I’m writing this in my bed in York on Friday morning, propped up in bed with lots of plump and luscious pillow, a cup of Earl Grey at my side.
I arrived here on Thursday lunchtime and spent an enjoyable afternoon in the pub (me drinking tea I’ll have you know) with my friends.
In the evening we went to Toto’s the Italian near the Barbican. Eat there if you get the chance. The food was brilliant and the company stunningly good. I had prawns with avocado and Marie Rose sauce – a very generous portion – and then tagliatelle with a creamy salmon sauces. The Tiramisu was chocolate and creamy though I would have added more amaretto.
Afterwards back to the Mason’s Arms, traditionally Awkward Squad HQ and where 6 of us are staying. It was great to catch up with Our Hero of Rochdale Iain Donaldson and hear all the stuff about the by-election.
Generally the party is in good shape as we approach what might be our last Conference before the General Election. Rishi Sunak has ruled out 2 May, but not 9, 16, 23, etc etc. Honestly, I think most of us wish he’s just bloody get on with it.
We are anxious though. We know that so much brilliant work has gone into building extremely strong foundations in our target seats. We should do well. We know how important it is to get rid of the Conservatives. They are ruining our public services and doing all they can to make people suspicious of each other and worse.
The last thing we want is to wake up the morning after the election to another five years of their incompetence, disdain for ordinary people, division and lack of ideas. We will want to hear an inspiring melody that will attract voters to us.
Our slogan, For a Fair Deal, is not uniquely liberal and we need to have a key USP as part of our offer. It could go the way of Put Recovery First and end up being adopted by everyone and neutralised at the start of the campaign. People vote with their emotions and we need to give them some good ones.
Anyway, here’s what’s on today with a bit of added commentary. All details, including the text of motions are available here. I want to be in the hall at 4pm. It’ll be good:
09.00-09.10 F1 Opening of Conference
You really don’t want to miss this. Party President Mark Pack has trailed that he has an interesting fact about letterboxes to tell us.
09.10-09.25 F2 Report: Federal Conference Committee
F3 Report: Federal Policy Committee
09.25-10.10 F4 Policy motion: Sport for the People
It’s not so much about getting us all out on to the football field and tennis courts but about being able to watch key events on free-to-air channels.
10.10-10.55 F5 Policy motion: Boosting Cancer Survival
A plan to boost cancer survival rates. I like the line about addressing inequalities in accessing cancer treatments
10.55-11.10 F6 Speech: Helen Morgan MP 19
11.10-12.25 F7 Policy motion: Liberal Values in a Dangerous World
Unsurprisingly, we are calling for greater international co-operation and more international aid amongst other things.
12.25-12.35 F8 Budget response: Sarah Olney MP
12.35-12.50 F9 Constitutional amendment: Federal Appeals Panel
If I am reading this right, it takes out Conference having to ratify new FAP members and I’m not sure I like that. If you do that you have the Board appointing who is going to be on the ultimate court of appeal in the party. Many of the cases are about the Board. That is sub-optimal.
12.50-14.10 Lunch break and fringe
13.00-14.00 Consultative session: Future of Work
This looks really interesting. From reading the paper, I’d like to see the working group consult more with women’s organisations given that many women have to juggle work with caring for both older and younger generations, often at the same time.
They also talk about more flexible patterns of working but I want to see them address ensuring that those taking those up are able to fully participate in workplace power structures.
14.10-14.55 F10 Question and Answer session: Ed Davey MP
14.55-15.45 F11 Policy motion: Are You Drinking What We’re Drinking?
Our ideas for reducing sewage in our waterways
15.45-16.00 F12 Speech: Layla Moran MP
16.00-16.45 F13 Policy motion: Tackling Persistent Absence
This is actually one of the Conference potential flashpoints. There has been some disquiet over amendments not being taken. We may also have a very young speaker giving their point of view. I’m basically re-arranging my day so I can watch this debate.
16.45-17.30 F14 Policy motion: 40 New Hospitals
Turning the Government’s myth into reality
17.30-18.00 F15 Reports: Parliamentary Parties
Your chance to hold our MPs and Peers to account.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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10 Comments
Forecast local elections Tories lose 900-1000 seats. No confidence in Sunak, he resigns, Penny M takes over, will have a detrimental effect on our prospects.
You never know theakes…The Tories are notorious for how callous they can be in getting rid of a dud leader ..
PM is an obvious choice as a replacement, given her performances in the house ..
Is it to much to ask that there will be a discussion on the disaster that was the Rochdale
By election or will it be swept under the carpet.
For those of us that didn’t make it, what was the interesting fact about letterboxes?
@Theakes More likely the 1922 committee chair is about to get enough letters for a challenge when Sunak calls the election and they all have to rally behind him. PM is still a fair bet to lead the Tory rump. She has a big majority and no boundary changes so she would be one of the few left standing.
Portsmouth North was Labour in the Blair years. And it’s worth noting that in 1997 the Tory vote fell hardest in their safest seats (this contrasts with 1983 where the Labour vote largely held up in its strongholds; the same was true in 2019 where if anything the inner cities became even safer for Labour). I wouldn’t necessarily bet on even a Tory MP with 61% of the vote surviving.
If PM takes over as PM then she might not get the chance to perform in the House at PMQs. She could be our Kim Campbell Canadian Tory PM who led her party to a wipeout in 1993, her tenure as PM being so brief she never faced PMQs. I originally thought that dubious honour would fall to Mary O’Leary.
Caron: good to read about you being teetotal – temporarily or permanently. Temperance is one of the Liberal movement’s great (but almost forgotten) traditions. Though I’m afraid I never signed the pledge, and watching others in York suggests that not many others here did either.
Earl Grey tea in the morning???
P.M. like Rishi is an incarnation of exactly why the Conservative poll rating is in free fall, with very few exceptions the parliamentary party no longer represents the views of their wider membership or their core vote, as a consequence they will lose badly but not be destroyed.
Rishi and even less P.M. have little to no influence on the forthcoming outcome.
@John Leach, I’d suggest a bracing Pu Err or Russian Caravan to start the morning.