Conference blog
Blears joins the Tories
Posted by Hazel Blears - 01 October 2008 16:51
Surprise in Birmingham as government minister Hazel Blears turns up at the Tory conference only to sense a whiff of hubris. Well more than a whiff...
I turned a few heads this week by appearing at a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. Several Tory ‘representatives’ did double takes. Some were mildly rude; some were perfectly friendly. There were also plenty of Labour people who stopped to say hello, including, improbably, Sunder Katwala from the Fabian Society who looked like a fish out of water.
I had two distinct impressions of seeing ...
Sombre Tories
Posted by Grant Shapps - 01 October 2008 09:10
'The mood has been somewhat sombre as the first priority is to ensure stability in the banking and financial system' - Grant Shapps on this year's Tory conference
This year's conference has had a slightly different feel to it than those I have been to in recent years. To be precise there is a more serious atmosphere in and around the conference centre, not just on the main stage but in fringe events as well.
Usually conferences are a bubble, a miniature version of the Westminster village with political parties far more inward looking than at other times ...
Tackling homelessness
Posted by Grant Shapps - 29 September 2008 18:34
'It is vital that this conference demonstrates our commitment to change; that we set out our plan for that change and that we offer real solutions,' argues Grant Shapps
'Our agenda: Changing the state of the homeless' says Conservative MP Grant Shapps
It's fantastic to be back in our second city for our Conference this year; it's a vibrant place with great potential and there was a real buzz around the conference centre from the beginning.
I've already been in Birmingham this year looking at regeneration and homelessness projects and it's clear how important it is that we demonstrate real vision in housing policy and offer true change for the future.
The ...
Yet to seal the deal
Posted by Eric Pickles - 27 September 2008 09:27
Manchester was a brutal and sometimes chaotic week, but the prospects for the forthcoming Conservative conference are altogether different ... but they're taking nothing for granted writes Eric Pickles
After the three week conference season people might be forgiven for suffering from conference fatigue. Many will be trying to battle the effects of a Labour party conference which at times appeared to be a cross between the Japanese survival game show Endurance, and during all the standing ovations, a Jane Fonda work-out video. Manchester was a brutal and sometimes chaotic week, but the prospects for the forthcoming Conservative conference ...
Brown's comeback
Posted by Jessica Asato - 23 September 2008 18:21
In all it was a well-executed speech for a Prime Minister under siege and as ministers and activists pore over the detail in the weeks to come, it may well provide the starting point for a wider debate about the direction of the government and party.
Gordon Brown's Labour Conference speech was never going to be the 'make-or-break' point which many commentators were trying to engineer, but he certainly used the opportunity to take on his critics and win back the public.
Progress's editorial (http://www.progressonline.org.uk/Magazine/article.asp?a=3379) in its conference edition of the magazine argued that the crucial thing the Prime Minister should do in his speech was to take responsibility for the government's mistakes in the ...
The need for 'narrative'
Posted by Jessica Asato - 23 September 2008 15:43
Labour needs to devise, and agree, a vision of the changes we wish to bring about in our country in the next decade and how we will achieve them.
George Orwell's essay on Politics and the English Language many moons ago warned politicians against the overuse of clichés and dead metaphors. He argued that political discourse at the time suffered from two problems: a staleness of imagery and a lack of precision. I expect he would find the situation has worsened ten-fold if he were to read and listen to some of our discussions at the conference, and in ...
Time to rein in the wreckless
Posted by Chris Leslie - 22 September 2008 20:04
Former Labour minister turned thinktank chief Chris Leslie gives his reaction to Alistair Darling's conference speech in Manchester
Alistair's speech to conference today may not be the talk of the bar at the Midland Hotel - most delegates wanted far more radicalism - but there's no doubt that it was the most significant contribution to the actual debates so far.
He didn't detail a raft of policy specifics, nor did he commit to new spending plans. But the Chancellor did signal that the normal market orthodoxies which ...
A bold vision?
Posted by Ben Davies - 22 September 2008 13:17
The talk at conference, a desire to hear a bold vision from Gordon Brown and Charles Clarke's current unpopularity
The New Statesman party is usually the first big event of Labour's annual conference and you can get quite a sense of how the week may pan out.
