Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Boris Wows Policy Exchange Dinner

This evening I have been at a gala fundraising dinner for Policy Exchange at Vinopolis near London Bridge. Boris Johnson was the guest speaker and he put in a bravura performance - just the right mix of Borisisms and political meat.

Nicholas Boles can be justifiably proud of what he created all the way back in 2001. A lot of people along the way have helped make Policy Exchange the biggest and arguably the most influential think tank on the centre right, not least Michael Gove, Charles Moore and Anthony Browne.

The fact that more than 300 people came tonight was testament to Policy Exchange's success and influence. And that's why so many on the left delight on slagging it off, as they will no doubt do now in the comment thread.

Boris went round all the thirty or so tables exuding his usual humour and bonhomie. He slapped me on the back and declared to the assembled throng that I was the second most powerful man in London. 'God help us all' muttered a voice from somewhere. Indeed so. Boris was quick to offer the reassurance that I might be second, but he was the top man and intended to remain in that position for a long time to come. I am not sure the voice was any more reassured...

And then came the surreal experience of meeting Nick Ross, of Crimewatch fame. As I left the event I half expected him to tell me to sleep well and not to have nightmares... a message I now pass happily on to you all! Goodnight.

PS. I don't often have nightmares, but last night I did. My beloved Audi was stolen from outside Justine Greening's house. Bear in mind I have only ever met Justine once and certainly have never been to her house, I am wondering what that dream can have meant. It was one of those dreams where you wake up and then repeat the dream all over again. Bizarre.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

I dreamt about The Queen and Princess Margaret (no not that sort) all very very weird. Is it something in the water?
How's the dog?
Freedom to Prosper

Anonymous said...

That was nice of BoJo.

I shall rise again, my precious...

Anonymous said...

*Sigh*

I wish I lived your life of gala dinners, dinner parties, lunch with MPs, drinks with journalists, etc.

Unfortunately I am but a humble Prof

Yours in nobility

The Prof

Roger Thornhill said...

Re: Justine Greening,

Is the Audi symbolic in some way. A teutonic hetrocherry?


word v: lidoncty

Jeremy Jacobs said...

"I was the second most powerful man in London"

Well done Iain!

Jeremy Jacobs said...

BTW, your Audi is probably in Nigeria or Saudi Arabia by now.

C'est la vie.

Anonymous said...

Speaking as a lefty, Policy Exchange sounds like a really super idea: where else would you be able to hob-nob with the great and good, and get your ego stroked at the same time?

BTW, who is the most powerful man in London? Please tell!

Anonymous said...

weirdly, i had a dream about you the night before last. you showed me some spam email and seemed obsessed by the idea that it was sinister. i kept saying "look, iain, it's just spam, ignore it, delete it" but you didn't. we are acquaintances, by the way, but this is the first, and i hope last, time you feature in my dreams!

Iain Dale said...

Spooky. I fear this thread may soon get out of control if people start recounting their dreams about me... As long as they are dry ones.

Anonymous said...

I have a PhD in 'Dale Dream Studies' from the University of Tory Hawtness

Yours in nobility

The Prof

Bill Quango MP said...

Your Audi signifies loss.
Probably your pension...

Alan Douglas said...

To paraphrase Freud's "Sometimes a cigar is only a cigar" :

Sometimes an Audi is only a car ....

And Justine Greening symbolizes the justiCe of removing your humongous polluter from the damage it is causing the planet. (= greening, geddit ?) Start walking !

Alan Douglas

Grumpy Middle-Aged Man said...

Ah, but if you apply your knowledge of Latin, it's quite plain. The name of your car comes from "audio", meaning "I hear". It follows that you're afraid of losing your hearing just as some people are afraid that Gordy will lose his sight, or should that be vision?

Anonymous said...

The other morning I woke up from a nightmare about having invested my fortune in a hedge fund promoted by the blogger, Mr Eugenides. I was trying to claw it back via an internet portal, without success.

Anonymous said...

If you keep leaving your Audi in the Tonbridge station carpark, part of your nightmare may eventually come true.

Of course, you could walk to catch the train at TW.

Anonymous said...

Iain,

Cars in dreams sometimes logically represent the idea of a journey or a process.

From what you describe it sounds like this dream is saying that you were on a journey. You now realise you are not and you feel a sense of loss (the stolen car - helpfully triggered by the Crimewatch thought).

