Anthony Barnett (London, OK): Just back from the Labour Party conference where I spoke at an ippr fringe on the Dog and Duck question of whether anyone cares about the constitution. Michael Wills, the minister in charge of making our values democratic was the star turn, and Meg Russell, and Francesca Klug and I tried to address the question with Guy Lodge holding the fort. More on all this anon.
The mood was flat but confident and comfortable. Having one man leadership has taken the tension out of the conference. There is an unspoken sense of having soiled the old principles for 'the sake of the country' (aka power and office for the Labour Party) - the Thatcher episode, declaring that criminal immigrants will be thrown out, not nice. But there you are. News of the Fraser Nelson Spectator interview with George Osborne went round the round conference like a Chinese whisper on skates. The Tories are already attacking each other, distancing themselves in preparation for defeat! Much shaking of heads at their lack of discipline and people already talking about Cameron in the past tense as the one Tory 'moderniser' who was serious. We will see...
