Tory Conference Update

I promised some pictures during conference - unfortunately a bag containing my camera was stolen on the Saturday night. It was a successful conference on a personal level - Mark Wadsworth should know what I mean, but everything is a bit of a jumble, so I might blog once I have organised my thoughts.

Me Elsewhere

As local officer for Birmingham University Conservative Future, I will be attending their Fresher's Fair stall at their Guild today at some point between 10 and 4. I've recently written an article for their website - although I didn't choose the graphic.

In anticipation of party conference in Birmingham, I’ve prepared an introduction for delegates. I thought this deserved a wider airing and Tim Montgomerie has kindly published it as a platform piece on Conservative Home.

I have decided to do some picture blogging during conference as I can’t be bothered to exercise the grey matter too much, but, along with the Thunderdragon, Westbromblogger and Andrew Allison I have agreed to do a special piece for The Brummie Republic blog – which is of course a local website. ;-)

Ruth Kelly

I've always been an admirer of Ruth Kelly. I felt particularly sympathetic towards her when she felt the anger of backbench Labour MPs over her decision on where to school one of her sons. She was an academic high-flyer by any measure - which makes her Einstein in Labour circles - so the patronising attitude towards her from many of her 'fellow' Lefties also grates. Kevin Maguire was on GMTV this morning saying she jumped before she was pushed and that who knows who the Home Secretary is. I simply don't accept that Ministerial profile is a major consideration when it comes to evaluate how someone is doing the job - after all John Prescott was a well known Transport Secretary! It's a pity she has left government. In further disturbing news for teh Catholic Church, Rowan Williams has visited Lourdes.

Warming Up For Conference

This is me. Feel free to say hi if you see me at conference.



Two years ago I attended many events on education and social justice as that was of great interest at that time.

In 2008, my online poll shows that my readers have similar concerns to me and the events I plan to attend concern themselves with the economy, welfare reform and Europe. I'll also be attending "politics and the media" type events and leave any Beeboids in no doubt about my feelings for them.

It seems that about 20% of the Tory fringe events are devoted to climate change noise so that makes the process of elimination easier.

Away from the conference programmes, along with other Tory males, I'll be attempting to catch a glimpse of the Tory bunnies.

Brown Stakes Out The ICC

Conservative Conference this year will be at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. Today, Gordon Brown's will be holding his Cabinet there and is armed with reannouncements of old spending pledges goodies.

Brown Decides To Mend The Roof

Labour’s house fixes won’t work, but will cost - a one-year holiday from the transaction tax only invites buyers to purchase homes that will lose value. Incentives for builders will add to the supply of unsold properties, further depressing prices. The overall scheme's main effect: to worsen the government’s fiscal position. Who remembers Labour's attacks on the Tories 'unfunded spending promises'? If you google it now all you find is laughing and pointing at Labour. ;-)

Why Not Abolish The Home Office?

That would seem a reasonable conclusion from the findings of REFORM latest report which labels the UK's centralised justice system as expensive and ineffective. Violent crime has increased from 8 per cent of all recorded crime in 1997 to 20 per cent in 2007/08 and British people are more worried about crime and violence with 43 percent reporting it as one of their greatest concerns compared to 21 percent in Germany and 27 percent in the US.

A Slight Return

Arriving Back From Planet Zog

Spending a week in the nether regions of darkest Slovakia put me in a media black hole, so getting up to date with news events is a bit like arriving back from planet Zog. My worthwhile decision to take a summer break from blogging heightens the sense of catch up. Despite being in recess the Labour government naturally continues to lurch from crisis to crisis to crisis – as I’ve been saying since Blair was PM, it seems that Labour’s strategic line of argument is ‘Yes, we’re crap, but so are all politicians’ - presumably banking on tagging the Tories with the (insert epithet) label at election time as usual. With their characteristic lack of self-awareness, Liberal Conspiracists are accusing right-wingers of being negative campaigners – apparently we are scum of the Earth who should be copied!

KP - Born Winner

Unfortunately, Labour’s pessimistic views seem to have infected other areas of British public life. I have never been a great fan of Michael Vaughan especially as a one day player, so it’s been instructive to see the difference that Kevin Pietersen’s captaincy has already made. Simply put, Kevin Pietersen is a born winner and the little extra he has got out of the team in the 1st ODI created all sorts of pressures on the South African opposition. If a top-class sportsman had succumbed in a similar style to South Africa in the second match, some would be calling it a nervous breakdown.

