Douglas Carswell's Blog

Conservative conference in Birmingham

Next week is the Conservative conference in Birmingham – something I’m really looking forward to. I’ll be speaking at the following events, and hope to see any readers there:

Sunday

12:30 - Blueprint for a Tax Revolution with the Adam Smith Institute. Jury’s Inn Hotel

17:30 - How the internet is renewing politics. Dolce Suite, Hyatt Regency

Monday

16:30 – Debate on Electoral Reform: Should reformists support AV? Freedom Zone, Austin Court   

Tuesday

11:45 - Britain and the EU – why we need an In / Out referendum. Freedom Zone, Austin Court

17:45 – Pragmatism, Principle and Power: What will the coalition mean for Conservative politics? Allegro Room, Hyatt Regency

Many of the interesting debates look like they’ll be taking place not via autocue in the main hall. Nor at the corporate-dominated fringe. Rather the Freedom Zone – brain child of the heroic Simon Richards - seems to be where much of the more interesting debate is happening.

As Big Government, Big Business and regulation take over the conference fringe, killing the spontaneous and crushing the authentic, a new fringe fringe grows up in the Freedom Zone beyond their reach. A lesson for the country, not just Tory conference delegates, perhaps?

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