There were two former Conservative Cabinet Ministers in Cambridge today – both of whom held Cabinet posts in the current Parliament. (Also reminder of the Debate Not Hate campaign by the Local Government Association – especially with the general election looming)
They were:
- Former Sci-Tech Secretary Chloe Smith (28 Apr 2023 – 20 Jul 2023)
- Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman (06 Sep 2022 – 13 Nov 2023)
And yet the contrast between the two visits could not have been more stark.
Chloe Smith MP at the Eastern Powerhouse
The MP for Norwich North was one of the keynote speakers at an event that in the olden days I might have jumped at. (You can see the agenda and speakers from across the political spectrum here). You can also read the write-up from John Elworthy in the Cambs News here.
In the case of Ms Smith it was a relatively straight-forward corporate event to attend. As she is not re-standing for Parliament at the next election, she listed some of the transport infrastructure projects happening or completed in her article for the same publication. I’ll leave you to be the judge of those.
My main observation was on rail transport, asking about re-building the rail chord at Norwich Station to enable direct rail services from Cambridge to both Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft – two economically deprived seaside towns that could do with the economic boost that access to thousands of holiday makers and day-trippers living in/around Cambridge could provide.
Suella Braverman MP at a student protest in the rain
The former Home Secretary – a graduate of Cambridge University, rocked up with the controversial TV Channel GBN in attendance trying to speak to protesters camped outside King’s College.
On the reasons for why the protesters are there, that’s for them to explain – not me. As for the 75+ years of war and violence, I hope that one day there will be peace and justice – with the International Criminal Court being able to prosecute those where the evidence shows they have cases to answer. And there’s more than enough evidence being collected to warrant such trials. The question is when there will be the international political will.
The Editor of Varsity UK – the main student newspaper in Cambridge noted that the protesters had been briefed not to speak to the media. In the meantime the TCS said they would be publishing a comment from the former Home Secretary in the near future.
This reminded me of the anti-globalisation protests (themed around equal rights, environmentalism, and taking on the power of multinational corporations) in London & Brighton back in the early 2000s. In particular the pamphlet by Schnews in Brighton against one particular prominent group seen at many a street protest or march.
Above – do you or don’t you talk to the press?
In the case of today’s events, finding people willing to speak to the former Home Secretary was easier said than done – the heavy rain perhaps not helping!
The collective response from the encampment was short and to the point:
““We refuse for our movement be used as a tool for an irrelevant person to gain any political relevance they lost, and we will not engage with them,” they said.”
Varsity UK Cambridge, 16 May 2024
A more in-depth opinion piece from the TCS here which examines the media coverage and explains in more depth why the former Home Secretary was ignored by the protesters – not least because neither she nor the TV channel gave them any notice of their arrival. (Note the previous version of that article was withdrawn – see the TCS statement here).
Given past form, it’s hardly surprising that the visitors got a cold reception.
One of the most striking images of the day for me was the photo of the Former Home Secretary trying to question the veteran Cambridge environmentalist and Jewish peace activist Tony Eva.
Many people involved in civic, political, and environmental activism in and around Cambridge will be familiar with Tony – here he is back in 2018 chairing a Climate and Inequality event for Cambridge Labour’s Ethnic Minority Forum and Cambridge Labour’s Women Forum. And that was nearly six years ago!
“Why would a former Home Secretary choose to get involved in a ‘political stunt’ like this?”
This is what a few people asked me earlier today after I managed to drag my brain-fogged self into town to pick up a few things. I’m still recovering from yesterday’s exertions including this gathering at Addenbrooke’s with the Cambridge ME Group for people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / M.E. (which I have been diagnosed with) and Long Covid.
Above – the shoes represent the people who wanted to be with us but were unable to be because of their health.
This was followed by the Cambridge Civic Quarter public meeting at The Guildhall.
“What about the Home Secretary?”
Former Home Secretary. Why she chose to get involved only can answer. For some it will reflect on the individual, for others it will reflect on the wider party that the opinion polls tell us is on the way out of government. (Note older readers will be more cautious on trusting opinion polls because of the 1992 general election – a point Dame Angela Eagle tried to get across to Owen Jones on BBC Politics Live earlier (i.e. on not taking a Labour victory for granted)).
This has been written and posted *before* the TV channel accompanying the former Home Secretary has broadcast its footage. There may be something that crops up in their footage that might be of interest or comment. But other than that, Lily O’Sullivan’s comment piece for Varsity feels timely in her criticism of the media’s obsession about Cambridge students – ‘an unhealthy obsession’ she states.
Food for thought?
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