This time Charles Clarke was an early arrival keen to spread the word about his Sunday Times article in which he cheered on the idea of a leadership contest.
Clarke's not a popular figure in Manchester just now - neither with delegates ...
Trouble in Manchester
Posted by Matthew Taylor - 22 September 2008 12:23
The RSA's Matthew Taylor on the whispering cabinet minister, an antagonisic local and the train that doubled as a fridge
Sunday was just one of those days. I was booked to chair a fringe meeting for the New Statesman at lunchtime and so got to Euston in good time for the Manchester train. That’s when it all started to go wrong. The train ‘wasn’t ready’ which, given that Virgin had presumably had since Saturday night to prepare it, was hard to understand.
When we finally did board the train ...
Miliband: We can win the election
Posted by David Miliband - 22 September 2008 09:54
Foreign Secretary David Miliband urges Labour to defend its record, be candid about its strengths and weaknesses and show why David Cameron's plans are the new con. Plus the RSA's Matthew Taylor on trouble in Manchester
Miliband is being touted by some as a possible Labour leader
At the next election, foreign policy can be a winner for Labour. But only if we demonstrate why it is integral to Britain’s security and opportunity, set out a clear vision of British foreign policy that draws on our values, and show why progressive ends cannot be delivered by conservative means.
Foreign policy used to be considered enemy territory for the left. It was the realm where national interest had ...
Blears: Tough times
Posted by Hazel Blears - 19 September 2008 11:35
It seems clearer every day the Chancellor’s assessment of the trajectory of the world economy was correct - we need to show the country we're addressing the challenges
The Labour Party meets in Manchester this week against a turbulent economic backcloth. Most people will be watching the news and reading the paper with a growing sense of anxiety about their jobs, mortgages, and savings. People know that food and petrol cost more than a few months ago. They will be worried about the bills, with Christmas around the corner. It seems clearer every day that the Chancellor’s assessment ...
Hacking Sarah Palin
Posted by Paul Evans - 19 September 2008 10:08
Not often getting many thrills, the Lib Dems were keen to have tuppence worth on the conference scrap plus hacking Sarah Palin's Yahoo...
The Bournemouth Identity
Bloggers rarely get the recognition they deserve – so it’s a good thing that the Liberal Democrats take time out to honour their keyboard warriors at conference. This year’s Lib Dem Blog Awards was a rout for Alix Mortimer’s intelligent and playful People’s Republic of Mortimer.
Mortimer’s blog attracts a keen following because she approaches issues with humour, honesty and genuine insight – but ...
Booing Lembit
Posted by Paul Evans - 18 September 2008 10:33
The new nasty party or the party of making it happen? Paul Evans gives his assessment of the annual Lib Dem conference
Ah, Liberal Democrat conference. Hacks and lobbyists sneer at the lax security, but liberals cherish it. Half-hearted bag checks are all they need – though even the cursory glance that confirms they’re not armed leaves them a little affronted. Security staff broke sweat only to prevent Torbay MP Adrian Sanders from further assaulting former party press chief Mark Littlewood, whose think tank Liberal Vision had predicted that Sanders will lose ...
Bye to Bournemouth
Posted by Lembit Opik - 17 September 2008 17:37
Lembit Opik returns to newstatesman.com's Conference 2008 blog to share his thoughts about how the Lib Dem Dem annual gathering has gone
It’s only been 4 days since I last wrote this blog, but it feels like a lifetime. In that time I’ve made 14 speeches, travelled about 20 miles on foot and even more on a “Segway.” As you may know, a Segway Personal Transporter is a strange device with two wheels side by side like a trolley or something. You stand on it and, well, whiz about. This caused a ...
'Popular, radical but realistic policies'
Posted by Don Foster - 16 September 2008 18:20
'I do know that that we have been hitting the right buttons on issues that matter to ordinary people. Certainly our policies on tax cuts for average and low income households have been well received,' writes Don Foster.
It’s nearly over; a very late night tonight, the Leader’s speech tomorrow morning – which, of course, will be brilliant and then it’s back to Bath. If you’ve never been to a party conference you would be amazed by the stamina of most delegates. We’re up early for breakfast meetings and from there we attend some of the main debates, maybe give a speech or two, squeezing in fringe ...
