When minister for children Beverly Hughes addressed the National Day Nurseries Association's AGM and conference last week, did she notice the quiet seething that rustled around the packed auditorium?
The anxious and often angry vigilance was scarcely voiced. But it was in the air; it was in the spleen. The contradiction between the general good manners with which she was embraced, and the scepticism running through the congregation's blood was palpable.
The episode points to the difficulty of having things out with the minister when you finally get her into your company.She's never there long enough to have the conversation you really want to have. She tells you what she is supposed to say. And the gathering has its chance to precis its gospel into four or five questions.
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