The numbers waiting for a pass have declined from many hundreds to a few hundred but some people are still unable to enter the secure area despite a wait of 48 and more hours.
IDS is currently giving a presentation to the auditorium where the 'excluded' are waiting and waiting. He and Simon Edwards of the Believe charity spoke about Conservative ideas for helping young people escape the conveyor belt to crime.
Francis Maude has been to the auditorium on, I understand, three occasions to oversee an angry Q&A but IDS' impromptu fringe event was the first 'political meat' for the conference-goers.
There were 1600 names of people whose passes were ready read out at lunchtime. But there are another 400 coming down from the police tomorrow morning. It is not clear whether that is the end of the matter. But that suggests there were at least 2,000 people outside the conference 24 hours in.
Posted by: Mick | October 03, 2006 at 12:06 AM
There is a tasty rumour circulating that this massive delay was in fact engineered by the Chief Constables of Manchester (where much the same pass problems occurred at the Labour conference) and Dorset in order to demonstrate to the two main political parties the advantages of implementing a compulsory national ID card scheme. Bearing in mind that, amongst others, the Mayor of Bournemouth had serious pass problems this rumour does seem to have some credibility.
Posted by: Matt Davis | October 03, 2006 at 12:36 AM
As my wife and I were part of the unclean we did wonder if it was a conspiracy. We were pleased to get a pass for our 14 year old wheelchair daughter on monday night and enjoyed what became the excluded fringe of the great and the good, meeting people who we might not have done otherwise.(diplomats,
MPs journalists and grassroots)It was just a shame more did not follow IDS example but the staff did their best to move the mountain. Next year more info needed on any security problems in advance
Posted by: John Metcalfe | October 05, 2006 at 10:30 PM