Posted on November 25, 2011 by Phillip Lee

This week Dr Phillip Lee attended the Conservative Party Conference 2011. As a member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee at the House of Commons, he took the opportunity to speak at three fringe events about the future of our electricity market, the need for smarter networks and the coalition government’s low carbon transition.

Dr Lee started the conference speaking on ‘smarter networks: empowering people’ at the New Statesman fringe event on Sunday. Then he attended a private business dinner with Sky news.

On Monday, early start for a football match against the Press at the Man U training ground and then speaking at the Green Alliance fringe event on the government’s climate change  and energy commitments.  The discussion based around the government’s low carbon transition plans. The day continued with a successful update meeting with the company Foundem on their battle with Google. He also attended the Conservative Friends of Israel Reception followed by speaking at the Respublica fringe event on the importance of our next generation and how the UK can meet climate change commitments through the electricity market reform. The evening ended with several business meetings with colleagues from the House of Commons and the press.

The next day, started around business meetings including an update meeting with the Newcastle Initiative on contaminated blood. Dr Lee then followed the discussion of Peter Osborne and Liam Fox. Dr Lee also attended The Observer and the Spectator fringe events.

Dr Lee commented: “We had a very busy couple of days at the conference, but I enjoyed every bit of it. I also found some time to listen to Cameron’s Speech. The full text can be found here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/8808521/Conservative-Party-conference-2011-David-Camerons-speech-in-full.html. The key section for me was this: “So here’s a direct appeal: If you want skilled employees, we’ll provide the funding, we’ll cut the red tape. But you’ve got to show more leadership and give us the apprenticeships we need.”
and…
” No, Britain never had the biggest population, the largest land mass, the richest resources, but we had the spirit. Remember: it’s not the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog. Overcoming challenge, confounding the sceptics, reinventing ourselves, this is what we do. It’s called leadership. Let’s turn this time of challenge into a time of opportunity.”

I will endorse these wise words into my work to serve Bracknell constituency.”

(Published in the Bracknell News, October 2011)