Uniquely Poorly Placed

Re economic trends, local and globally, it’s all getting more than a bit embarrassing for Labour and those whose credibility as economic commentators depends on Labour success (hat tip Anatole Kaletsky). Thanks to his profligate spending and catastrophic disaster management, George W Bush has done little for the wider conservative cause during his reign, but it still caused me some delight to see the BBC World News reporter choking on news of robust economic growth in the US economy. Back in the UK, the debate the Chancellor started a few months ago about whether the country is ‘uniquely well placed’ as we head into an economic downturn is becoming increasingly one-sided – Darling himself seems to have swapped teams. The risible Leftie argument that states are powerless in the face of increased globalism is turned on its head when major sources of employment and tax revenues haemorrhage to business friendly neighbouring countries.

Annihilating The Labour Party

The silver lining for British conservatives is that the increasingly sharp and violent rebukes globalisation delivers to ‘hands-on’ government/economic protectionism may be the catalyst for the annihilation of the Labour Party (New or Old) whose adherents subscribe to an archaic philosophy wholly unsuited to the 21st century. I still hear an attachment to the idea that large majorities lead to poor government, but I find that I am generally succeeding in running that out of fellow Conservatives – with the possible exception of Frank Field every unseated Labour MP is axiomatically progress.

Blinded By The Light

I’m particularly happy with John McCain’s choice of running mate and the predictably disgusting Left-wing reaction. It seems that Barack does not have the capacity to rein in Democrat attack dogs – in terms of counter-productive viciousness, the Left is at its worst when faced with an opponent who doesn’t conform to their stereotypes (here in the UK a certain attractive nurse raised on a Liverpool council estate can take a bow). Sarah Palin’s stratospheric approval levels show that social and economic Conservatives can be wildly popular without compromising their core beliefs.

In Defence Of Corruption

Sticking with international affairs, but at the other end of the evolutionary scale political spectrum, the crypto-Communist idiot who is also the Slovakian head of state is endorsing state corruption and in doing so is following a sad and predictable path. Which brings me to Georgia – a state that has in recent years shown great progress in terms of democracy and economic freedom - the sort of state we should be supporting. The neglected credo of ‘peace through strength’ has never been more relevant. Having vetoed Georgia’s membership of NATO and exposed Western weakness the sight of Sarkozy shuttling to and from Moscow sticks in the throat.

2008 Party Conference

Wherever I look, parables are being played out that support my world view and reveal the desperation and bankruptcy of the so-called alternatives to freedom and capitalism. Did I mention that I shall be at Conservative Party conference this year? – after all I live just around the corner. In fact, the turret in Praguetory Towers is a perfect sniper position (joke). At my last conference in Bournemouth I attended back-to-back Fringe events, but I intend to be a bit more of a social butterfly this time, so I may be lighter on political analysis but I should have some good photos and stories. In the meantime, I’ll be limbering up with the occasional blogpost.

Blog's Out For Summer

Having noted that none of my upcoming political projects need me to spend time blogging, I have decided to take a six week Summer holiday - I've just left something for any Labour members passing. Enjoy my sidebar links. They're excellent.

Going Back To The Roots

Years away from the next local or General Elections there is a danger of relaxing. No chance of that. Every one of the last 6 days that I have been in Birmingham I have been at well-attended Conservative Party events. Amongst these was a local candidate's thank you party. Of the 60 or so attendees, just a handful were under the age of 50. Personally, I enjoy listening to the old 'uns, as they always have something interesting to say. One chap described his anger when attending a private party that was mainly full of Socialists where Clare Short called Margaret Thatcher 'treacherous'. Another bloke who was an RAF veteran described how written complaints had been made about the new Labour Lord Mayor for failing to observe protocol at a recent Veteran's Day parade.

But the focus of my party work going forward is a mixture of recruitment and ensuring new young members get actively involved. The graphic below taken from a very recent edition of the Economist shows that as well as these activities are a case of making hay whilst the sun shines.



Birmingham University Conservative Future have invited me to take a local officer role so I plan on spending some of this Summer building their links with the local party and helping plan next academic year especially the opening recruitment drive. Another key objective supported by our regional team in Coleshill is to involve younger members. For those who have embarked on a career this might mean an introduction to the City Branch Committee. In my area, there's also a lot of new members in the 17 to 25 range who are full of enthusiasm. I'm currently organising an ice-breaker event for these guys so that they can get their membership of the party off to a flying start.

If you or will be living, working or studying in Birmingham and want to get involved with the most successful Conservative Party organisation in any of the core cities you can drop me a note on praguetory@googlemail.com and I will help.