"If Blair is a criminal he should be locked up."

"If Blair is a criminal he should be locked up."

This is just a statement of fact. However when Hank Roberts said it and was censured by the president at NUT conference it was Hank who received massive applause from delegates and that is significant.

Contrast the mood when new Labour came to power. Outside the ranks of the left there was widespread acceptance of the idea that "things can only get better." Now there is widespread distrust of new Labour.

General Secretary Sinott's speech at the end of conference was well-received when he was praising the achievements of the union but there was a certain muted response to his illusions in Brown which are not I suspect shared by many delegates. The most positive response to Brown which I heard was "wait and see" - there is not much enthusiasm for the line of the union leadership that the possible advent of Brown will signal an improvement in new Labour.

However the most memorable speech at conference was John Illingworth recounting his mental illness as a result of the stresses of the job and his perception that as a head he was being bullied by the government.