The Conference Agenda has been finalised and is now available online.
The agenda features a variety of debates including one on a Digital Bill of Rights on Making Migration Work for Britain.
There will also be speeches by Jenny Willott MP and Danny Alexander MP. Nick Clegg will do a Leader’s Q&A on Saturday 8 March at 15:05 and you can submit concise questions (up to 25 words) on any topic up until 12:40 on 8 March at the Speakers’ Table in the auditorium or by email ([email protected]) before 17:00 on Thursday 6 March.
Every motion in the agenda is open to amendment, and the deadline for amendments, and also for emergency motions and questions to reports, is 13.00 Tuesday 4 March. A standard form for emergency motions and amendments will be available to download online. (We’ll post a link when it’s available.) If you would like help drafting your amendment, the Policy and Research Unit staff are happy to provide comments and advice (on drafting only, not on political content). Send draft amendments to [email protected] by 13.00 on 18 February for advice.
And it’s not too late to register. If you’ve not booked your place already, online registration is still available at the conference website.
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13 Comments
Three women only training sessions. There should be zero tolerance to this illiberal childish poison. Let’s just all stick to our own kind shall we?
In light of Mr Sammon’s comments, it would appear that three is not enough!
Very funny David.
Why can’t we have training targeted at underrepresented groups? Why is this controversial?
Hi Hannah,
Thanks for your reply. My main issue is that by banning other underrepresented groups from training sessions the Liberal Democrats are making it harder for these other groups to succeed. I think positive discrimination is a tough topic, but if we are to have it I think it should include the other groups or there should be a broadly equal provision being made for them. I am aware this is mainly the party’s responsibility, I just don’t think it is being met.
I have heard that female participation in personal development type courses is greater when no men are present. However these courses are also important to men and so I have no problem with women only courses provided they are run again as open courses so men can participate and improve themselves as well.
Spring has a tight schedule, but I would like to see more training, esp on Sunday morning of a Spring conf.
We need more women candidates and if some women-only training helps with that then it’s all good. Nobody is banned from organising open training or training for other underrepresented groups, it is just a question of getting your act together.
I’m not an absolutist on this issue, I just think some negative prejudices are being promoted against men by parts of the left and I think we need to challenge these rather than stay silent on them or even begin to accept them.
@Eddie Salmon
Men are absolutely great at suggesting they’re discriminated against. They talk about ‘political correctness’ and men-hating women and talk sotto voce about pregnancy and babies. The truth is that women in our party are grossly underrepresented at almost all levels and this is largely down to ingrained ideas that somehow the only person who can be a PPC is a white, middle class male. I have watched this during my 50 years as a party member and one thing is certain. Very few men in our party will stand aside for a woman.
So training is very important and I fully support women only training sessions.
What is desperately needed is a system of proper training of party members who select people to be candidates. That is where the real problem lies and it is largely ignored.
Mick I broadly believe in equal rights in order to give women freedom of choice and defending their choices, rather than telling them that they should go into a career. This is why I’m uncomfortable with saying along the lines of “we need more women in politics” – what I think we need is women to be free to make their own choices and not judge them for it.
I’m not saying women should stay at home, I’m arguing against gender discrimination and prejudice, which suddenly seems to have become fashionable on the left.
Regarding “it is a question of getting your act together”: I would say this is not desirable if the act is to be unwelcome. I wouldn’t want a conference training agenda where we have the poor in one room, the rich in another, whites in one room, blacks in another, men in one room, women in another, and then we have the inevitable clashes when people meet more than one or are in between. I just don’t think it creates an inclusive society.
I can’t seem to find the migration policy paper, does anyone know if it’s been released yet?