Week Ending: Tory coughing fits, and more
THERE must have been something in the canapes this week, when a senior Tory had an unfortunate coughing fit amid a report into public service cuts.
At the Conservative Party fringe event, Deloitte’s Simon Bedford was reeling off a summary of his ‘State of the State’ report at an event held by the think tank Reform.
At one stage he mentioned three indicators of the recessionary squeeze being felt across the UK.
There has been a five-fold increase in rent arrears, said Bedford, but this message was obscured by fellow panelist Sir Merrill Cockell, sounding like he was choking.
He fortunately recovered, so stoical Bedford tried again.
Instances of food theft have increased too in Austerity Britain, he said.
This appeared to send Sir Merrill into another coughing fit. After a while it abated, thanks to a glass of water hastily dispensed.
Cue Bedford for the third time….”Child protection cases are on the rise, ” he stated soberly, triggering yet another bronchial outburst from Sir Merrill, who chairs the Local Government Association.
We suspect this was just unfortunate timing and there is no suggestion at all, in this column anyway, that there was any attempt to bury bad news.
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THE conference made headlines for the big speeches, Nigel Farage’s fringe event, and Chancellor George Osborne’s new hairdo.
Little attention was paid though in the national media, to the plethora of special interest groups which are attracted to the event to try and make their voices heard.
Close to the conference entry gate on Peter Street there was a corridor of campaigners from every walk of life, handing leaflets and brandishing petitions towards bemused passers-by.
There were army veterans, anti-abortion campaigners, high speed rail opponents – complete with an inflatable white elephant, the Coalition for Marriage, a group trying to galvanize Muslim voters, a preacher on a soapbox, and of course the anti-nuclear lobby.
Did they persuade me of the value of their causes? Well, I took the leaflets and signed a petition supporting an issue that won’t be too familiar to most in the North West.
Addressed to the UN Human Rights High Commissioner it called for an immediate end to forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China.
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Week Ending doffs its cap to the intrepid novice comedians who took to the stage for charity on Wednesday night at the Comedy Store.
While a bundle of cash was raised, and the sell-out crowd royally entertained, we do feel one or two may have enjoyed the limelight a little too much, not least Christie supremo Caroline ‘Roy Chubby Brown’ Shaw, whose set was so blue that it couldn’t be reported…. suffice to say that HRH Prince Charles will never forget their encounter.
Read Chris Barry’s Week Ending column from last week here
