May 31
85132665
I attended a GENEVA event last night at Conservative Central Office and was shocked. Based around a new book called Blue Tomorrow, it was the closest thing I have seen to a “real” debate about the future of the Conservative Party. Most in the audience and 3/4 of the panelists have come to realise that the Tory Party cannot fight a 1950’s campaign and expect to win. Gone were expressions of paternalistic nannying; they are to be replaced with the words freedom and responsibility. There were frank exchanges about the state of candidate selection at the last election (appalling, both in terms of candidates and the selection process), the life of the party (it’s dead), and the party’s focus. There were none of the stock phrases and twitch reactions normally found at CPF meetings. It was almost entirely intelligent, well informed debate. Oh yes, and one more thing, the average age was 35, not 65!
Alas, the only problem with this meeting was there were no MPs present (a fact duly noted by many) or higher-ups in the party. That room had the formula for a Tory comeback; will the party listen? They had better, if they want to win.
Michael Gove of the Times and Policy Exchange kept the audience in stitches whenever he spoke. As I said in a comment to the audience, Michael could tell someone he was about to be executed, and the man would go to the firing squad laughing his head off.
