“Just Coming, Darling”

After Friday night’s hive of speculation, Warwick Economics Summit managed to pull off the coup of the year, when they manage to secure the surprise appearance of Alistair Darling. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had been snapped only moments previously showing his support for Gordon Brown who had come to Warwick’s Digital Laboratory to outline his highly anticipated electoral campaign.

In his answers to attendees’ questions, Darling stressed a qualified commitment to slashing the deficit by a half over the next four years, as well as reiterating the Prime Minister’s message moments before about the need to prepare for the “next ten to twenty years”.

In a subtle twist on the Conservative Party’s pledge for change – or perhaps an indulgent milking of the assembled students’ leftist sympathies – Darling also offered change that was “fair for all” and proceeded to tick-off a list of popular promises including new employment opportunities for the West Midlands and the need to protect “important [learning establishments] like Warwick”. Specifics however – being so close to the election – were minimal.

Mr Darling’s brief twenty-minute stint came only moments after Peter Lunn’s exciting exploration of behavourial economics, in which Lunn outlined the need to re-examine the way in which economic fundamentals are understood. A shame he missed it.