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Reflections II: The Ministers
By Andy | March 4, 2008
So if Brown wasn’t sparkling, what about the others?
Some delegates - and bloggers - have got very excited about Ed Milliband’s speech. Much of this acclamation comes as a result of Ed being able to speak to conference without using an autocue This is a skill that I’m rather good at - but it doesn’t mean that I’m likely to get my chance any time soon!
The effectiveness of formal speeches was best illustrated during the Friday plenary. The meeting opened with a rousing speech from Hazel. But there were few troops there to rouse. Hazel delivered her speech at 100 miles an hour as only Hazel can. She was positive to an un-real degree. Wheras some politicians have spoken to trades unionists in the past Hazel speaks clearly to the vanguard of New Labour storm troops. But somehow it seems to miss the point. She can often get side-tracked into things that seem to reduce politics to a game. She told, at length, a story of how she’d organised a demo to stop David Cameron getting his photo taken outside of the Salford Lad’s club a la Morrissey on his favourite album. The photo op had to be abandoned and DC escorted out of the building by a rear entrance. Hazel then emailed DC a photo of her in the same pose. She swore that he’d not get his chance to get his photo ‘not on my watch’. She spoke as if this was really important. Quite bizarre really. (Morrissey’s political views seem to be far more aligned with traditional Tories - nothing for us to get excited about).
Next up was Tessa Jowell in best Nanny form. She took us through her strategy as Minister for London and co-ordinater of the London election campaign. we were left in not doubt that - should Boris succeed - civilisation as we know it would come to an end. She didn’t take a normal conference stance. Rather she was very grave as if we simply couldn’t recognise the dangers ourselves. It reminded me of those grim CND anti war films that we watched so often in the eighties,.
Tessa was there to introduce Ken and there’s no doubt in my mind that Ken gave by far the best speech of the conference. Indeed, Ken looked a politician who was head and shoulders above any one else who was on show. He knew his subject well. He talked effectively about the challenges facing London. He was the best speaker on Climate Change not because he talked about it knowledgeably but because he was able to talk about what he had done or was doing. There was the Congestion Charge and its monitored benefits. And there was the green buildings initiative that had come out of working with other big cities and the Clinton Foundation. Ken was energetic but experienced, humorous but devastatingly serious. He was also in modest mood. He could have whipped up the audience and would no doubt have earned a standing ovation. But this was Ken the team player and he duly name-checked the other Ministers who were due to appear on the platform. He downplayed his speech seemingly in a deliberate attempt not to upstage his Ministerial colleagues, but he was clearly the best.
There are those of course who will never like Ken, especially members out of London who are still so confused as to how we came to love him again. How have we got over history? Well the mantra was about when ‘Labour gave back its government’. Everything else was ignored but to make us all very clear Livingstone was - throughout conference - referred to as ‘our Ken’!
Ed Balls also spoke at this plenary. Rather like Brown this was not a bad speech but he does rely on the autocue. And like Gordon you were left with the feeling that there was not much substance in what he was saying beyond the funding sound bites, but to be fair it’s still early days for him
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