Party Politics conferences from Policy Review TV

Queen's Speech Forum

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 BST

Speakers included Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office, Paymaster General and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

This first UK online TV Queen’s Speech Analysis Forum delivered a platform of experts, commentators and politicians to set out what a new government means for reform and change across the UK.

Reaction to the Coalition

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 BST

General Election Analysis 2010

Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00:00 BST

Conservative Party Conference

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 BST

Each day we interviewed attendees to find out their views on policy issues as well as their reactions to speeches and fringe events.

Conservative Party Conference with Total Politics

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 BST

Each day well be interviewing attendees to find out their views on policy issues as well as their reactions to speeches and fringe events.

Labour Party Annual Conference

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 BST

Each day well be interviewing attendees to find out their views on policy issues as well as their reactions to speeches and fringe events.

Conservative Party Annual Conference - Wednesday

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 BST

policyreview.tv will be providing online coverage from each day of the conference, recording interviews, fringe meetings and gauging the reaction of delegates and pundits.

Conservative Party Annual Conference - Tuesday

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 BST

Education David Willetts MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills talks about a range of issues from careers guidance, A levels and the new 14-19 Diplomas to tuition fees and developments in higher education. Asked what he thought about Gordon Brown�s proposals to increase broadband access to poorer families, he said that they were ��excellent initiatives..the question is of course how they can be delivered and whether he�s got the resources to deliver them.� On the subject of information, advice and guidance, Willetts wants to see �proper, independent careers advice in schools�. Having talked to young people, he sometimes questioned their choice of A� levels, which can appear to be �a very eccentric mix�, in relation to their chosen degree courses and career aspirations � �you think, who advised them that these were sensible A�level options if they want to become an engineer, for example�, he added. Local and regional government Listen to Hammersmith and Fulham Council Leader Stephen Greenhalgh give his forthright view that �Council Tax is one of the most hated taxes in the country�. Supporting Shadow Chancellor George Osborne�s proposals to provide incentives to councils that can reduce overheads without compromising core services, he also spoke of the need to reduce the number of targets. What people are looking for is best value for money, he said. James Morris, Chief Executive of Localis wants local government to have more discretion over spending on services. Asked whether he thought a Conservative government would be willing to give away power at a local level, he said that they supported the view that the future of politics had to be about the re-engagement of people. This would mean local residents having a more direct say in the decisions that are being made. policyreview.tv will be providing online coverage from each day of the conference, recording interviews, fringe meetings and gauging the reaction of delegates and pundits.

Conservative Party Annual Conference - Monday

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 BST

Credit crunch With share prices tumbling worldwide, the proposed $700 billion rescue package for the US banking system stalled and the collapse of Bradford and Bingley, Monday�s hot topic was inevitably the credit crunch. Speaking at a fringe meeting, Philip Hammond MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury considered that consumer attitude to debt was already changing. The problem had been �confusing the creation of credit with the creation of wealth�. People who thought they were quite well off are now �facing a rather unpleasant sobering up experience�, he said. Business Editor at the Sunday Express, Tracey Balls stated that it was no exaggeration to say that �we�re engulfed in the worst financial crisis since 1929�. Considering whether the worst was over, her opinion was that, although the major banks are probably safe, building societies still looked vulnerable � �only the Britannia and Nationwide are safe, to be honest�, she said. Social enterprises Social enterprises, or the third sector, are playing an increasingly important role in delivering public services as well as supporting communities. Speaking at a fringe event, Claire Dove, Chair of the Social Enterprise Coalition highlighted the added value of social enterprises in responding to some of the most entrenched problems facing urban and rural communities. Social enterprises can help to deliver good, strong public services but there is a need to simplify the procurement process, she said. Jesse Norman, Chairman of the Conservative Co-operative Movement pointed out that the idea of entrepreneurship should not be confined to private businesses because it was more about awareness of opportunity than simply the desire to make profits. �Well run enterprises in the private sector are now looking at models in the third sector�, he said. Charles Eales, Public Sector Relations Manager at Microsoft agreed that there was a good cross-over between social enterprises and business. Referring to Bill Gates� concept of creative capitalism he said that there was a need to get government, the private sector and voluntary organisations to work together to help the disadvantaged. policyreview.tv will be providing online coverage from each day of the conference, recording interviews, fringe meetings and gauging the reaction of delegates and pundits.

Labour Party Annual Conference - Wednesday

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 BST

Wednesday 24 September In an exclusive interview with policyreview.tv Schools� Minister Jim Knight MP talked about the Prime Minister�s announcement to provide vouchers worth �700 to enable poorer families to have access to the internet. Studies have shown that having a computer at home can help to raise pupils� examination results. �It�s wrong for the digital divide to disadvantage those children whose parents can�t afford�broadband connection�, said Knight. Listen to Minister for Lifelong Learning Bill Rammell MP respond to the Conservatives view that 14-19 Diplomas will dilute A levels and be confusing to employers. "For far too long in this country weve had youngsters at the age of 14 with real talent, potential and ability but theyve been switched off by having an exculsively academic route to educational success." Rammell pointed out that the Diplomas have been developed with input from business and that universities were recognising their worth for entry to vocational degrees. "These are quality qualifications", he said. Labours annual conference is the main event in the partys political calendar and a crucial point in its policy making process. policyreview.tv is providing online coverage from each day of the conference, recording interviews, fringe meetings and gauging the reaction of delegates and pundits.

