Here I am with some other bright young things, welcoming the Prime Minister as he arrived to make his leader’s speech today.
My fantastic mum tracked it down on the iPlayer, so I’ve been able to capture the moment for posterity!
It was well worth dragging myself into the Conference Centre this morning for an 8am International Breakfast, hilariously chaired by Neil Kinnock, and featuring Glenys Kinnock (Minister of State for Europe), Baroness Ashton (UK’s European Commissioner), and Michael Cashman MEP. Political and business visitors from many developing countries attended, and prompted a lively discussion on the effects and implications of EU/global trade & aid policies, including the benefits of the Doha Development Round of current WTO trade-negotiation, lowering international trade barriers.
For me, I think this was the highlight of my Conference week, because I had the chance to speak directly to Baroness Ashton, who is Peter Mandelson’s successor in Europe, about the subject I wrote my Master’s thesis about. Virtual Water: the quantity of water used to create global traded produce, which could potentially be saved by water scarce importing countries avoiding water consumption for domestic products, but which must be supported to strengthen their ability to purchase using foreign currency. I was delighted when she invited me to contact her office with more information.
Bravo!!
Alcinoo & Bruno got married at Hackney Town Hall today. It was a really sweet ceremony filled with funky folks from their homelands of Italy & Brazil – then off to Vortex Bar in Dalston where we ate, drank, made merry and had a fabulous impromptu show from the Hackney Girls’ Street Dance Troup, who were practicing in the square all afternoon. The highlight was Brazillian coctails and a Cake Buffet!!
Sadly I had to leave early and hotfoot down to Brighton for the first exciting evening of the Labour Conference, where a London Delegate reception promised intimate contact with our magnificent Cabinet Ministers 
)
After six months of isolated singlemindedness I have finally completed & submitted my 15000 words of LLM Master’s Thesis about International River Basin benefit sharing & virtual water trade!
I love my subject & can’t wait to get submerged in it for real