Sunday, October 01, 2006

Heading to Bournemouth

Having managed to beat the road closures for the Great North Run this morning, I have now caught the train to London and from there I will head to Bournemouth as an observer at the Cameroonie Policy Free Zone Annual Love Fest.

I have looked through the agenda and I kid you not but there are no motions. The Camerlunies have however introduced a novel idea into their conference - voting! Not, I might add, on policy but on "hot topics" which look more like the sort of question Sky News would have a viewers' poll on. For example Monday morning has for its hot topic "it's time to consider a ban on marketing to children." And in the afternoon "cheap flights are a false economy." And as the agenda states, "make up your own mind and vote at the end."

It makes you wonder what all those Conservative policy officers and advisers do?

For a party that says it wants to re-engage with people and the grassroots, the fact their conference is so centralised and the membership are absolutely powerless suggests the Cons may fail in their task.

Just found another hot topic: "global companies are a force for good"

Perhaps if they had genuine debates on substantive motions which actually stood as policy, then having hot tpoic votes, perhaps by email or text, for anyone outside conference could be an interesting innovation. But the way the Conservatives do it, no way!

Just found another hot topic "Conservatives are a bunch of clueless no-hopers."

Other ideas for hot topics for the Conservatives to vote on will be greatly appreciated.

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