I HEADED up to Manchester for the Conservative Party conference this week, my eighth party gathering and my second as Rail Minister.

It was the largest conference ever and a record number of people made the journey up with me from the Devizes Constituency for a full-on few days.

Along with the big set-piece main speeches there is a bewildering array of talks and events and truly something for everyone, no matter where they fall on the supporter spectrum.

This year was enlivened by a mob of protesters who chanted and sang – and then threw objects, spat copiously and hurled four letter abuse at delegates, including elderly people peacefully queuing to enter the event.

The new leader of the Labour party, desperately trying to shore up support from members who are incredulous about his election, also put in an appearance to provide a hard left call to action for his mob, breaking with tradition that keeps parties away from each other during conference season.

As I ran the gauntlet of grubby nose-ringed protesters (stopping to chat to a couple of pleasant people protesting about train services), I mused that it felt like the last hysterical days of an ideological movement that knows its time is up.

How can people protest about “privatising” the NHS, when it was the last Labour government that introduced private contracts – and it is this government which has guaranteed record levels of funding for our precious NHS, paid for by our strong economy?

How nutty is talk of a “nasty party” as the Government reaffirms our world-leading commitment to international aid spending (and a commitment of two per cent of national income to defence); takes the lowest paid out of tax all together and introduces a living wage for the first time?

How can the mob ignore the steadfast commitment to providing excellent education to all, including the poorest children who were so let down in some parts of the country by failing schools, plans for grandparents to share parental leave, or to provide wrap-around childcare?

Do they think irrelevant the unprecedented investment in Britain’s infrastructure to keep the country growing and share prosperity across the UK?

As I made it into the Hall, the answer became clear. Those who ignore the facts, want to gamble with the country’s security, believe in denying opportunity to the poorest and love to max out the country’s credit card will always shout the loudest. The rest of us will just quietly get on with fixing the country so that Britain can walk tall in the world again.