And so to the final political conference of the season (with the exception of UKIP’s)…
If anyone ever doubted Steven Green of The Daily Referendum’s partisan credentials they should look no further than his summation on the morning of the conference’s second day: “There will be more excellent policies announced during today’s conference: all of which will make life a little brighter and a little fairer for us all.”
David Cameron’s big speech was generally well received among right-leaning bloggers. One of many glowing reviews was written by Tory councillor Tony Sharp: “Cameron demonstrated there is no need for a fight for the soul of the party, because it is where it belongs. Traditional Conservative values remain, with individual responsibility still being encouraged, while policing, education and healthcare will be spared the heavy hand of intrusive bureaucracy that detracts from the services that should be provided.”
Benedict Brogan gave an insight into the media’s reaction to Cameron’s speech: “In the press room it was impossible to escape the feeling that the story has now turned against the all-powerful Gordon Brown. During the speech and immediately afterwards you could sense journalists willing Mr Cameron to make a success of it and provide us with an alternative to the relentless onward march of Brown.”
But Obsolete was as unimpressed with Cameron’s “bladder pressurizingly lengthy” speech as he was with Brown’s effort: “Both had no overall theme, a pedestrian stroll through their respective policies, without anything to draw it all together. Cameron’s, if it’s possible, is even more soporific.”
Over on NS columnist Kevin Maguire’s Daily Mirror blog, he believes he has uncovered that the impromptu nature of the speech may not have been all it seemed.
He tells of how a man was seen at Euston station taxi rank being congratulated by returning Tories on having written a “great speech”. He asks: “Anyone know him? He looked in his 30s, fairish hair, dark suit. chequed shirt and a tie with an emblem or motif from a university or club.” The plot thickens.
Finally, as Guido Fawkes points out, Thatcher is not the only eighties throwback to benefit from a surge of Tory popularity of late. A video shown at the conference has a distinctly acid house backing track.
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