I recently went to the Reform UK party conference, in the
Arena at the NEC in Birmingham. It was a two-day conference.
I had decided to go by train. The outward journey was easy,
apart from one thing. When I arrived at the station, I saw that the train I was
aiming for was cancelled! Fortunately, the one before it was late, so I managed
to catch it – just.
Day 1
To the first morning of the conference. We had been warned
that there would be anti-Reform protesters at the venue, but I didn’t see any.
This was partly because the route from my hotel to the Arena led through the
NEC Halls, so I arrived at the venue from the opposite direction to the 90%+ of
delegates who came from the car parks. This also made for shorter queues. Though
there was a lot of security, I didn’t have to wait long to get in on
either morning.
David Bull, former deputy leader of the party and compère
for the whole conference, told us that there were 4,000 in the audience. It is
an excellent auditorium, with clear sight-lines to the stage. Particularly from
where I was, in the central block, about half way up and just to the right of
the centre-line. Although the seat rows are steeply banked, meaning it isn’t
easy to move around for those of us whose balance and mobility are not what they
once were.
The atmosphere was a far cry from the party conference I
had gone to in Manchester in 2021, which had more the feel of an academic
conference than a political one. This was far more like a rally. Indeed, it reminded
me the Brexit party rally in 2019, also at the NEC, which started me off on a
trail that led to me becoming a Reform party campaign manager.
James McMurdock, the candidate who came from out of
nowhere to become, after three recounts, MP for South Basildon and East
Thurrock, was handed the first shift. He recalled himself and his wife, having
failed to include a planned imprint on his leaflet, having to stamp all the
leaflets manually! Ouch. But he seems a pretty common-sense kind of guy, just
the kind of MP we will need in order to be “the party that will stand up for
common sense.”
The second speaker was Ann Widdecombe. I knew Ann already,
because in late June she came down to our constituency for a little canvassing
and to give a speech to Reformers from several local constituencies. I have
heard her speak several times now, and nothing, absolutely nothing, I have ever
heard from any politician can beat her performance at the Brexit party rally in
Maidstone in 2019. (I was only about six feet away from her at the time). She
was pretty good when she spoke to our local Reformers, too. In the event, this
speech had the classic Ann Widdecombe features – well structured, always to the
point, admirably clear. But somehow, it didn’t impress me as much as she had on
the previous occasions.
Ant Middleton, mountain climber, former soldier and
Marine, and TV personality, was an interesting choice as the next speaker. He
spoke of “British culture and identity being trampled on” and “a nation of
confused people.” He saw a need for “an umbrella identity of British culture.”
I found it a pity that he did not try to say just what he meant by “British
culture.” But he is right about one thing. Something is seriously awry in the
cultural attitudes of far too many people in the UK today.
Rupert Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth, opened by praising the
“refreshing paucity of rainbow lanyards” among the conference-goers. He raised
a vital question about the relationship between government and the people. “Who
should be the servant, and who should be the master?” He spoke of the private
sector being crowded out by the state, and the failure of the Labour/Tory
duopoly and of the civil service.
He gave a long list of policies which Reform UK, which he
described as “the last hope of a return to normality,” would institute. These
included: End two-tier policing. Back small businesses. Scrap IR35. Slash
corporation tax. Scrap “diversity” rules. Judge people on merit. De-fund the
BBC. Scrap 20mph limits and low traffic neighbourhoods, and end the war on
motorists. He concluded – correctly, of course – that Reform represents
“fairness, common sense and accountable government.”
Next up was Lee Anderson MP, who began with “I want my
country back!” He deplored “Nett Zero lunacy.” He said it is not controversial
“to defend British history, heritage and culture,” nor to celebrate the
Industrial Revolution. Though he admitted that “we’ve been responsible for some
awful things.” His example? The BBC! He said that “Parliament has given up on
us” (Reform UK), and the establishment hate us and are trying to cancel us. But
he ended on an optimistic note, with Reform being on track towards where “we
will get our country back.” To which, my follow-up thought was, and our money
back, I hope.
Next came Richard Tice MP, deputy party leader. I saw that
he had drawn the short straw of the “calm before the storm” spot, and felt
sympathy. He spoke of “Starmergeddon on steroids” and “Rachel Thieves.” He
spoke of the three cults which the establishment are imposing on us. One, the
cult of mass immigration. Two, the cult of the NHS. Three, the cult of nett
zero. And he concluded: “Can we save the country? Yes. So, let’s do it!”
Zia Yusuf, party chairman and in effect CEO of the company
that supports the party, was the penultimate speaker. “We are now polling at
18%, up from 14% at the general election,” he told us. He described Labour as
“no more than the Tories on fast forward.” And the Tories “betrayed every value
their voters elected them to uphold.” The party structures of both Tories and
Labour are “designed to turn out leaders who offer more of the same.” “We are
building a movement in this country, the likes of which has never before been
seen.” “We are going to build a grass-roots election winning machine.”
“The British values that undergird our very civilization
have come under all-out assault.” Values such as: Equality before the law. The
presumption of innocence. Freedom of speech. And freedom of religion. “British
values are the foundation on which human ideas come to flourish.” “By the time
of the next general election, we will build the best ground campaign in the
country.” “By 2029, Reform UK will be ready to be the party of government, and
will embark on the most ambitious and bold reforms this country has seen in our
lifetimes.” “The indomitable spirit of the British people will prevail.”
