Diary - 30 September 2006

I have always been a confident person. Whether setting up my own business, pitching a new idea or appearing on TV, I have always thought that I am perfectly capable of holding my own. But speaking at a party conference? It never even crossed my mind that I would go to one, let alone organise my own fringe meeting. So I must admit that, as the conference season kicked off, I had a moment of self-doubt. Since launching OUR SAY (a new campaign pushing for the introduction of citizen-initiated referendums) I have been hugely encouraged by the positive feedback, even from those who do not entirely agree with our proposals. But at the party conferences, I have been speaking directly to the politicians and asking them to give up some of their power over important decisions that affect all our lives. As I wander around the conference halls, I have been struck by how few non-white faces there are. For the first time in a good while I felt out of place.

****

But that isn’t the only way in which the whole conference atmosphere seems detached from real life. Many of the political activists appear decidedly unreceptive to new ideas, or things that challenge their own views. Coming from a business environment, I’m used to creative thinking, overcoming obstacles and making things happen. In the world of politics, there appears to be an innate conservatism that prevents people from welcoming new ideas. They have their own set views and if an idea doesn’t conform, then it just can’t be right. I remember Tony Blair saying that government is at its best when it is at its boldest, but boldness appears to be the one ingredient missing from party conferences.