Deputy Charles Parkinson: Not just a ‘jolly’

Why does Guernsey send members of our Policy & Resources Committee to the conferences of the main UK political parties? Are these trips just jollies, paid for by the Guernsey taxpayer?

Well, I had the opportunity to find out, when I was selected to attend the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. I have never been a member of any political party, in Guernsey or anywhere else, so this was a new experience for me. However, I was ably supported by one officer from the States of Guernsey, who steered me through the event.

The UK party conferences, I now understand, are like trade shows. There are a few ‘main stage’ events, where the party leaders talk to the faithful, and a great number of ‘fringe’ events where promoters of specific causes hope to win the support of MPs and members of the House of Lords.

There are also a number of stands in the foyer, where businesses, charities and others try to gain influence among parliamentarians. Examples of the businesses which took stands at this year’s Conservative conference included JCB and Guernsey’s own Specsavers. The media were, of course, well represented (Sky News, Times Radio, GB News, etc.). There were familiar faces in every corner of the venue.

Guernsey Finance hosted a successful breakfast meeting for parliamentarians and city figures on the Monday morning, at which I said a few words on Guernsey’s tax review. The opening remarks were followed by a question-and-answer session, which revealed a deep understanding of, and interest in, Guernsey’s financial services industries.

The three crown dependencies sent representatives to attend meetings and to hold discussions with Conservative members of both Houses of Parliament. Gibraltar had a large stand in the foyer. In some cases, we joined forces with Deputy Ian Gorst, Jersey’s minister for external relations and his team of three, for meetings with friendly MPs and peers, who we can rely on to defend the interests of the Channel Islands in parliament.

In terms of atmosphere, I am told that the event was less crowded than in past years, unsurprisingly given that the Tories lost the last UK General Election badly, and are languishing on about 18% support in the UK opinion polls. Reform cast a dark shadow over the event, and there was much talk of possible defections. But despite this, the delegates were not too downhearted.

Most Conservatives were philosophical about the political fortunes of their party. They believe that they are the only right-of-centre party with sensible economic policies, and that the pendulum will eventually swing back towards them. Few think they will win the next General Election, but they believe it is likely that the UK will have a hung parliament. As one Tory MP put it to me, there could be 200 Reform MPs, 300 Labour and Conservative MPs, in some combination, and 150 MPs from the other parties. No one will go into coalition with Reform, so the parliament is likely to be short-lived.

What made them more pessimistic was the state of the UK’s public finances, and here the Conservatives were willing to shoulder their fair share of the blame. After all, they were in power for 14 years, and a parlous situation only got worse, despite George Osborne’s austerity policies. As one speaker put it, ‘We were spending one pound in every four pounds on interest payments. And then Covid hit.’ Covid added another £400bn to the debt.

There is no easy way out of the UK’s predicament, and Rachel Reeves’ second budget, on 26 November, could be a painful experience for most UK taxpayers. This all puts Guernsey’s fiscal problems into perspective.

As you may imagine, the security around the conference was tight, but as it turned out, completely unnecessary. So out of power are the Tories that the only protestors outside the entrance were two gentlemen holding up a placard which said ‘Pedestrianise the M6’.

Nevertheless, everyone was acutely aware that two Jewish men had been tragically killed in a horrendous terrorist attack in the city in the week before the event. Many speakers rightly offered their sincere condolences to the families of the dead, and the respect shown was palpable.

Several fringe meetings offered valuable discussions on tax policy, and Michael Heseltine’s oversubscribed Europe talk was especially popular. Supporters of the EU are far from extinct in the Conservative Party, even if they are a minority.

There were additionally a range of social events, for example for international delegates, at which I had conversations with representatives of the French and Japanese embassies in London amongst many others. I was introduced to Priti Patel, the shadow secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs, and heard her speak of the importance to the UK of the ‘British family’ of nations.

I collected a large number of calling cards, and the external relations team at Sir Charles Frossard House will now drop a line to each of the individuals that I met, to help foster a lasting relationship. This kind of promotion only works if you keep at it.

Some of the contacts I made in the innovation and technology areas could be particularly interesting, including a professor from the University College of London and Dr Ben Spencer MP, the shadow minister for science, innovation and technology.

So, what is the value to Guernsey of this kind of promotional effort? The truth is that it is almost impossible to measure. It is very unlikely that we will be able to link one positive development with a contact made at a specific event. But as one presenter said, allegedly quoting Tom Peters (and I paraphrase) ‘When times get tough, the bad company cuts its marketing budget first; the good company cuts its marketing budget last.’

Was it just a ‘jolly’? Well, the days can be long (starting at 8.30am and continuing until 7.30pm in some cases, then followed by a round of evening receptions to attend and network. We stayed at a former Ibis Hotel in Portland Street, which is rather ‘tired’. It was not an event that I would choose to do for fun, but I certainly met some interesting people and learned a good deal.

Would I go again, if asked to do so? Yes, I think I would.