Blogging from Bournemouth4- Lessons from history for Dave!

The historian Andrew Roberts addresses the fringe and David Trimble who was in the audience at the same event.

I went to one of the most enjoyable fringe events I have ever been to last night. The historian Andrew Roberts, who I like and admire gave a lecture entitled ‘Advice to Dave from great Tory Leaders of the Past’. Andrew was on good form and made some serious points on how Cameron might develop policy and manage his party in the run up to the next general election. I asked a question on Ireland; prefacing it by saying I had seen David Trimble in the room at the beginning of the evening. Andrew replied that Mr Trimble was still there and he had not walked out. I got a good laugh when I said that I thought walking out was a well established convention in British politics!
Andrew has a new book out ‘The History of the English Speaking Peoples since 1900’, an update of Churchill’s seminal work. It can be purchased at his web site http://www.andrew-roberts.net/.
or alternatively, signed copies can be purchased from the Westminster Books stand at the conference.