Birmingham, here I come!
Dear readers,
I’m having a brief break from blogging as I will be attending the Conservative Party conference for the first time ever. Not sure what it will be like, although I’ve been told to expect lots of sausage rolls and warm wine. Anyway, here are my five predictions for the next few days:
1. The press will spend their entire time trying to make a big story out of something minor.
2. Cameron will pull off another excellent speech, but talk of the economy will still dominate the conference.
3. Labour will announce a reshuffle immediately after the Conservative Party conference finishes but will not attempt to steal the Conservative limelight during the conference after getting their fingers burned by Brown’s Iraq announcement last year.
4. The wine will be warm, I’ll drink too much every evening and I’ll never want to see another sausage roll ever again by the time I get back.
5. The post-conference poll swing to the Conservatives will completely wipe out Labour’s gain after their conference.
On the last point, you should sign up to actually be part of the YouGov polls. I’ve been doing it for a couple of years and you accumulate credit by filling in surveys, which you receive a cheque for once you’ve hit £50 (no joke). Obviously it takes time to get there but it’s good to take part all the same. CLICK HERE to sign up and get filling in those polls!
Anyway, have fun over the next few days. I’ll be back blogging on Friday/Saturday but until then, here is something that never fails to make me chuckle:
Son: Dad, I have to do a special report for school. Can I ask you a question?
Father: Sure, son. What’s the question?
Son: What is politics?
Father: Well, let’s take our home for example. I earn the money for our house, so let’s call me “Gordon Brown”. Your mother looks after our money, so we’ll call her “Alistair Darling”. We take care of your needs, so we’ll call you “the People.” We’ll call the nanny “the Working Class,” and your baby brother we can call “the Left.” Do you understand, son?
Son: I’m not really sure, Dad. I’ll have to think about it.
That night, awakened by his baby brother’s crying, the boy went to see what was wrong. Discovering that the baby had seriously soiled his nappy, the boy went to his parents’ room and found his mother sound asleep. He went to the nanny’s room where, peeking through the keyhole, he saw his father in bed with the nanny. The boy’s knocking went totally unheeded by his father and the nanny, so the boy returned to his room and went back to sleep. The next morning he reported to his father.
Son: Dad, now I think I understand what politics is.
Father: Good, son! Can you explain it to me in your own words?
Son: Well, dad, while Gordon Brown is screwing the Working Class, Alistair Darling is sound asleep, the People are being completely ignored and the Left is full of shit.
Witanagemot Blogs
Excellent!
Enjoy the Conf.
Enjoy the conference. It will be nice to be in the optimistic camp, for the first time in a long time.
Hmmm… I was planning on (and looking forward to) going to this panel discussion on Monday with Iain Dale, Dizzy, Devil’s Kitchen and Nadine Dorries. Birmingham being only 40 minutes away from me I figured it’d be worth a look in.
Unfortunately, employment called at just the wrong moment (hence my lack of appearances here and at my newly-remained blog) so I shan’t be able to make it. Awful, isn’t it, this working lark. Hope you have a great time – maybe next year for me.
Love the joke!
Have fun!
Let me know if it’s worth going – I wondered about going for the first time this year but decided to relax at home instead. So I’ll get fewer sausage rolls, but (hopefully) more exercise.
Never been.I wish I could but the time is too much if you have kids
Yes, the Conservative Party Conference is here again. I settles down to watch the Politics Show from my comfortable armchair here in Haverfordwest, Wales. The trouble was I did not get it. All BBC One managed to give me on its Analoque ariel was an unpleasant noise and on Digital the Scottish edition. I cannot recall the BBC giving any explanation for this but, of course, such happenings did not occur on the Sunday of the Liberal Conference or the Sunday of the Labour Conference. Am I being unjust in my suspicians?
I have always thought that I wouldn’t know anyone at Conference so have resisted going. Maybe I should go next year if my blog buddies will all be going again!
Unfortunately I have no sense of humour, so I am ignoring the joke, but am very grateful for the YouGov tip.
For all those who are interested, the conference is going well. The Conservatives are absolutely right to focus on the economy and Osborne’s keynote is coming this morning.
The conference itself is bustly but nothing over the top – which is perfect. People are quietly confident but no-one is shouting about it. For my first ever conference, I must admit it’s pretty good fun as so much is going on and there is so much free booze. Sausage rolls remain untouched.
Love the joke…
Glad you’re having a good time at the conference. Wish I was going down there myself.
I am very pleased to hear about the free uni courses for returning service men and women. The idea of offering free teacher training is ingenious. Ex-sevice men and women will finally find a suitable career and discipline in schools should be much better. Two birds, one stone.
Also a big fan of the proposed high-speed rail service, much more convenient than having to travel to the grottiest airport in the world, Heathrow!
And good old Boris, what a star. Bit dangerous to be having a pop a the terminator though!!
Now for that general election…
One of the plus point for me about free teacher training for ex-service personnel (mostly men) is that it may reverse the feminisation of the teaching profession. I don’t mean feminisation in a pejorative way just a simple statement of the demographics of the teaching profession.
Sepoy Agent has been taking part in the YouGov polls ever since they started. Sepoy Agent has had two £50 cheques. But in the early part of this year I was suddenly denied access. I said I had lost my password (which I hadn’t) and they sent me the usual e-mail. I tried again. Still denied access. I have sent several e-mails to them but have received no replies. One can’t help wondering if the fact that I had got up to £48 again was anything to do with it. I’m left with the feeling I’m owed £48.
Sepoy Agent, no idea what’s going on there! It’s worked fine for me ever since I signed up.
I agree that the ex servicemen training is an excellent idea. The shortage of male teachers, even moreso at primary school, is very sad and having people who have served our country standing in front of school children should give education a real boost. Good on the Conservatives for running with this idea.
Just saw some of Cameron’s speech – nice and statesmanlike but not sure whether he said anything new after Osborne’s speech yesterday?!