The Conservatives are in town. You can’t miss them! Conference week has caused such a buzz in the city and St. Peter’s Square is a merry mix of stoic Barbour jackets, and drab off the hook suits all watched over by fluorescent yellow coppers.
This is Conservative Conference week during the age of 24 hour news, twitter, blogging and other social media. It is a non-stop festival of seminars, panel discussions, interviews, and question and answer sessions that begin before the sun rises over Manchester, and finish after it has fallen. Event upon event, (the conference calendar shows that there were over 100 different events on Monday before 1pm alone!) making sure that no subject is forgotten, and that no issue is beyond comment.
Information, information, information, all rising above the G-mex and out into the ether. But if you listen carefully, little of it is useful at all. Here are some of the key phrases from the events this MC2er has been to:
“we are not going to be precise about that”
“we would like to do this, but…”
“we need to get serious about managing efficiencies in the current systems”
“I am not going to be drawn on the exact figures”
The nation’s media is watching intently and commenting instantly, and the Conservatives know it. Despite the ever changing ways and growing number of channels available for all to view the news and receive information, winning approval from the morning newspapers is essential for the Tories this week. This thought alone is probably keeping Andy Coulson awake and fixed to his iPhone each night.
Even at a time of crisis and decline, the UK print press still has the influence to set the news agenda that the 24 hour news channels and broadcasters take a lead from during the day, and no-one from the Conservative numbers wants to be the sideshow that derails the election train. Which reminds us -has anyone actually seen Alan Duncan yet?
Tags: conference, conservative party, Manchester