UKIP National Conference

My brief blogging frenzy (caused mainly by loads of free time waiting for ready mixed concrete to be delivered, but that’s another story!) will take a hiatus for the next few days as I’m off to the UKIP National Conference in the sunny seaside town of Bournemouth.

The Bournemouth International Centre [BIC] is a purpose built entertainment and conference venue and will be hosting the UK Independence Party Conference over Thursday 4th, Friday 5th and Saturday 6th of September 2008.

The full program gets underway on the Thursday evening with a Chairman’s Reception at 6.30pm. On Friday the Conference officially opens with a Mayoral Welcome and a full list of interesting speakers fill the day until a break at 5pm giving a chance to freshen up before attending the Conference Dinner at 7pm.

Saturday morning will be starting early for me with a working breakfast meeting of the UKIP Elections Committee, of which I am Chairman. The highlight of the Conference will then be yours truly taking the platform to round off the Saturday morning session by addressing the Conference on the subject of “Election Campaigning” The afternoon will include more motions and speakers with a chance for a members to put their points of view to the Party Leadership in a Question time session. Conference will no doubt will close with a typically rousing speech from our leader Nigel Farage.

Getting home from Bournemouth on a Saturday evening is a complete nightmare and National Rail Enquiries produced a 14 hour journey plan that gets me home mid morning Sunday! So the decision has been taken to go back to Dartford, where the UKIP Press Officer rests his weary head, get drunk, sorry I mean continue policy discussions, and then catch the 9.30 from Kings Cross on the Sunday Morning. This plan gets me home only a couple of hours later than travelling straight through on the Saturday. Of coursed it also gets me home with a hang over after all that policy work in Dartford. It’s a tough life in politics.