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The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser

27 September 2007

I had to drag myself away from the local election campaigns in Dover and Aylesham this week to take part in the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth where everyone was speculating whether Gordon would call a snap election.

Conferences are always a great opportunity for up-front constituency lobbying of Ministers but this year there was the added attraction of Gordon Brown’s maiden conference speech as Prime Minister and I’m glad I didn’t miss it.

Gordon hasn’t got the same presentational skills of Tony Blair and a lot of people might say “Thank goodness for that” but he’s got gravitas, he exudes authority and even his opponents recognise him as a serious politician. He certainly made a serious speech. He told us about who he was. His upbringing as a son of a Minister of the Church, of how his sermons had influenced him as a small boy and how the values he adopted from his loving parents had stayed with him to the present day.

And he told us about the rugby accident that left him blind in one eye and the wonderful work that NHS staff put into saving his one eye all those years ago.

Talking about more current matters, Gordon Brown listed some of the challenges the country and the Government had dealt with in the three months since he became Prime Minister and paid tribute to Glasgow’s local hero, John Smeaton, the baggage handler who bravely went to the aid of a policeman who was being attacked by one of the terrorist bombers.

John had accepted an invitation to our conference and he received a standing ovation from the packed hall which clearly took him by surprise – but what a nice surprise.

But the substance of his speech was about health reform, unlocking people’s talents and potential, increasing maternity leave, giving every child the best possible start in life and of restoring the link between earnings and pensions.

He told us about his proposals to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder, his plan to see two million more home owners by 2010 than in 1997, help for private renters, more cash for social housing and he promised to double the number of new eco towns – from five to ten.

There were pledges to tackle gun crime, to crack down on drug pushers and to beef up our policing and border controls – and a whole lot more.

On the evening of his maiden speech Gordon was back on parade as guest of Honour at the Party’s Gala Welcome Dinner. His evening speech was predictably lighter and funnier than his formal presentation to Conference and afterwards he spent some time at our table. I congratulated him on his speech and asked him to call an Autumn election.

I still don’t think he’ll go to the country this year though. My best prediction is a General Election on May 1st 2008 - but there was no harm in asking.