Conference Confidential
Doom and gloom from the Tories' Blackpool orgy of masochism
Bald patch on the grass-roots
There's an unusual mood at this year's Conservative conference. Whilst most media commentators are portraying the conference as the leadership hopeful's chance to communicate with the party's grass roots constituency members, the truth is a little less straightforward.
The grass-roots members have stayed away en mass. With the slow death that is the current leadership contest, most members hold the same view as the rest of the general public - they just want the politicians to get it over with. The members who have taken the dive into the Blackpool shark-tank are those who have an agenda for or against a particular candidate.
That leaves the Winter Gardens and the Imperial Hotel a swarm of conflicting factions with few 'floating voters' in evidence. Any connection with the 'grass-roots' at this conference is likely to be a glossy stage-managed Blair-style operation.
Bald patch on the grass-roots
There's an unusual mood at this year's Conservative conference. Whilst most media commentators are portraying the conference as the leadership hopeful's chance to communicate with the party's grass roots constituency members, the truth is a little less straightforward.
The grass-roots members have stayed away en mass. With the slow death that is the current leadership contest, most members hold the same view as the rest of the general public - they just want the politicians to get it over with. The members who have taken the dive into the Blackpool shark-tank are those who have an agenda for or against a particular candidate.
That leaves the Winter Gardens and the Imperial Hotel a swarm of conflicting factions with few 'floating voters' in evidence. Any connection with the 'grass-roots' at this conference is likely to be a glossy stage-managed Blair-style operation.
I'm a contractor for the Government, so really the taxpayer is funding my little public services...
Posted by
Ben |
Mon Oct 03, 02:26:00 pm
The extravagance!
On Friday I tried to print out the 2004 annual report for the Port of Rotterdam Authority. The first nine pages printed out ok. Pages ten to 84 however, just contained half a picture of a boat or a series of enough vertical lines to render the paper unusable for scrap.
I have also discovered that there is a special VIP biscuit selection that should be ordered when a minister attends a meeting. Apparently it has biscuits with more chocolate and some of them are in wrappers!
Posted by
Ben |
Mon Oct 03, 04:45:00 pm
Hmm, wasting taxpayers money....
I went to a National Industrial Symbiosis Programme meeting last Tuesday - it was hosted in London Zoo, and they provided a buffet meal and lots of drinks afterwards. It's a government funded networking operation. I reckon I've wasted my share of taxpayers money.
Posted by
Matt |
Tue Oct 04, 09:01:00 am
Emma's always on about the fact that government employs travel everywhere first class.
I'm angling for a research trip to Australia at the moment. If I get to go first class it'll cost a penny or two…
Saying that, I'll probably end up going to stupid Rotterdam :-(
Posted by
Ben |
Tue Oct 04, 10:33:00 am