YESTERDAY AT THE CONFERENCE
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Restricting the right to strike in
monopoly public services
Anti-fraud Bill to allow cross-checking of tax, VAT and benefit records
Get 100,000 lone parents off welfare into work
Bill to save the taxpayer pounds 40m in
compensation for accidents at work
QUOTES OF THE DAY
"I sleep like a baby; I wake up every four hours and burst into tears." Ian Lang, President of the Board of Trade
"Get your bottle of gin for the conference." Stallholder at the Marginal Seats Tombola (Guess how many?)
"We Conservatives do actually find it hard to talk about caring." Paul Gray, Preston
"Harriet Harman ... she only scraped on to Labour's National Executive thanks to their assisted places scheme for less able women." Peter Lilley
"Clare Short ... She paid the price for being indiscreet on sofas at weekends and on television." Sir George Young
"We [Conservatives] were not set up to think. We were not set up to write. We were set up to govern." Michael Portillo, fringe meeting
"This is a speech which will get no coverage in the press or on television news ... Because it is full of good news." John Gummer
GOOD DAY... ...BAD DAY DEVIL OF THE DAY
John Major
broke new
conference ground with an hour confidently
fielding questions
John Gummer
obliged to deliver the most arousal-free speech of the day. Not even a token
announcement
The press - knocked even more than usual for failing to trumpet Britain's achievement and, for its cynicism
THE CROWD-PULLERS ON THE FRINGE
Norman Lamont, more Europhobia 500 people.
Michael Portillo, Conservative Way Forward, 220 people but many disappointed by the Defence Secretary's caution and loyalty.
Sir Teddy Taylor versus Quentin Davies, on the single currency, 200.
Gillian Shephard on tightening discipline in schools, 100 plus
CHOREOGRAPHY OF THE DAY
John Major and Brian Mawhinney self-consciously removing their jackets during the Q&A session
THE PARTIES TO BE SEEN AT
ITN, drinks at the Highcliff,
British Airways, champagne at the Royal Bath, Irish Embassy 'stout party' in the conference
centre,
Connex Rail Ltd, champagne and croissants at the Highcliff
RAPTUREMETER
Malcolm Rifkind 3 min 5 sec
Foreign Secretary 88 decibels
Ian Lang 1 min 15 sec
Industry 90 decibels
John Major 42 sec
(question time) 98 decibels
John Gummer 22 sec
Environment 86 decibels
Sir George Young 20 sec
Transport 86 decibels
National Heritage (Virginia Bottomley), Defence (Michael Portillo), Economy (Kenneth Clarke), Education and Employment (Gillian Shephard), address by Michael Heseltine, deputy prime minister.
Compiled by STEPHEN GOODWIN
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