Justine Greening may be significant simply because she is a new MP and a rising star. Perhaps she has what you want/wanted.

Perhaps the journey was your journey into politics and to Westminster - becoming an MP.

It seems significant that you mention Boris's comment about you and you reflect on the achievements of Nic Boles, Michael Gove etc.

Did Boris's, no doubt well meant words, hit you where it hurts? Did you find yourself wishing to have arrived at a different destination by now...

But now you are awake, you find you still have the vehicle - sounds like you best go and get yourself selected - or you may just carry on having more disturbing dreams.

Best of luck.

The Grant Maker said...

"As long as they are dry ones."

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!!!!!!!

Uncharacteristically coarse, Mr Dale!

Anonymous said...

The loss of the Audi represents the loss of your youthful good looks and sexual vitality. The appearance of Justine Greening [who she?] represents the ability to 'swap sides' as women cannot afford to be anywhere near as fussy as other men about things like a paunch and less time in the sack.. Very Freudian. Mark my words.

Anonymous said...

This is a dream of unfulfilled ambitions. The car denotes a certain success or pride of ownership. Justine Greening denotes anger/frustration and the 'theft' is a theft of a certain ambition you have had or have!

Albeit you are very complementary regarding Ms Greening, I detect that subliminally you dislike what she represents - a barrier? an unfulfilled ambition? - perhaps you feel superior to her?

It is a dream that will remain with you until you achieve what you want most in life!

The answer is to make that move you have been putting off. Do what you have been dithering about in recent months and go grab that dream! (NOT Ms Greening!!).

If not the 'theft' means a total loss.

Dreams are warnings wrapped in nice surrounds. Nightmares are warnings that you need to heed immediately.

Wet dreams are dreams grown men should not have!

Anonymous said...

Second most powerful man in London ?

I bet he says that to all the boys !

You really will swallow any old crap these days, Mr Dale, and the danger of that, as Mr Fred Goodwin found out is that hubris is followed by nemesis...

Unsworth said...

I have nightmares all the time.

Usually they are about a NuLab government being in office, tearing up statutes and imposing martial law.

Ed said...

Count yourself lucky Iain that Mark Clarke was not in your nightmare. He could so easily have been, seeing that he just lives around the corner from the delightful Justine.

Anonymous said...

You are truely amazing, only a few weeks ago the Tories were desparte to distance themselves from Policy Exchange.

Didnt Cameron call a rest regeneration report from Policy Exchange 'insane'.

Iain Dale said...

I am not sure what your point is.

Iain Dale said...

Anonymous 9.21. Jesus, have you lost your sense of humour? If you really think he meant it and if you really think I believed it, it is clearly you who has an issue, not me!

Anonymous said...

perhaps you're so worried about being a crime statistic, something tories should remind us still happens, despite Gordon claiming to be the messiah.
And the Tories would do well to look at Boris as potential leader. His time has certainly come.

Unknown said...

Justine Greening lives, or at least lived at the time of her election, in Haldon Road Putney where I was born. An excellent road where I would park my car with confidence!!

Philipa said...

Not about you, Iain - I have a recurring dream about Peter Hitchens. People have long suspected this is so. Well here it is: I like reading his foreign correspondant thingys and have an interest in photojournalism. My dream is that he's on some mission, doing all the talking and arranging, and I'm trotting behind him taking photos with my trusty Brownie and having a great time. Then we find ourselves escorted to a bare cell and imprisoned. He tries to sort things out and though they are speaking arabic he can understand enough to learn that it is not just that he is a journalist that is the problem but that I am not only not his wife but dressed improperly (scarf slipped) and not walking a sufficient distance behind the man. When he tries to explain I am employed to do a job that supports his, they laugh and wonder why he doesn't chide his servant for respecting him more and walking the appropriate distance behind him? He doesn't say anything, just looks wearily at me, in a manner that says it was just a matter of time before I caused this.

Very soon this could be in Bradford, if I got a job taking pictures for the Mail group. Which thankfully will never happen. What a nightmare! Not much is ever said about the poor photographer.

Anonymous said...

Oh dear, the blasphemy is returning - still if the cap fits...

Anonymous said...

I have a nightmare about a resurgent Gordon Brown, grinning wildly and aroused, his urge to force his vision on us closer than ever to being fulfilled.

Philipa said...

dave.h@12:25pm has a nightmare about Gordon Brown "grinning wildly and aroused" - blimey! I thought mine was bad.