Birmingham

The centre of political attention in Britain has moved to the second city, Birmingham. The Conservative Party conference is being held there - and today the speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne is expected.

Birmingham has grown into a vibrant and pleasant city. I grew up in the West Midlands and remember how run down some of the central areas were. The delegates to the conference won't see that. The once overgrown canals are not pleasant waterways surrounded by cafe's. The Symphony Hall - part of the ICC, where the Conservative Party Conference is being held is part of the great regeneration project that resulted from a successful partnership between Birmingham City Council; the UK Government and the European Union.

If delegates tire of the party events there is much to do and see in Birmingham. Further details about the delights of Birmingham can be found here.

Labour Conference 2010

During the conference I had the opportunity to ask a friend, Gordon Lyew, about his work as a steward at conference



I also took a couple of other videos during the conference

View of the Conference Centre



The new leader, Ed Miliband - after his speech on Tuesday afternoon

Fringe Meeting at Conference

One of the meetings I attended this last week at the Labour Party Conference, was a breakfast meeting about European Union issues - particularly the EU's role in the world. Lord Kinnock chaired the meeting. A hearty breakfast was served! - but there was food for the mind, not just food for the body.

Prior to the start of the meeting



Lord Kinnock starts the meeting



Former Italian Prime Minister, Massimo D'Alema



Emma Reynolds MP



A short anecdote by Lord Kinnock



Richard Howitt MEP, member of AFET (Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament)



Douglas Alexander MP, former Secretary of State for International Development

Conference Ends

Conference has now ended. The final morning session dealt with 'Sustainable Communities' and 'Local Government'. I listened in the main hall to these debates - then left to make my way to Piccadilly station, to catch the train home to Milton Keynes. Sadly, the timing didn't allow me to stay for the final speech, closing the conference, by Harriet Harman.

At home I unpacked - and added the various books I had acquired to the bookshelves. Uploading videos took a number of hours - and I shall be incorporating them into future Washminster posts over the next few days.

The final party conference begins this weekend as the Conservatives meet in Birmingham.

Conference winds down (and so do I)

The Leader’s speech has been delivered; a number of visitors have left Manchester; and there is a much thinner fringe programme. Apart from the speculation about David Miliband’s future, there has been a less fevered atmosphere than previously. Yet while it has been more relaxed, I’ve probably done more. With the pressure off to rush from event to event, more time has been available to chat with friends – and to talk about the future. So while the anticipated announcement about DM came – he will be stepping back from the frontline of British politics – at least for a while – I have been exploring a return to a more active role.
By the end of the day I had consumed more coffee than was probably good for me – but had enjoyed some good company and progressed with planning activities for future months. I also was able to pop into the conference hall to hear an impressive speech by Ed Balls. The hall outside also had many TV screens so it was possible to watch some of the floor debate – I particularly enjoyed a short speech by Stephen Pound – a serious looking man – who uses humour to devastating effect. In the afternoon session Eddie Izzard and Ed Miliband did a double act, while new members spoke of the reasons why they had come to Labour.

In the evening I went for a random walk around the great city of Manchester. It really is worth a visit. There is a vibrant shopping area – and a wide range of restaurants. Some of its magnificent Victorian buildings remain – and they are worth seeing. I passed a number of restaurants – but didn’t go in. Then on a whim I decided to eat at a Chinese buffet close to the Chinese Arch. It was a good choice – as a couple of friends from Milton Keynes were sitting in there (I’d love to know the probability of such a chance meeting!)

Packing also had to be done – as conference finishes this lunchtime. I shall be heading out soon to upload this post; read some news and have a couple of coffees. By this afternoon I should be home. First task – to book accommodation for next year’s conference in Liverpool. Then, to catch up on all the reading - I'm bringing home some excellent food for the mind!