Conservative Conference

Philip Hammond came across as a rather faded representative of the Undead (who was that Discworld character...?MR Slant?) Audience sparse - but maybe they are all on the jolly "training sessions" promoted by an ambitious young speaker yesterday. "This conference is really a training camp! A boot camp!" he chirped.

Thanks Maizie, I thought NI had voted to stay, and assumed the DUP supported this. Gosh,it gets ever more complicated doesn't it.

Apparently, at the CPC, the Adam Smith Institute has made this suggestion: that the UK takes 10,000 refugees a year from Venezuela, since the regime there doesn't seem to be working too well for folk.

Yes, Venezuela is a salutary lesson to all who fancy a socialist
government.

I thought Hammond's speech was rather good, he isn't a great orator, or a showy one, or a rabble rouser, but in plain sensible speech told of his aims for the future.

anyone who hopes for a labour style Conference will always be disappointed, there are no yelling whistling or whooping crowds, no standing ovations for madcap ideas like a General Strike if they don't get their own way, and no long angry oratory going on.

Haven't heard any other speeches as yet.

Yes, Venezuela is a salutary lesson to all who fancy a socialist government

It's just a right wing bogeyman, lemon. There are many reasons why Venezuela is in the terrible state it's in, most of which bear no resemblance to the UK at all.

Any serious analyst would be able to tell you that but I suppose sniping at people from a position of ignorance is much more fun than being informed about a topic.

Did you approve of Jeremy Hunt insulting the EU and all the former USSR countries within it? I posted a link to the insults bit earlier, (just in case you missed the speech)

^ Audience sparse -^

At 500 quid a ticket it's not really surprising.

true, you get many more packing in if you make it £3.

I haven't read Hunt's speech as yet, but will do, and comment on it then.

I will read all his speech though, as often things are taken out of context if only insults, or perceived insults are in a link.

You don't have to read it, lemon, just watch it, there's a video clip on my link. I don't think anything has been taken out of context but I'm sure you can wriggle round that...

Hunt is no better than his idiotic undiplomatic predecessor.

He must have been the worst Health Secretary we ever had and now he is competing with BJ for the title of worst ever Foreign Secretary.

Agreed varian but I had hoped that Hunt had a bit more tact and diplomacy, skills which are needed in the FO. His speech today was unbelievably crass and offensive to those countries who had previously been under the oppressive regime of the Soviet Union. Now, we all know ( from The Bodyguard, if nowhere else) that speeches are written, reviewed, reviewed again for errors of policy, of law, and then passed for publication so to speak. So, we must assume that Hunt knew what he was saying, others knew what he was saying, but still he stood there and said it. It was appalling.

Now for an aside - has anyone noticed that the lectern has a sticker of a Union Jack cut in half?!? Is it to illustrate just how divided the Party is, or the country even? Seems like a very bizarre emblem to endorse for a Conference?

MaizieD unlike some who take political loyalty to the nth degree, I have no need to wriggle round it, and I give my opinion on any politician of any political stripe without fear or favour.
So, having now read it all, what I think is that he was appealing to the ‘grass roots’ and that it was an ill advised part of his speech ( about the EU) at a point where we need some tact and dignity. We dislike Tusk and others playing silly buggers with instagram sneering and so on, so we should ourselves be above that sort of thing.

MaizieD
I was living in Bulgaria when they went into the eu.
They had a joke at the time.
We had the Turks rule us and we got rid of them.
We had the Russians rule us and we got rid of them.
We now have the eu ruling us and we'll get rid of them, but first we'll take their money

What a splendid chap/chappess you are lemon. Without fear or favour; I like that...

Corbyn hailed Venezuela as Utopia, that isn’t worrying

Perhaps Hunt didn’t watch The Body guard, I certaintly didn’t .

Could be the audience was sparse because many party members were working. The labour conference had more union speakers than party members, very few MP’s bothered to attend , apart from the shadow front bench .

After the the three conferences the prize for ‘good grief ‘ must surely go to the union rep with white hair flowing over his shoulders or the MP who called for a national strike.

lemon- without fear or favour.

Oh you made my day - I laughed so much it hurts.

Why? I have never been loyal to any politician no matter what they do or say jura either on here or in RL.
I admire politicians from all political parties and wish I could make up a dream team from them all.
Sure, if there was a GE I would vote to keep the Conservatives in power, simply to keep Corbyn out, but I am able to judge any one person from speeches they make and not from tribal loyalty.Are you?

Or do you just wish to snipe?

That goes for you too MaizieD are you disappointed that I
Agreed with others here about Hunt’s speech? Hmm, I think maybe so.

I am a chapess btw (Mr L would be surprised if I wasn’t!)

So fewer in the conference hall because the fringe meetings on. Brexit were packed

Corbyn hailed Venezuela as Utopia, that isn’t worrying

Not particularly, Annie. The circumstances in Venezuela are so very different from those in the UK that I'm pretty sure we couldn't go the same way.

Mind you, as far as shortages of food and medicines go I think that we're well on the way to a no deal Brexit so are likely to see shortages ourselves next year, though from quite different causes.

I'm far more worried about the political effects of no deal. Those Henry VIII powers that parliament so very foolishly gave to the Government are potential wreckers of the UK.

Not been able to see much of the Conservative conference, but from what I read it seems to be a continuous unfolding disaster.

Hardly anyone in the audience section of the hall, but I suppose when they are told to f* off by a very senior Tory MP the business community decided to stay away.

The hardline Brexitiers are holding a full second conference down the road and attracting as much publicity as the main conference. Undoubtedly that is why there are so many empty delegate seats in the main conference hall.

Then we have Boris (The Buffoon) Johnson about to make his pitch for the leadership today after he has finished his run through the wheat field of course.

Surely all anyone can say after witnessing all this would be "what a pathetic shambles".

Nice clear video here explaining why austerity doesn't work:

twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1046803329379110914

Try to overcome your prejudice against Corbyn The video is sound economics.