A personal experience at the 2009 Labour Party Conference.

Sunday morning. Up early, and although packed already, the frantic checking of the bags to make sure I’ve got my pass and all other vital documents packed. Relief that I have, but better check again, just to be sure.

Then off to Brighton. Easy journey, and get to guest house and then off to Conference centre itself. Only a ten minute walk but glad it was dry all week. The first thing you have to negotiate is the plethora of campaigners standing outside the security. This is a daily routine, and whatever you think of their particular issue, you have to admire their dedication to the cause.

You hear a lot about security, and there are armed police around, and you do have to go through three lots of guards, but it didn’t take as long as I feared and the personnel were always polite and cheerful. Once inside you are surrounded by stalls from a whole range of industries and campaigns. There were representatives from a number of animal welfare groups (though the Countryside Alliance stall didn’t seem overly popular for some reason. They didn’t bother manning it half the time), as well as defence, education, NGO’s, and many others. You can learn a lot very quickly.

The highlight of day one was the speech by Ed Miliband. This brought the first standing ovation, it wasn’t staged, and set the tone. The PM also made an unexpected appearance, and it was notable for his determined attitude.

For those of you who haven’t been part of the fun that is going to various fringe meetings: there are many different types, often organised by different organisations related to the issues that face us. But by now food was becoming a priority, and I ended up at an RSPCA event serving curry. Earlier in the evening, I had attended the Eastern Region Event, and Gordon was doing the rounds, as indeed was Harriet. Even in the world of politics there is a touch of celebrity spotting, and it is quite thrilling meeting those who lead us and our country.

Monday was a great day! First up was Yvette Cooper who really got the Conference going, it wasn’t a dry speech; she was funny, really laid into the Conservative plans, and brought the Conference to its feet with delight. This was followed by Alistair Darling, who was what I would call ‘quietly effective’, and maintained the atmosphere into the afternoon session.

Yvette and Alistair turned out just to be warm-up acts. The main speech of the afternoon was by Peter Mandelson, and he brought the house down. He was incredibly effective, funny and self deprecating; a side of Mandy not often seen. By the end of his speech I just wanted to jump up and down and stamp my feet. This was political speech making at its best. What it lacked in poetry, it more than made up for in barnstorming rhetoric.

It was impossible to feel anything but sympathy for the those that followed, but the day finished with a Q and A on the 2012 Olympic games, and was opened on the platform by Kelly Holmes and Amir Khan.

Tuesday, of course, was going to be Gordon’s day. I spent the morning in the speech writing room, crafting something with the hope of being called Wednesday afternoon. By the time I finished it was lunchtime. The main task then was to ensure I got to my seat in plenty of time for the PM’s speech. So a quick bite to eat, then join the queues. Fortunately, as a delegate my seat was guaranteed, providing I was in it by two. So along with many others, I was stuck in the line waiting. Once seated, it was just waiting until the moment arrived. Sarah Brown introduced her ‘messy’ husband, and he came out to rapturous applause.

It isn’t always apparent what a good speaker Gordon Brown actually is. This isn’t helped by the image of him portrayed in the media as a ‘grumpy old man’. However, he really came out fighting, with a plethora of new policies and initiatives. But the main point was his obvious spirit and determination, and focus on the future, whilst candidly admitting that mistakes had been made. He left the platform to real applause. We don’t have the statutory four minutes for our leader, but Gordon’s reception was genuine, and it is obvious that he is ready for the fight.

My early evening fringe meeting was hosted by the Social Market Foundation and was a discussion on the future of welfare. It was a wide-ranging discussion and was attended by minister Liam Byrne. Then off to the Irish Ambassador’s reception for a bit of celebrity spotting, including the Tories own mole in the BBC, Nick Robinson. The evening ended with a concert at the Hope pub where Andy Flannagan, our esteemed Director, performed a number of his songs. Andy was preceeded by a young rock/pop artist, David Hart. The concert was well attended by an eclectic and energetic audience, which included CSM Chair, Rt. Hon. Alun Michael MP.

On a personal basis, Wednesday was going to be the biggest day of the Conference. In the afternoon was the Education debate, and this was when I would attempt to get called to make a speech. The first debate was good and Andy Burnham, especially, proved a popular speaker, particularly amongst the women. As you can imagine, I was constantly thinking about my speech, and how to get noticed. I nipped out to the NASUWT stand where I got hold of a bright orange bag.

I was too nervous to eat lunch, and the time for the debate arrived. Waiting for your moment is a frustrating experience. There are reports, and further comments, and another report, so you find yourself jumping up, then having to sit down again. But then, finally, the moment when contributions from the floor are wanted arrived. I leapt up, and jumping up and down, waving my bag in the air, got myself noticed. Standing there, all my nerves disappeared. If you’ve ever tried teaching a class of fifteen year olds, then a Conference audience is no problem. Fortunately, I didn’t stumble over my words, and remembered those little things like looking all around the audience, even turning to Ed Balls when I had a direct point to make to him. It was gratifying to receive applause, not only after my speech, but a couple of times during it as well. The wave of relief as I left the stage was palpable and I received quite a few congratulations. However, your fifteen minutes can have its disconcerting moments, such as when you’re approached in the gents to be congratulated.

I finished off what had been, personally, an excellent week, when I was invited to be on the stage for Harriet’s closing speech. As we entered the hall, everyone was given sheets with the words of The Red Flag and Jeruselum. Harriet summed up the week, and we all left much more enthusiastic and ready for the fight. It had never been as low as the media had tried to portray. By the end of the week, we were all preparing to work for victory.

David Hough, Chair, Essex and Herts Branch, CSM.

Dave has been a member of CSM for nearly four years
and member of the Labour Party for about sixteen years.
He has a degree in history and politics from the
Univeristy of Essex and qualified as a history teacher in 2003.

David Hough, 28/10/2009