‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us’.
That seems to sum up politics rather well in many respects, although perhaps a little too sombre (I hope), but I’ll allow you to make your own comparisons.
I must admit, I haven’t been to conference for a few years since the Conservatives were running the country, so I was not quite sure what to expect this time around. Last year may have had us in opposition but there was the buzz of the leadership contest. The last time I was there, the exhibition hall did feel fuller with exhibits and members, but that is not really a surprise when the party is riding high and in power. The media really did seem to want to make a bigger deal out of it than was warranted; a slow news day I suspect. They neglected to point out fringe events taking place around the clock which were packed out and generally standing room only. There were others I saw queues stretching all around the corridors and people turned away due to capacity being met. Empty? Certainly not.
With this month marking the centenary of the birth of our Iron Lady, she heavily featured at conference; from Toby Jugs and baubles in the party shop, three of her most iconic outfits on show, cutouts, and of course the member mosaic where we had our photos taken and collated to create the lady herself. The Sunday evening, we had the Thatcher reception to hear speeches including one from Kemi, and to raise a glass to Mrs Thatcher. This was followed by the Northern reception where it was great to see more constituency colleagues and I was surprised to see myself appearing on screens which turned out to be showing campaign photos!
There were many interesting speeches, talks, and other events to attend and I certainly fit in as much as possible. I had some excellent conversations with Council and Parliamentary candidates from previous elections and those intending to stand again, and we will be looking out for each other’s future results. The Ukrainian soldier in conversation with Priti Patel was fascinating and he deservedly received a very long standing ovation upon entering, and a fun highlight was playing the politics game interview with David for The Telegraph.
Conference was a great experience. It was nice to spend it with friends, talk politics, and have fun at the same time. I even bumped into an old university friend and one of my past students, and I noticed that there was a broad mixture of all ages including a lot of Young Conservative members in attendance which certainly shows there’s life in the old party yet.
I keep saying it, but now is the time not to be looking back or lamenting Councillors and MPs who leave the party. They were in the wrong party, and it is not a great loss, and I’ll tell you this; there are plenty of us out there who work harder and are more dedicated to representing our people, helping others, and building the future of the party. A new party with new ideas. You turn if you want to. This Tory is not for turning.
End of the Conservative Party? Definitely not.
By Maxwell Green.
