The unbearable lightness of the Tory party conference. A place where nothing ever happens. Where dreams come to die. Where the only joy to be found is in the possibility of forgetting. Oblivion is the hottest ticket on offer. Above all else, a microverse of infinite sadness and suffering.
The banners around the conference compound carry the catchy slogan “Stronger economy. Stronger borders”. They should say “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here”. A colleague asked the guard whether this was the media entrance. He replied: “It’s anyone’s. It’s so quiet in there. I’ve been to busier dinner parties.” You can’t help feeling that the security is there to stop people leaving, rather than keeping the unwanted out.
