Pssst. Let me tell you a little secret which you may not have noticed if you haven’t attended Lib Dem conferences. As we went through the coalition years, the numbers of members attending conference dwindled. No doubt someone is going to dispute this and quote detailed numbers. But it was pretty obvious and, towards the end, feintly embarrassing.
While the numbers of members attending conference went down, the numbers of media, police, security guards and sycophantic business people buzzing around soared.
So, the conference ceased to really be a members’ conference and became a rather grotesque media performance.
At the autumn conference in Brighton in 2012, the arrangements for the leaders’ speech (to which I did not give a standing ovation) were ludicrous. Totally ludicrous. The rag, tag and bobtail members like me were pushed to the back into the dark recesses of the auditorium, in front of masses of empty seats. Then around the leader’s podium, they created a sort of TV studio with masses of lighting and doughnut style groups of carefully orchestrated, invited members surrounding him.
At the Liverpool conference there were actually at least three – count them – three journalists there from the Mail group. I know, they nicked my power socket.
Thank goodness that utter madness is now behind us.
OK. We’ve only got 8 MPs, but there are consolations. This time at Bournemouth there are no police, a smattering of security people, no bag checks, no X-rays, a distinct absence of odious sycophantic businesses and a nice, relaxed atmosphere with plenty of members, many of them new.
I yearn for more of this. And, also, less of the middle-aged male representatives like myself who can talk the hind legs off a donkey if you let us, and more of the young, the women, the ethnic minorities, the LGBT+ and the new members of whom I have seen and met many at Bournemouth this time.
Bring it on!
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
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10 Comments
All very interesting and somewhat heartening … A good membership culture could be an asset to us.
As an irreverent diversion – Can I ask why Norman Lamb is moonlighting in Australia?
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/21/ffa-and-pfa-close-to-resolving-footballs-pay-dispute-says-david-gallop
Did anyone see Daily Politics? They were asking people : ” Nick Clegg Hero or Zero? ” . A nice bearded man popped up to say “zero”. Wondering if that was you John Tilley? It sounded like Matthew Huntbach but I know he doesn’t go to Conference. Exciting putting faces to names!
Paul – I know what you mean. The first conference of coalition actually felt quite monied and glamorous. In almost thirty years of attending conference those are words I would never have believed would apply to a Lib Dem Conference/Liberal Assembly! Saturday at Bournemouth felt distinctly less glamorous but very, very busy with real people. I was too claustrophobic to put up with such a packed rally and had to slope of for an ice cream instead.
Phyllis 21st Sep ’15 – 12:50pm
“….Did anyone see Daily Politics? They were asking people : ” Nick Clegg Hero or Zero? ” . A nice bearded man popped up to say “zero”. Wondering if that was you John Tilley? ”
Not me, Phyllis. But whoever it was gave the correct answer.
@ Matt (Bristol)
Can I re-assure readers that Norman Lamb is here at the conference in Bournemouth and is due to give a speech in the conference hall just after noon today (Tuesday)?
Matt’s jocular remark was inspired by the thought that some might think that David Gallop looks like Norman Lamb.
Phyllis 21st Sep ’15 – 12:50pm
“….Did anyone see Daily Politics? They were asking people : ” Nick Clegg Hero or Zero? ” .
Phyllis,
I have now watched the Daily Politics piece that you mentioned. I notice that Paddy Ashdown refused to put a ball in the box to vote for Clegg as a “Hero” .
Paddy said proper Liberals do not follow a”hero”.
He does not always say things that I agree with but on this occasion he was certainly correct.
” Nick Clegg Hero or Zero? ”
Typical journalist’s question to get people talking. Most times the answer is a bit of both.
I am often irritated when people are described as heroes just because fate has dealt them a bad deal. Their attitude may be admirable, but what was their choice? Some heroes are actually people who made bad decisions and then stuck it out regardless of the consequences (captain going down with the ship). Others times a real hero is someone, who regardless of the foreseen consequences, is prepared to put him/herself in danger. So he is a hero in one of those senses.
Whether you think Nick Clegg is a Good Thing or a Bad Thing, it’s not right to call him a zero. We elected him leader of the party and there was overwhelming support at the special conference for entering the coalition. He stuck it out and was prepared to front it out in spite of knowing that many people loathed him. This made him a lightning conductor for much of the ill-feeling, diverting it away from other leading party members.
As always he made a well-judged speech to conference yesterday. (It can be read on LDV.) The slot he had was like those given to other party figures, and he is not drawing attention away from Tim Farron.
In cricketing terms, during the 2010 election campaign he was an opening batsman, but by the end of 2010, he had become a night watchman. There can be a lot of discussion about whether you want a night watchman to stay to the end of the innings…
“Hero or Zero” is obviously inappropriate terminology. Understandably conference attendees interpreted it as “For or Against” and it was interesting to see the overwhelming number of ping pong balls on the “For” side. Put together with the remarkably positive reaction from a packed auditorium for Nick Clegg’s speech it reinforces in my mind how unrepresentative much of the comment in LDV about Clegg has been throughout the coalition period. The anti-Cleggites may claim they have been reflecting what they see as general public opinion but they have clearly not been reflecting Lib Dem activist opinion. Let’s hope Tim Farron gets better treatment from the LDV aficionados.
Ian Sanderson makes two very perceptive points with his comments that “There can be a lot of discussion about whether you want a night watchman to stay to the end of the innings …” and “This made him a lightning conductor for much of the ill-feeling, diverting it away from other leading party members.” By May 2014 it was crystal clear that Nick’s strategy was a total failure and apparently even then there was not a single player, not Alistair as Chief Whip, Norman or even Tim, prepared to tell Nick to sacrifice his wicket and let a better batsman come to the crease and risk taking a hit in order to save the party. Indeed, if the press are to be believed, Tim actually persuaded Nick to limp on to the bitter end. Perhaps that unwillingness to emerge from the comfort of the pavilion should be the final entry in the scorebook of the Lib Dems innings in the Five Year test match of 2010 to 2015.
Nick Clegg …………………………………. Finally Out hit own wicket …………..0
Other LibDems ………………………… retired unwilling to be hurt ………… 0
‘A nice bearded man’
Quite a lot of those around at the conference, including newly hirsute chairs of sessions Gareth Epps and Geoff Payne. (Perhaps LDV and the conference agenda need new photos.)
Indeed, for a surreal moment I wondered why Prince Michael of Kent was apparently chairing a conference session, before I identified the chair as Geoff Payne.