NSS at Tory Conference

Thanks to the support of one of our members, the NSS had a stand at this year’s Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. We expected a rough ride – after all, the Tory Party has traditionally been seen as the preserve of the traditional and the religious. We were, therefore, pleasantly surprised to have been received with interest and even some support.

Our stall was busy throughout the whole four days, with some delegates whispering “Thank God you’re here – somebody’s got to do something about the religious take-over”. One Prospective Parliamentary Candidate told us that she had only been invited to apply for the candidature because it was assumed she was religious. She hadn’t disabused the selection committee and said that she intended to remain “in the closet” until after she was elected. She made quite clear that any declaration of non-belief would terminate her ambitions immediately. This was a point made repeatedly by others with ambitions in the Party.

NSS honorary associate Richard Dawkins spoke at a fringe event organised by the Conservative Humanist Group. The meeting was packed and his message received well.

Keith Porteous Wood said: “Some useful contacts were made and a number of new members were signed up. Our leaflets assured delegates that secularism is a Conservative value, too, and attracted a great deal of comment. They were handed out to a number of shadow ministers, too.

Our stand was backed on to that of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, which carries a lot of weight in the party. The idea of a secularist alternative is a novelty, and one that wasn’t dismissed out of hand.

The stand was run by Keith Porteous Wood, Terry Sanderson, Anna Behan, Carla Revere and former council member Malcolm Trahearn.

3 October 2008