Published: Thursday, 25th September, 2008 12:00
Labour Conference Diary
By Martin Salter, MP for Reading West
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Reading West MP Martin Salter
WITH almost wholly negative headlines dominating the news agenda coupled with plunging opinion poll ratings, many delegates and Labour MPs approached this week’s annual party conference in Manchester with some trepidation.
I was on holiday when it all kicked off in the media with a handful of MPs apparently requesting that nomination forms be sent out to trigger a leadership contest. This motley crew quickly found that they had almost no support and have looked rather sad, sorry and isolated as the party united behind Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling.
In Manchester we had to demonstrate that our party is serious about remaining a party of government, pledged to tackle the global economic challenges we face and push forward the Labour agenda of fairness, equality and social justice.
Gordon Brown’s speech on Tuesday hit all the right buttons and demonstrated that he is a serious man for these serious times. He set out a vision of fairness with pledges of extending free nursery education for two-year-olds, help with the costs of social care for the elderly and freeing cancer patients from the burden of prescription charges.
But it was the economic situation that dominated, and the Prime Minister was scathing about the Conservatives’ unwillingness to support action to protect British jobs and mortgages and to bear down on the culture of greed among city traders and speculators which has done so much damage. In particular he took aim at the Shadow Chancellor George Osborne, saying: “In the week that banks were collapsing, the man who wants to run our economy not only said, 'this is not a problem caused by the financial markets’ but went on to say, and I quote, 'that it’s a function of financial markets that people make loads of money out of the misery of others.’ What has become clear is that Britain cannot trust the Conservatives to run the economy. Everyone knows that I’m all in favour of apprenticeships, but let me tell you that this is no time for a novice.”
The conference fringe was as busy as ever and this week saw me meeting with colleagues in the fight against BNP prejudice and bigotry, discussing conservation matters with the RSPB, and chairing Labour’s annual Rural Reception with the shooting and fishing governing bodies. I met the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England to discuss its outrageous support for building on the Kennet Meadows floodplain, and the fantastic Streetgames charity (of which I am a patron), about sports coaching at Kensington Road Rec, and Coley Park in my constituency.
I also had the privilege of organising a rally with a large group of Gurkhas, in my role as a founder of the new All Party Parliamentary Group for Gurkha Rights. I will continue to do all I can to press for the sacrifice and commitment of these soldiers to be rewarded by the country they fought for.
All in all it has been a good conference for Labour in difficult circumstances and I was pleased to have played my part.
Further Details
Leader: Honourable honours