Spent yesterday (yes a Saturday) at the Fabian Society New Year Conference. It was an all day affair, requiring me to get up at the same time as a do for work. Those of you who know me that this is not something i do lightly. My standard Saturday regime definitely involves rising late and in a leisurely fashion. I dislike running about on a Saturday morning desperately drying my hair and praying that it won't frizz (to be honest i hate it every day but a girl has got to work). But the Fabians had secured an impressive array of speakers from both left and right and I was keen to hear the views of the likes of Peter Mandelson and Douglas Carswell on how to win the next election. By far the most interesting session was on the economy (although a smug young man from the Fabians tried to prevent me getting in, a misjudgement James, a misjudgement).Will Hutton was as always marvellous(could he be Prime Minister?) and his whose views on progressive entepreneurism were very compelling. Hutton was on a platform with Phillip Blond, Red Tory extraordinaire, and the level of consensus between these two thinkers was striking. Equally striking was that much of their thinking seems to be informed by NESTA, the innovation incubator which I think has over the last few month produced some of the most interesting, intellectually demanding and thought-provoking solutions to this country's social and economic challenges.
Two footnotes on the day's events. First, yes I was mistaken for the good Baroness Vadera at least twice!!
Second Nadine Dorries was by far the least impressive of the speakers I heard, indeed I thought she was truly awful but I did think she bears a remarkable resemblance to Heather Mills, indeed you never see them in the same place.
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