Conservative Conference

So, Jeremy Hunt thinks the EU is like the Soviet Union. Keeping us prisoner.

I've no doubt Remainers on here will find this appalling and Leavers will be cheering him on.

twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1046433874257956864

It seems that some former USSR countries are rather upset by his analogy

@JeremyCliffe

I've just spent several days in Riga talking to Latvian leaders. To hear Jeremy Hunt's comparison of the EU (which has brought Latvia prosperity, security & confidence) to Soviet domination (painful memories of which still traumatise this country) is repulsive, and below him.

And former British diplomats

@LordRickettsP

This rubbish is unworthy of a British Foreign Secretary. The EU isn’t a Soviet-style prison. Its legal order has brought peace and prosperity after a century of war. Our decision to leave was always going to leave us worse off. The only punishment is the self-inflicted variety

( Lord Ricketts: Former Br diplomat, most recently Ambassador in Paris, before that first UK National Security Adviser, Head of FCO, NATO rep.)

I'm ashamed that the UK Foreign Secretary can be saying this. It's more than disrespectful to the EU countries which were formerly in the Soviet Union and endured real hardship and repression as a result.

I'm ashamed that British people in the audience actually applauded.

(It also doesn't seem to me to be the most tactful way of 'negotiating' Brexit.)

Not Mid Wales Mike again pleeeease

Funds provided by ..............

guess?

Nice venue thought, the ICC :

The foundation stone was laid by Jacques Delors as a start of another 4 years and 5 months of construction. In all, over 1,500 workers helped construct the building. Over 60,000 cubic metres of concrete were used. The site was opened on 12 June 1991 by Queen Elizabeth II. Funds of £49.7 million were provided by the European Council. The total cost of construction was £200 million.

And the results are clear to see- and how telling and embarrassing

voxpoliticalonline.com/2018/09/30/death-throes-semi-empty-auditorium-at-tory-conference-suggests-the-party-is-over/

wow

Yep, pot ... kettle, for sure.

If only the moderates on both sides just had the guts to cross the floor and join the Lib Dems - then the Lib Dems ally with the Greens. I mean, if it was good enough for Churchill - and on more than one occasion.

End the damaging and destructive 'see-saw' politics and bring a bit of humanity with common sense. Oh, one can but dream.

Wonder if there is a Hit List

Oh, look. the tories do expelling people who don't toe the line, too...

@SunPoliticsWest

South West MEP @juliegirling says she's been expelled from the Conservative party on the eve of Conference, as a result of voting against the Tory line last October

twitter.com/SunPoliticsWest/status/1046344104404307968

Our new Foreign Secretary, the esteemed Hunt who has been busily selling off chunks of of NHS England, made a speech today which was very offensive to many, likening the EU to a prison and to the Soviet Union. The Latvian ambassador to UK deeply offended. Someone else on Twitter reminding Hunt that refugees desperately tried to leave the Soviet Union but try to get into EU. This guy is supposedly in charge of diplomacy! Not a good start.

The infiltration of both major political parties by extremists should be a matter of concern for all of us, irrespective of our own political leanings. This is going to be an interesting week

moi aussi wow

For once, I agree with you , lemon

I too watched Marr this morning and thought he wasted his time with May, constantly repeating the same questions in a slightly different form.There were many other questions he could have put in that time space.May kept very calm and gave reasonable answers to all the aggressive questions.Nor did she mention or attack Johnson, as Marr was hoping for.
Boris Johnson is an ass, no other word for him.Although there is always room for a larger than life character in any political party, the only party he cares for is himself, the Johnson Party.
He had a chance as head of the FO to show himself as a serious candidate and he blew it.

At least the Tory party MP’s and members have freedom of speech. At the Labour Party conference , for the first time, the deputy leaders speech was pushed to a fringe meeting.

Earlier this morning I watched the "pathetic" interview by David Davis on Sky News where he blamed everyone but himself for the state of the EU leave negotiations. However, I am sure many will remember that Davis as the British chief negotiator stating on the day Article Fifty was signed "these will be the easiest negotiations ever concluded.

With politicians such as Davies in charge of the negotiations, it is little wonder those talks are in the state that they are.

I have also watched the Theresa May interview on the BBC Andrew Marr program were she resolutely put forward once again her " Chequers plan" by way of a great interview. However, TM has no chance of getting that plan past her own party especially with people like Boris Johnson stabbing her in the back.

I have never been a supporter of the Conservative party, but I did build great respect for her in that interview.

There seems to be virtual blood all over the floor of the Conservatives Birmingham venue even before the conference gets underway.

Nick Griffin ex president of BNP and holocaust denier openly supported Corbyn , said he wanted to join the Labour Party and said he would now vote Labour.

The Labour Party was never anti semetic so no, the Labour Party has not been take back to it’s roots.

Grandad1943 you really don't have to worry about idiots like Tommy Robinson or others like that because their kind of mayhem will get put down, worry about the ultra right that are below the radar

They are not interested in politics from an idealistic point of view, their only interest is money and power Arron Banks backing UKIP is a well known example. The Tory Brexit campaign had its backers, some we know about, some have not surfaced, they put a lot of long term effort into cultivating politicians for influence, sponsorship here, support there, donations to pet projects all small change.

These people work on an international scale and will make money out of a crash or a boom, there are no boundaries they made a lot of money out of the 2008 crash they will do the same with Brexit, their only enemy is stability.

It's not a right wing takeover per se comparable to the left wing Momentum takeover of the Labour party as they are just taking the party back to its roots.

The entryism into the Conservative party is by hardline nationalists bent on turning the Tory party into just such a party.

When people such as Tommy Robinson speaks of joining the Conservative party their executive had better sit up and take notice.

Well said Beau

As far as I understood what was happening, it's Conservative remainer MP's that are the 'target', it's Leave voters making sure people like Amber Rudd are held to account, as in making sure that constituencies who voted Leave are not represented by a remainer MP. It's not a right wing takeover per se comparable to the left wing Momentum takeover of the Labour party.

Interesting post JessM I think everyone wonders what Boris will do, he’s a loose cannon so it could be anything!
I think quite a few are happy with May, but obviously some are not and will be working to have their own way.
It would be hard to replace her before Brexit is complete, but even she won’t be thinking of fighting another GE.

It’s the tech guys that messed up, not the Ministers.

Doesn't improve confidence in them to find a technical solution to the Irish border.

It’s not been a very good start for them.
“The Conservative Party has accidentally revealed personal details of senior cabinet ministers, MPs and prominent journalists in a major security breach on its official conference app.
The data watchdog is investigating the system flaw which allowed anyone to access mobile numbers, email addresses and private data belonging to conference attendees, simply by logging in using someone’s email address”
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservative-party-conference-leak-personal-data-breach-mp-phone-numbers-email-addresses-a8561056.html