Swedes it’s just about possible it
If you haven’t been tempted to use Amazon.com’s new MP3 download service may I point out that Clemens Krauss’s 1953 Ring Cycle is currently available for $13.98. That’s $13.98 for the entire cycle. That’s insane and almost enough to make me think we live in a pretty dandy world.
Team Osborne (regular, if anonymous Coffee House visitors) call to take issue with my earlier blog. I am not right to say non doms will pay more than 50% tax rate, they say, because the £100k average annual earning figure does not include offshore earnings. They estimate the de facto tax rate will be much lower. (They don’t specify, but I get the feeling they mean 20% or so) Previous “what if” studies on milking the non doms, have estimated that 20% would leave after a crackdown. Crucially, Osborne calculates his tax is benign enough that no one will actually do so. Non doms, he says, believe that £25k is
Fans of Larry David’s deeply wonderful US comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm will be familiar with the social angst of the “Stop-and-Chat”. This is Larry’s description of the social obligation to stop walking where you’re going and to talk to anyone you happen to bump into whom you know. Larry hates the duty to “Stop-and-Chat”. Sociopathic? Yes, but a straw poll of delegates in Blackpool suggests to me that most of them secretly agree with him when it comes to party conferences. “I hide in my room sometimes,” one Tory told me, “because I just can’t bear having to have the same ten minute conversation with people I haven’t seen
This is such a good week. Commentators have said that Gordon has taunted us into announcing policies that we would have preferred to leave until later in the electoral cycle, whenever that may be. If he has, then he has done us a favour. Surely electoral success owes a great deal to getting the message out in a clear, strong, simple and repetitive manner. The electorate need to understand who and what they are voting for. Following the slam dunk announcements made by George today to scrap stamp duty for first time buyers up to £250,000 and to the level at which inheritance tax is paid to £1million, we can
Been everywhere and can’t find designer wellies. Am getting desperate. Does anyone reading this have any idea where I can get them? They don’t need to be leopard patterned. In fact would prefer a pair with ponies on, if possible. I’m going to get into terrible trouble for going shopping during Gids’s taxathon but all these policies are making me feel a bit panicky. Jed’s on a major policy high. Every time we announce one he makes a noise like a cowboy. The more right wing the policy, the louder he screeches! Personally, I feel a bit bruised by it all. Of course I’m delighted we’re going to give people