« The Brown Bounce: Reality Please !!! | Home | We Need to Be Bold - but … »
Despatches from the Tory Front Line - Birmingham
By Andy | September 30, 2008
The Tories are in town and they’re everywhere. It’s all very unsettling!
Last night I was in one of Birmingham’s posher restaurants. In they came in their droves. A private party was in the back of the restaurant and, near me, every party seemed to be taken up with male delegates from the conference. George Osborne was sitting behind me. Over the road an even posher restaurant had been taken over by a defence contractor for the evening.
I’ve only ever been to a Tory conference once, to speak at an education fringe meeting. This was before ‘97. What struck me this time is how much things have changed. Then obnoxious levels of behaviour and consumption seemed to be the norm. This class of Tories are more relaxed, calm or chilled even. They look like a group of people who are sure that their time has come.
On Sunday I had lunch with a journalist friend of mine who had also been with Labour last week. I reported that my mates at Labour conference had felt that it had gone well. Nonsense. He’d never been at a political conference with less energy. Everywhere he went were senior politicians willing to despair over Gordon!
My friend is a son of the left but he had no doubt where the momentum lay. He told me that there were 1,000 more delegates at this Tory conference than last. The Corporates were out in force. They’d spent one day at Labour conference just to be sure that they were noticed, but they were here in in Birmingham for the duration.
It may be that the Tories have not yet sealed the deal with the public. It may even be that their membership has fallen (see Luke’s Blog) but it would appear that business may have already decided !
Topics: Tories |
September 30th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Lets take the fight to them!
Tomorrow a group of us from around the country will be gathering outside the Tory conference to protest against Cameron and his pledge to repeal the ban on hunting with dogs.
We will be showing just what it is Cameron and his Countryside Alliance allies stand for, barbarity in the name of so called sport.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Good luck !!!
September 30th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I wouldn’t be too taken in with the “Gentle David, meek and mild” act, Andy. I think all this “social concern” and greenery is all a big act - wait till he gets his hands on the levers - worse still, that arrogant little twat George Osborne. After all, wasn’t Gordon going to be more “real Labour” according to his admirers before he took over from Auntie Tony, and talking about the great white queen, wasn’t he only just pretending to be right wing before the ‘97 election then he was in power going to be real Labour?. What did we get? nasty right wing scum like Blunky and Frank field.
Cameron and his shower may look all “more relaxed, calm or chilled even” now, but just wait till after May 2010. Remember for every cuddly Cameron you get an obnoxious polecat like Grayling, Gove (soldiers as teachers, indeed - parade in the playground?) and Osborne.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Forgot to mention: 1997 Tony Blair “We will be purer than pure!”
1998: The oleaginous Mandy Mandelson resigning for the first time. Then there was the second time and did this “unpure” politician crawl off into the sunset? Not a bit of it, he was rewarded with teh position of EU Commissioner.
What trinkets will David Cameron give Lord Ashcroft?
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Trinkets, trinkets. Surely he’ll have to be more forthcoming than that !
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:10 pm
What do you give the man who has everything?
Immunity from prosecution, perhaps?