Thursday, 8 October 2009

Tony Bear

TB is sure he isn't the only one with a sore head this morning. "Tony Bear" had a great one at last night's Party for Change and a standard conference last night round off in the Midland. This conference has flown by and despite the best attempts of the BBC has been a roaring success. Chris "did no get the memo" Grayling was a bit of a blip but as expected some imagery of Dave jogging is dominating the news agenda. Last day is a bit all over the place but here are some snaps from last night.

It wasn't just TB and co who have a penchant for some conference karaoke it seems. Pickles sung "Here Comes the Sun":
The Sun's already here chum!

Wednesday, 7 October 2009

Dunky Watch

TB mentioned Alan Duncan's less than obvious loitering around the press the other day, it seems his hard work is finally paying off.

Nottingham Conservative Future
finally gave him his moment in the limelight:
Seems Paxo was busy!

Party for Change

Don't forget to come join TB for a drink at the Party for Change tonight. He is hosting a little reception in the vip room of The Printworks at 8.30

He might even sing again...

The Guardian's John Harris...

...is an utter tool. TB has clocked him doing the rounds with his camera attempting to cut it as a lefty stitch up artist. He's no Don't Panic.

Funny that the conversations he overheard Harris having with "norms" didn't make it into the video. The cutting room floor will be littered with tory supporting answers and quotes. TB did have to smirk though that having taken the piss of Harris, well his hair, he has decided this conference season to play on it with his blog title "
Harris's Fringe
"

He even changed his profile photo!

The Bubble

The telly in TB's room is finally working! He's having a very civilised morning with a surprisingly decent coffee and Sky News. For once he was able to sleep in without missing some shameless chance for self-promotion. It was a strange one last night, lots going on but everything very hush hush. The suites at the Midland are no doubt buzzing. A stream of aides and shad cabbers were heading up to the higher floors all evening. Access denied to the bear, except one. Mum's the word.

Given last week's blinder, the News International crash was always going to be ambitious. The blonde on the door was charming but ultimately firm, at least TB wasn't so desperate that he used the "I'm Andy Coulson" line - "Oh really, why does your pass say James then?"

TB managed to get a decent sleep for the first time since about last Friday but word is reaching him that not everyone had the same idea. Three hacks, who he won't cringe by naming them, decided by 5am it would be an excellent idea to just keep drinking until the the 7.30 round of fringe events. Hannan's early morning speech was apparently worth still being trashed and turning up to as part of an seventeen hour conference bender. TB is impressed by their stamina and terrified at how keen they are!

The mood here is fantastic, no cock ups as of yet. There are journos desperate for this to go tits up and have been plying tory boys with gin and trying to get them to say stupid things. It's not that people are being deliberately on message, more that the message has the support of every level of the party. Dave is on form and has a hell of an enthusiastic bunch behind him. The Mirror's actions this morning were a disgrace. Their hacks are having a great time but should get out of journalism and head to a pr company.

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

"Evil Tendencies" - updated.

It was always going to be a tough gig for the New Statesman's political editor James Macintyre. Having just weeks ago smeared the Conservatives as "institutionally racist", James was doing his best to charm the crowd at their reception on Sunday night. First up Dale was cornered for a chat, but others went in for the kill. Mr denied smearing and indeed swore he hated Draper,Mcbride and even Gordon, who he claimed had "evil tendancies." What was he so adamant to deny to TB though?

Amazing how champagne can loosen the tongue eh!

Caption Contest

This gem from TV's

Shane Greer
cracked TB up:
A seat for karaoke guru and ConHome's co-editor Mr Isaby? Pah!

Photobucket

Over here!

Alan Duncan cuts a lonely figure as he strolls backwards and forwards across the media scrum zone between the conference venue and the hotel. TB clocked him attempting to catch BBC hacks eyes for a good ten minutes, they seemed to be more interested in chasing the Shad Cabbers for comment though.

Horrible job, who'd want to be an MP these days.

Back Hander..

The rumours are flying that

Keep Right Online
are in the pay of YBF. TB has the proof:



Wish someone would pay TB.

Photobucket

Here Bear and Everywhere

Good morning conference,

TB is feeling fresh as a daisy after an epic karaoke session last night. He was up bright and early and definitely not still slightly drunk when speaking about the future of the BBC in a new media age. Hic.

The pictures and videos from last night will no doubt surface somewhere, but TB had a great time, thank you to everyone who came along. He will never forget the double encore of Things Can Only Get Better. A hundred drunk hacks claiming New Labour's anthem of choice was quite a moment. Especially given the rumour the guy that wrote the song has come out, as a tory.

