Monday 1 October 2018

The Labour Party conference: A government in waiting

From Emily Thornberry to Diane Abbott, Labour oozed talent, ideas & competence at this years conference. As I said to Sky news after Jeremy Corbyn's speech, "If I were Theresa May, I'd be shakin (no "g") in my Jimmy Choos.



The press scrum right in front of me. They were tripping over themselves to get shots of JC.


Hugh Grant looked decidedly hacked off at the..... "Hacked Off fringe event" re Islamophobia in the MSM. He totally blanked the Telegraph reporter who pleaded with him to do an interview. I asked her in the meeting if she could put in a good word for me with her bosses. "As a human rights, socialist journalist, it's been a life long ambition to write for the Telegraph" I said. "How do you rate my chances"? That was the ice breaker. My main question was "As a journalist, how do you feel about the Telegraph's recent cartoon depicting Labour Party members as rabid dogs, with an image of Mohammed wagging the dog's tail"? In fairness to her, she gave a brilliant answer, "I'm only in the job a few weeks"! The audience laughed with her,  I welcomed her & it was good natured. In the Labour Party we challenge wrongs without attacking individuals. That's the gentler kinder politics I signed up to.




If you watch nothing else today, watch this incredibly powerful video that tells a stroy, captures the mood of the nation and inspires - all in 4 minutes. "Our Town" has had more than 1 million views within 48 hours.


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