After ministers address trade union conferences, they usually head for the door as fast as they can. Not Malcolm Wicks. When, as minister of higher and further education, he spoke to the often hostile conference of Natfhe (the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education), he willingly took questions and arguments from all sections of the audience. All viewpoints were treated courteously and he demonstrated a full command of his brief. He was especially compelling when talking about young people leaving care with little or no support.
This was at a time when further education staff were under attack from aggressive managers trying to destroy conditions of service. Malcolm spent the entire lunch period holding a surgery, listening to individual reports from colleges all over the country.
Many members remarked that this was what was meant by a Labour education minister, caring and knowledgable.