Annual conference

Campaigning and Policy

Michael Gove is on the face of it quite a catch as keynote speaker and has made me revisit my usual stance of opting out of going to the annual conference in the Midlands. I wondered what colleagues thought? I asked the same q last year and most thought it to be not the best use of a whole day out of the diary. 

If there is a pathetic showing at the conference then Gove may draw the impression that then NRLA lobbying can be ignored  at a very critical moment and that is a reason to attend.

That said his appearance will be closely stage managed and questions highly filtered before he deals with them or if bowled a difficult one he can easily bat it back as he does with highly skilled professional hostile questioners e.g. on the Today programme  and that will be irritating  to experience.  Would welcome others' views thanks.