Dave’s speech: death knell for party conferences? 

WHEN Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the Tory Party conference he was big on optimism but lacking in substance. For some, his empty speech reinforced the growing sense that party conferences have become irrelevant. 

Best of British optimism

This was the speech that put the Great back into Great Britain, says Ann Treneman in The Times. It was a bulldog speech, "a definitive stand against 'sogginess' and an attack on people who don't stand up". Dave has been talking about sunshine since the Bournemouth conference in 2006, when he was just a little sunbeam, adds Treneman. "Now he is a glowing orb of optimism."

Yes, Cameron evoked the British bulldog spirit, says Benedict Brogan in The Daily Telegraph. That "dogged determinism" got him through "a patchy speech" that struggled until the last moments to galvanise his party.

The comforting notion of Britain taking on far greater forces may be a bit hackneyed, says Brogan. "But leadership sometimes requires us to be reminded of it."

But there was no substance

Cameron won't be putting that speech in his 'Best of' compilation album, says Matthew Engel in the Financial Times. He was ace as ever, mastering tone, cadence and relaxed light touch, but it was "to cover the fact he had nothing to say". Perhaps he thinks if he talks about growth often enough that will make it happen, says Engel. Or maybe there is little the PM can do about the crisis, and "he could not cover that up".

Yes, it was a speech with a growth sized hole in it, says Jonathan Freeland in The Guardian. It flitted lightly from diabetic motorists to school punctuation via highlighter pens and was threaded together by upbeat talk of "can do optimism" and bulldog spirit. "The problem is that happy talk makes no sense unless it is anchored to a plan of action."

Spin doctors doctored credit speech

There was another hole, blogs Jim Pickering for the Financial Times. And no doubt there will be an inquest today into why the first draft of Cameron's flagship speech included an exhortation to the general public to pay off their credit cards.

"The clear implication of a prime minister asking the public to stop spending – at a time of a potential double-dip recession – was not lost on anyone." And that's why there was an urgent last minute edit of the credit card passage.

Time to end the conferences

The real problem is that there is no purpose for these speeches, or these annual party conferences, John McTernan told Newsnight. But "the parties are addicted to the money they get from the fringe meetings, from the lobbyists, from the companies".

Indeed, conferences were once held to allow members to decide party policy and give rank and file members a voice, says Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail. These days they draw a rum crowd of public relations operatives, "suited smoothies who press business cards into the palms of passers-by".

The contribution of conferences to genuine political engagement has dwindled to near nothing, adds Letts. "We have to find a better way for our political parties to galvanise themselves." ·