Tories leave with good impression
AS the Conservative conference draws to a close with the big showpiece speech from leader David Cameron Mail Political Editor Jonathan Walker takes a look at what a week that was.
THIS has been a good week for the Conservatives and for Birmingham.
Tory activists have been impressed with the International Convention Centre, which is a far more pleasant place to wander around than the venues they are used to.
The one complaint has been the size of the conference hall, with queues forming for the chance to listen to some of the most popular speakers, such as London Mayor Boris Johnson.
This problem was solved for David Cameron’s keynote speech on Wednesday, when the action shifted to the much larger Symphony Hall.
Apparently, the party was reluctant to use this for other events because of the prospect of it appearing almost empty if only 40 people turned up for a debate.
Despite this, the ICC has generally had good reviews and the city as a whole has come across well.
The good thing about the ICC is that it backs out directly onto Brindleyplace, with its wealth of restaurants and bars. Just round the corner is Broad Street, the entertainment heart of the city.
However, the area beyond Broad Street is something of a wasteland for people who don’t know the city well.
When conferences take place in Manchester or Blackpool, delegates can leave the conference venue and go for a wander, confident of finding a good restaurant in the town or city centre.
In Birmingham, it’s a different story. You can head off to the Chinese Quarter or the Balti Belt, or the odd fine restaurant in Edgbaston, but you have to know where to find them.
The Conservatives will be back in 2010. Whether Birmingham will become a regular feature on the conference circuit remains to be seen.
But it has something going for it quite apart from its quality as a venue. The West Midlands is an important region for all the parties because of its relatively high number of marginal seats.
The opportunity to be seen by local people and to demonstrate once again that they take the region seriously, may be enough to tempt them back and to bring Labour here too, before too long.
Of course, for commuters used to driving down Broad Street, the “ring of steel” surrounding the ICC and the Hyatt hotel blocking the road, might not be welcome.
But the conference brings cash to the city and shines the national spotlight on Birmingham. The best way to wipe out preconceived ideas about a city of motorways and crumbling factories is to get the world’s media here to see it for themselves.
For Conservative leader David Cameron, it was mission accomplished.
The conference had to be adapted to cope with breaking news throughout the week, as the crisis on the financial markets continued.
Mr Cameron made the most of the opportunities available to him to look like a statesman.
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