Delegates welcome Brown’s speech
Gordon Brown will be pleased with his Labour conference speech this morning as delegates widely praised his performance as a prime minister in waiting.
“I thought he was great, and I thought he did a really good job. He was consistent with how he always has been and dealt with issues that are important to the party,” said Ann Funnell, a delegate with the socialist health association.
Iris Walters, a GMB union delegate, agreed, saying: “I thought [his speech] was really good. He really did set out his stall and I think if he is elected he’ll make a good leader.”
She praised Mr Brown’s emphasis on tackling the “poverty of opportunity and the poverty of aspiration”, but noted: “It is going to be hard work.”
John Smith, from the Chichester constituency Labour party (CLP), told politics.co.uk that the chancellor had made a “leader’s speech” that was as much targeted at the wider electorate as at Labour members.
He welcomed Mr Brown’s pledge to devolve power from Whitehall to local communities, but warned: “I hope that’s what will actually happen.”
Chris Sewell, a delegate for Labour’s disabled members group, said: “I think he’s the best – he hasn’t got the charisma of Blair but he is honestly pressing the right buttons for future prosperity and I will be voting for him and none other because of that.”
He added: “He may appeal less than the attraction of [David] Cameron who is in the mould of Tony Blair, but the time has come for a change from the Blair charisma to getting on with the job.”
However, it was not all praise for the chancellor’s address – Mike Bird of the Aberconwy CLP accepted that Mr Blair had succeeded in making a “public performance for his own advancement”, but warned his record would not go away.
Citing his plans to cut thousands of civil service jobs as part of the Gershon ‘efficiency’ savings, Mr Bird told politics.co.uk: “I think we should remember what he’s actually like.
“He’s not a socialist and he shouldn’t be leading a socialist party. I think lots of people could do it lots better.”