“We will never bow to the mob, never succumb to their
intimidation, or cower in the face of their threats.” “This is a battle for the
soul of our nation, and we will not yield.” “Get involved in your local branch,
volunteering to help knock on doors, delivering leaflets, and turning out the
vote. This will be pivotal in our success.” “We will leave a Britain for our
children of which we can be proud.” There were perhaps a few too obviously Churchillian
touches; but the ovation was deserved.
Cue Nigel Farage! In full theatrical mode, though his
singing voice is not up to the standards of his speaking. I won’t comment in
detail on his speech, as the video is out there on the Internet, and to anyone
who shares Reform’s values, it was inspirational. But two quotes stand out.
“This weekend is when Reform UK comes of age.” And: “We don’t care about skin
colour. We don’t care about orientation. We couldn’t care less who you are. We
care whether you share the values of this country.” Put that in your pipe,
those that call us racists!
Day 2
On the second day, we began with a ceremony, in which
Nigel Farage signed away his ownership of the party, so it is now owned by the
members. We then voted on the new Constitution, which had been sent to all of
us by e-mail a week or so before. It was supported by virtually all those
present; in my field of view, I could see only three dissenting votes.
We then had two Reform local government representatives
recount their experiences. Maria Bortell, a councillor from Bridlington, was
previously a Tory, but “defected” to Reform before the last local election. The
Reform branch there was one of the first to be started, last month. They got 70
people at the first meeting!
Alex Wilson, now a Reform London Assembly member, was
previously manager for Ben Habib’s campaign in the Wellingborough by-election.
He now describes himself as “a beach-head in City Hall, raising our voice.” And
he told us: The Tories have been excellent recruiters for Reform, but Labour
are doing the same thing even better!
The most interesting second-day speech came from Timo
Soini, a former colleague of Nigel Farage in the European Parliament, who in
2015 rose to the dizzy heights of deputy prime minister of Finland. He
commiserated with Nigel for needing 8 attempts to get in to parliament; Timo
only needed 6! He charted the growth of his party, from nothing in 1995, to
three representatives in 2003, to 19% of the vote in 2011, to 39 seats in 2019
(and that was after an intra-party split!), to five ministers in a coalition government
in 2023. But Reform, of course, is going to have to move a great deal faster
than that!
The next speaker was Matt Goodwin, political scientist and
former academic. He had some interesting things to say. “Hypocrisy underpins
many or most of the state’s decisions.” True. “If you ask questions, you will
be accused of ‘misinformation.’” Indeed. And he criticized government for
failing to make available very relevant statistics, such as crime figures
broken down by nationality and immigration status. They don’t want you to know
such things.
The conference was closed by Nigel Farage’s keynote speech
– as if the one the previous day hadn’t been enough! Yesterday was a resounding
success, he said. David Bull had kept things moving “like a modern Bob
Monkhouse.” This was the most joyous gathering of a political party in modern
history. And he announced that there will be Regional Conferences beginning in
November, though unfortunately the South East Region is not yet on that list.
Overall, the Friday was devoted mainly to razzmatazz and
cheerleading, and the Saturday more to business. There was lots of time to talk
to people, and the general atmosphere was certainly good.
Afterthoughts
To my train journey home. While not actually delayed, it was
as bad as the outward journey had been good. Due to engineering works, bus to
Leamington Spa. Tight change, and a train to Reading that was chock-a-block due
to earlier cancellations. Even tighter change at Reading, into a train whose
only loo was out of order. Then absolute chaos finding the right bus for the
last leg from Guildford. Still, I got home.
In Godalming and Ash, we are not yet among the constituencies
who have been formally invited to start a branch. But we know the request might
come at any moment, and our core team are already preparing for it. As I read the
requirements, to create a branch, we will need to find a branch chair, a
treasurer, a campaign co-ordinator and a branch secretary. The branch also
needs a deputy chair, but this role could be done by any of the last three
above, or by a separate person.
The idea is to start with an interim branch chair, usually
the candidate who fought the general election. (This is certainly so in our
case). There may also be interim holders of the other positions; having been
campaign manager for the general election, I am currently doing whatever I see
needs doing, that would fall under the branch secretary’s role.
At some point, we will have a big meeting of party members
in the constituency. I presume that we will ask for nominations for each of the
posts, then the meeting will choose from among the candidates who put
themselves forward. By this process, the branch will be “democratized,” and its
elected officers will become branch officials. But as yet, I don’t have any
documentation on the procedures at this level, so this is subject to change.
Surrey County Council elections are coming up in early May
2025. It is vitally important that we put up as many candidates, of as high a
quality, as we possibly can. For Surrey County Council has, without consulting
the people they are supposed to be serving, made itself a member of UK100. This
is an extremist organization, that describes itself as “a network of local
leaders who have pledged to lead a rapid transition to Net Zero with Clean Air
in their communities ahead of the government’s legal target.”
Reform UK is the only party who oppose “nett zero” and
anti-car policies (of which the “clean air” agenda is but one facet). So, we have
a very large number of potential supporters in Godalming and Ash, particularly
in the suburban and rural areas, where a car is all but an essential. We have a
chance to kick-start a massive fightback against these bad policies. All the
more vital, because none of them are justified by any real science, or any
proper cost-benefit analysis from the point of view of the people, or even any
hard evidence that they would produce any nett benefits at all.
We are living in “interesting” times. And we have a lot of
work to do!