Oct 9
85542116
A Tory Conference Posting
by Andrew Ian Dodge
Well, the first real night of the the conference was last night, and there were not major problems. Well, besides the clever chap who power-booted in the front row of the CF comedy gig. His “contribution” summed up the general opinion of the comedians on the night. The disco, on the other hand, was rather good, despite the fact the DJ’s skills were a bit amateurish. One downside, though, since the dance floor was in the basement, I missed at least one important call. Must remember not to be in a basement when expecting a phone call; obvious, I know, but, oh well.
The mood here at conference is nowhere near as bad as many expected. There is a bit of the stiff upper lip time here, and there are rumblings of a putsch coming. It seems that Mr Clarke will make another stab at the crown if a leadership battle occurs. (It looks likely it will; timing is open to question.) David Davis has been playing it very cool, wandering around the hall talking to people sans entourage or minders. He looks calm, cool, and collected, very much a leader in waiting. His speech to the conference was well received, garnering him a much deserved standing ovation. He seems to be really capturing the hearts and minds at this conference, I am sure that IDS is well aware he has to deliver tomorrow, or it’s curtains for him. The trouble right now, of course, is that there are no policies to offer; it is just mostly waffle and puff.
The Daily Telegraph held a meeting yesterday, which was S.R.O., where they discussed freedom. It was very much a waffle-free zone, and the speakers actually said something. Even Tebbit got into the “libertarian” vibe and almost sounded like he should be writing for Samizdata. I was able to ask questions and the entire panel agreed with my question regarding “responsibility.” In the evening, Jacob Rees-Mogg chatted to me about my question. I gather I swore (it was “bloody”), and this was a bit off, according to him.
The party may be in the doldrums but you would never have guessed it from the conference hotel last night. The Tories do know how to have a good “knees-up”; it would be nice if they could politically let their hair down and truly become the party of freedom and liberty, the blue-rinse brigade be damned.
