A national opportunity
Northern Ireland needs to maximise the economic and political potential of UK party conferences, Peter Cheney writes.
A national party conference offers no shortage of opportunities for a small region such as Northern Ireland. As expected, the local Conservatives and business leaders were the main local representatives at this year’s Tory gathering but much more would be achieved if a wider range of delegates made the most of the programme.
Maybe a third of the delegates are party members, the rest being lobbyists, businesspeople and the media. A large and well-organised exhibition space is used by internal Conservative Party groupings, charities, manufacturers and industry groups (e.g. for aviation and energy) to promote their work.
Three Northern Irish events stand out: the Champ Ulster Fry breakfast, the Northern Ireland Conservative reception and the Irish embassy reception.
Champ is a London-based not-for-profit organisation which highlights the legacy of the peace process. The breakfast in Manchester Town Hall attracted around 40-50 people, half from the province and half from Great Britain. It was soured by a public argument between Diane Dodds and Michelle Gildernew over the past and parades. The local politicians were also present for just one day out of four.
The smaller Conservative reception took place in the Midland Hotel. David Cameron briefly called in and spoke, as he also did at the Welsh and Scottish receptions. The event was sponsored by the Federation of Small Businesses and its Policy Chairman, Wilfred Mitchell, had the chance to outline his priorities in a short speech.
The Irish embassy reception in Manchester Central – the convention centre – was hosted by the Republic’s new Ambassador, Dan Mulhall. Also addressed by Theresa Villiers, the event emphasised the growing strength of east-west links and its audience included Irish businessmen and Whitehall special advisers. A Wales Office Minister was present but no Northern Irish politicians attended.
On the policy side, the Westminster think tanks moved north for the week. Policy Exchange and the Centre for Social Justice had particularly full programmes, with ministers, academics and their own staff taking part in panel discussions. The courtesy shared between Oliver Letwin and Frances O’Grady – poles apart in their thinking – contrasted with the sharp, argumentative tone that is often found back home.
One of the conference’s lesser known angles is the large number of diplomats (up to 200) who travel up to hear the Prime Minister’s speech. Jersey’s Treasury Minister was ‘working the room’ at a reception for Arab ambassadors: a strategic event for business conversations but again with no official representative from the province.
A Jordanian diplomat told agendaNi that the Northern Ireland peace process was highly valued in the Middle East: clearly an open door for new links.
Photo credit: Andrew Parsons / i-image
