The Conservative Party conference was weirdly upbeat – POLITICO

BIRMINGHAM, England — Never mind the massive electoral kicking: Britain’s Tories are feeling good.

Anyone who came to the Conservative Party’s annual conference this week expecting a wake found something very different.

The Birmingham gathering was noticeably quieter after the Tories’ crushing defeat to Labour in July’s general election, with far fewer events and a dearth of eager lobbyists. But it was no washout.