TB is rather busy, mainly drinking with

Dizzy
, but he thought he would share some snaps from yesterday:

Lad!

Look closely:
Rivals:
Wes for Pres...
Will blog properly later...

Monday, 5 October 2009

Karaoke!

TB is gearing up for Karaoke tonight. Just to confirm - The Studio at Chigago Rock, Peter Street at 11pm.

Tenner on the door.

Photobucket

Quote of the Day

Tory Bear's intern for the week, well not quite intern but roomie, came out with this classic over lunch:

"There seems to be £50 missing from my wallet that I can't account for."

Five minutes later... "God damn it. Champagne."

Photobucket

Aww.

They actually bothered coming down to the entrance to the secure zone:

Solid effort.

Photobucket

Tune into Radio 5 Live at 12

If you aren't at

#cpc09
. Click
here
to listen to TB on the Victoria Derbyshire show.

Highly impressed the hashtag had reached the 4th most popular topic on twitter.

And we don't even have a twitter czar.

Poor Kerry McCarthy. No seat come May and an utter failure at her job to promote her party on that interwebby thing.

Photobucket

Sunday

So perhaps the 7am Google Breakfast was ambitious. So conference has been open for less than an hour and already it is the ninth most talked about subject on Twitter in the world. TB had a cracking first night - thank you Labour controlled Manchester Council for the fish and chips and lashing of err pudding wine. TB quickly made his way to the New Statesman party to cause some ructions. All in all a success, he ended up chatting to James Macintyre, their controversial political editor for a good half an hour. It could be described as a broad conversation and TB isn't yet sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for him.

The CF drinks were a blur of old faces, and more importantly lots of new ones. For a party that is often viewed as aged, there are a hell of a lot of passionate and extremely articulate and on message Cameroons here who make even TB feel old. The evening ended in style in Midland with an even bigger flurry of old faces and Lord Strathclyde up to his usual tricks - whispering in a young lady's ear.

The Midland is lobbyist central, and given it's six quid for a G&T TB can't say he's disappointed.

Photobucket

Sunday, 4 October 2009

The Stage is Set


and yeah.. it's awesome.

Photobucket

Conference Totty Watch - Episode 1

There were some pretty damn funny stories to come out of Birmingham conference last year. This hilarious one has been doing the rounds, but TB never thought it would be the one to
make it into a newspaper
:

The sting, news of which has been passed around political circles, was hatched while Ms Squire was enjoying a round of evening receptions. At one, she was approached by a middle-aged delegate who told her: ‘You must come back to my room.’

Despite Ms Squire’s refusal, the man continued to press his case, eventually thrusting one of his room cards for the Birmingham Hyatt into her hand and saying: ‘Come to my room at 3.30am, when the parties are over, and I will give you the time of your life.’

Ms Squire, who was a model and journalist in South Africa and New York before joining the campaigning group, accepted the key – but with no intention of taking him up on his offer.

She then went to another reception, where she was pestered by a second, younger man in similarly persistent terms.

Exasperated, she eventually reached for the first man’s room card and smiled: ‘OK. Here is the key to my room. Come up at 3.30am and I’ll give you the time of your life.’


She was left in little doubt that her ploy to bring the two ardent men together had succeeded when she encountered one of them the following morning, who expressed his fury about his early-hours meeting."

You have been warned boys. Though you all know what to do with your conference rumours!

Photobucket

NO2ID Rally

Conservative Future
has a long history of supporting the NO2ID Campaign and given the Labour Government is using Manchester as a guinea pig for this unnecessary and wasteful scheme it seems there a plan brewing.

Manchester's huge student population will be some of the first victims of the scheme with the Government planning to refuse student loans from those who don't sign up for the 'voluntary scheme'. So CF is hitting the streets.

The rally is Tuesday 6th October, 12.30pm at Albert Square (next to Manchester Town Hall.) Damian Green MP is speaking at 1pm. Michael Rock, Chairman of Conservative Future states “working in conjunction with the NO2ID team, we're aiming to have the largest CF rally to date, incorporating the 'Reclaim your DNA' message and bringing together local students and workers, Conference delegates and MPs.If you value your ID, your DNA and your freedom then I urge you to come along, get involved and send a message to this out of touch Government."

TB will be there, and can he just say, the new CF press operation is getting slick.

Photobucket

Saturday, 3 October 2009

Just Bears and Bags

Not really any room for anything else in the case:

6am start. Bed.

Photobucket

Thieving Paws...

Hmmm TB is sure he has read that story somewhere before. At least the Evening Standard referenced where they got it from when they covered it.

Invoice on the way Monkey.

Photobucket