The Conference Speech

conference speech

David Cameron’s conference speech ended and “Operation Get Home” swung into action

Conference speeches are almost always sweated over, usually boring in delivery and content, seldom emotional and moving and very occasionally listened to. Safely back by the beach, I have had time in the train and the car to think about the speeches of the last few days and how they were delivered and received.

The “Leader’s speech” is the usual exception to all of my glib generalisations. Ed upped the stakes last week by appearing human and degeeking himself. he didn’t win anyone over but he earned the right to speak. David Cameron rose to the occasion as he usually does. Some writer’s like and need deadlines – DC needs the adrenalin pumping too.

I liked David Cameron’s speech today for a few reasons.

It was serious – and times are serious. It was personal at times – and in serious times it is good to be reminded of the character of those attempting to manage the situation. It had substance and was wide ranging. He told stories. It was raw and real in places. He was different to Ed. There were a couple of good lines for the newspapers and the TV and a few lighter lines – one which took the mick out of the central tenet of Ed’s speech last week like a well trained sniper.

He sounded like a grown up and Presidential and in charge.  He didn’t pull his punches on Labour and he stayed above and away from petty and narky Lib Dem-like criticism of the coalition partner. He used the phrase ‘common ground’ that I referred to last week here and in The Commentator and that I spoke about a few weeks ago at the European Young Conservatives Conference in Oxford.

Boris was funny and clever and his speech was perfectly and craftily crafted.

Both these guys gave good speeches with more-than-competent delivery. But to be fair, compared to some of the speakers at this conference, it was easy to stand out. The distance between DC and Boris and most of the other conference speeches was enormous. Speeches were too often laboriously read and sometimes even stumbled over. Teleprompters were generally avoided. Why?

Commentators love commenting on the level of buzz at conference. Is the party to blame – or the speakers? Are the speeches to blame? Or the content? Or the delivery? Most speeches that I heard were as boring as hell – sad really from people who do this for a living. The Conservative Party has some really bright MPs but we have very few orators – never mind great ones.  Maybe they will do better next year?

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