It’s not often that Labour and Conservative politicians can appear side by side in public without one trying to outdo the other.
But there was a genuine lack of competitive edge as Labour council leader Sir Albert Bore welcomed Conservative cabinet minister Eric Pickles to the city in the wonderful historic setting of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s round room.
Perhaps the cultured surroundings leant itself to a more cultured form of political exchange.
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Sir Albert offered tributes to the Secretary of State saying that at the previous week’s Labour conference he had heard Mr Pickles compared to a wide range of great leaders.
“Though there seemed to be some confusion about the many different versions of Eric Pickles that people had encountered.
“In just one meeting I heard you described as Mao, believing in letting a thousand flowers bloom, as Lenin, sticking rigidly to his revolutionary theory and as Stalin, the arch centralist and slayer of opponents. We still discuss such things at Labour conferences.”
The tribute was warmly welcomed by Mr Pickles who said if there was one communist leader he would prefer to be likened to it is Trotsky. He was against bureaucracy, it turns out.
Something which really gets the minister’s goat.
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In fact it was a theme the secretary of state picked up during his address to the conference in which he said he had received a copy of Trotsky’s book as a teenager and that he keeps a portrait of Che Guevara around as a reminder ‘that without constant vigilance – the cigar-chomping Commies will take over’.
The Secretary of State also, to much surprise, paid compliment to his surroundings saying that during visits to Birmingham he likes to ‘slope off’ to sit in the museum and contemplate its Pre-Raphaelite paintings and fine arts and crafts architecture.
“It’s a beautiful, beautiful gallery, a real gem,” he said.
Mr Pickles told me after that he enjoyed his introduction so much ‘I wish I could frame it’.
Behind all this cheerful banter there were encouraging signs that despite their differences, there is broad agreement that cities can lead the economic recovery and should be set free of Whitehall interference.
From Sir Albert, Mr Pickles, and former council leader Mike Whitby, who joined them for the love-in, there was talk of Birmingham’s great Victorian leader Joseph Chamberlain and the creativity and foresight with which he ran the city – his modernising of the water and gas supply and regeneration of the slums.
The implication being that Birmingham could have a modern Chamberlain-style revolution if only the Government would let it get on with it.
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Removing red tape is a subject which sits well with Mr Pickles.
There was reference too to the recent visit by Team Birmingham, the cross-party delegation of politicians and business to Downing Street to persuade him to give the city greater control over transport policy and funding.
Word is that government was impressed with Birmingham’s leadership and the case is being considered in a favourable light.
Mr Pickles said: “We have politicians in Westminster and politicians in Birmingham working together for the betterment of this beautiful city.”
The ultimate aim of all this is that Birmingham, along with the other major cities, is given the chance to do its own thing, and that it will no longer be necessary to spend years lobbying before projects like the New Street Gateway and Metro extension are funded.
The event was a clear indication that after many years of frustration and stalling the relationship between Birmingham’s leaders and the Government is improving – even though they are of contrasting political colours.
Sir Albert pointed out that many of the city’s greatest achievements of the last 30 years, including the ICC and city centre regeneration, were achieved by a Labour council working under a Tory Government.
“Putting two fingers up doesn’t achieve anything,” he explained.
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As always at political conferences there is a smattering of celebrity, and this year was no exception, with Charlotte Church, Crimewatch presenter Jacqui Hames and Hugh Grant here as part of the Hacked Off delegation.
There was also an appearance from legendary Queen guitarist Brian May to join the lobby against the badger cull.
In the past these conferences have been attended by celebrity supporters, but now there is a shift with entertainers using their celebrity status to push their campaigns into the limelight, rather than endorse a particular party.
And it seems to be paying off for the campaigns as they got access to the very corridors of Government, while other campaigners and protesters, such as the very creative one calling for charges on carrier bags, the loud and preachy anti-gay marriage lobbyists or the group calling for the investigation into the Birmingham Pub Bombings to be reopened were kept very much on the outside of the ICC.