Labour Party Annual Conference - Tuesday

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 BST

Tuesday 23 September - Focus on young people and education With 22% of three year olds now diagnosed as obese, the problem was discussed at a Smith Institute fringe event entitled Beating Obesity: What about our toddlers? Helen Goodman MP, Deputy Leader of the House of Commons accepted that the Government had not thought enough about the toddler age group in terms of obesity. Goodman claimed that the fight against child poverty was fundamental and called for a whole life approach to be adopted to tackle obesity. In addition to national targets, Local Area Agreements are now including their own targets where obesity is seen as a particular problem she said. A commercial perspective was provided by David Algar, Vice President UK and Ireland of Nutricia: �It�s very much a common mistake that it�s acceptable to feed toddlers adult food but in smaller portions�all the nutritional advice is emphatically no� he said. Representatives from MEND and the Manchester Metropolitan University also contributed to the debate. Labours annual conference is the main event in the partys political calendar and a crucial point in its policy making process. policyreview.tv is providing online coverage from each day of the conference, recording interviews, fringe meetings and gauging the reaction of delegates and pundits.

Labour Party Annual Conference - Monday

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 BST

Monday 22 September - Focus on economic affairs With attention turned to the economy, Alistair Darling came into the spotlight stating in his keynote address that "These are extraordinarily turbulent times; a crisis that has rocked the financial institutions around the world on top of the large rise in fuel, food and commodity prices." Although borrowing would need to rise in order to "support the economy and families when they need it most", Darling made it clear that the Government would, in the medium term, have to live within its means. He called for tougher regulations of the banking system and more protection for savers but also hinted that tax increases would eventually be needed. Delegates agreed with Darlings view that the British Government was not responsible for the global financial crisis but thought that Labour would have to fight really hard to stay in power because they would inevitably take the flack for what has happened. They also supported moves to curb the excesses of the City and corporate greed. Business interest At the Dragons� Den: Investing in enterprise and innovation fringe event, Science Minister, Ian Pearson talked about the strong science base in the UK and the launch of the Innovation Nation White Paper. �We can become the most innovative country in the world�that must be our ambition� he said. Stephen Broomhead, Chief Executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency was concerned about the disconnection of skills planning from innovation. Regional Development Agencies have, he said, tried to join together the themes of skills, enterprise, innovation and competitiveness and ensure that business support services are integrated. �You don�t want too many wrong doors for people to go through�, he added. Simon Tucker, Associate Director at The Young Foundation pointed out that the skills employers struggle to find from new recruits are teamwork, self-discipline, motivation and communication rather than literacy and numeracy. �It�s quite striking that our schools mostly don�t teach these skills directly�you can�t find them on the curriculum�, he said. The Young Foundation aims to set up schools that will teach the skills that are needed for young people to become entrepreneurs or good employees. Labours annual conference is the main event in the partys political calendar and a crucial point in its policy making process. policyreview.tv is providing online coverage from each day of the conference, recording interviews, fringe meetings and gauging the reaction of delegates and pundits.

Labour Party Annual Conference - Sunday

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:00:00 BST

Sunday 21 September - Focus on foreign policy As Gordon Browns main leadership rival, Foreign Secretary David Miliband is attracting attention at this years conference. Speaking at a Fabian Society lunchtime fringe event entitled Can foreign policy be a Labour strength?, he observed that "...foreign policy for Labour has generally been a big issue for us for losing us votes rather than winning us votes - where it has been a big issue at all." In support of his argument he cited the 1983 general election when Labour was committed to unilateral nuclear disarmament and, at the last election, the war with Iraq. Delegate recation to David Miliband appeared to be positive with favourable comments about him being sincere and forward looking and having a sense of urgency to address the Palestine Israel issue. However, for some the priority at the moment is not foreign policy but rather closer to home where there are concerns about rising prices. Labours annual conference is the main event in the partys political calendar and a crucial point in its policy making process. policyreview.tv is providing online coverage from each day of the conference, recording interviews, fringe meetings and gauging the reaction of delegates and pundits.

Conservative Spring Forum 2008

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With the Conservative Party at a 15 year high in the opinion polls and Labour�s standing on a par with Michael Foot in 1983, David Cameron would comfortably win the likely election contest with Gordon Brown. Ahead of the May local elections, David Cameron�s Party is looking well placed to capture the majority of seats and make the Conservatives the front-runners for the next general election, expected in 2009. At their Spring Conference, the Conservatives� mood was �preparing for government�. David Cameron set out plans to make Britain a better place to bring up children, with more flexible working, the extension of parental leave, and more NHS health visitors. In his closing speech he outlined his ambition to make Britain more family-friendly and stressed, "We can build a better future for ourselves and our children." Extensive video and sound coverage of the event by policyreview.tv has recorded all the key speeches and captured the Conservative Party�s mood through interviews with the shadow cabinet and party members.