Just two weekends ago, we helped run a moderately successful Bloggers’ Unconference in Edinburgh, the guests of the Scottish Liberal Democrats at their HQ in Clifton Terrace. The Scottish Lib Dems were generous with their facilities and their time, giving us a room for a day, feeding us, and making sure lots of interesting senior Scottish Lib Dems came to talk to us. In the end four English bloggers made the journey north to meet three Scottish bloggers(*).
An “unconference” is supposed to be a little anarchic, and participant driven, and given there were such a manageable number of us, we essentially discarded the draft agenda we had prepared in advance, and had a much less formal day. I think everyone present had a good and interesting time, and I hope everyone found it worth the investment they had made. For us out-of-towners, staying in Edinburgh wasn’t cheap, and getting there was all shades of interesting. Another meeting of up to 10 people could probably get away with being similarly managed – but if an event attracted more than that, we would need to be a bit sharper on the organisational front.
I should definitely like there to be another of these meetings, but the essential purpose of this post is talk about timing. We have outstanding offers of venues in Reading and Manchester, and I think I could rustle something up in Nottingham too. We also have a slightly mad but maybe brilliant idea of hopping on a Eurostar and holding a Europe-themed unconf in Brussels.
So, two key questions: are we now too close to the General Election for Lib Dem bloggers generally to think it’s worth spending their time away from their campaign activities? Is there scope for another meeting in the Spring – or is that too close to conference and too close to putative dissolution? And what do people think of the venues on the table?
(*) technically, I think, a group of Edinburgh residents who were actually an English blogger, a Scottish blogger, an Irish blogger, which sounds the like start of a awfully bad joke. Huge apologies if I’m misattributing nationalities to all those concerned.
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9 Comments
I think it’s time that you headed towards Pendle and had your conference there…
I’d be fine for one in the Spring (with enough notice) and apologies again for not being able to make the inaugural one. Can I vote for Reading as a venue?
I’d come to something pre-election if it’s in somewhere like Reading where I could get there and back in a day, and I suspect that a lot more people would come to an event where they didn’t need accommodation – though obviously, that will make Manchester a better location for others.
I do like the Brussels idea, though it would perhaps be something best left until after the election fever has subsided.
I’d leave it until after the election to be honest. Our little gathering in Edinburgh was affected by target seat action days(not that I’m suggesting this is a bad thing) and these will take up every spare weekend between now and the election and between now and end of March there’s a 3 day Scottish conference and a federal conference on consecutive weekends.
I would like to come to one of these at some point, in fact we could host one in Oxford too, but I won’t have any spare weekends this side of the General.
You are indeed technically correct that you meeting with ‘Scottish’ bloggers was indeed an Englishman, a Scots woman and an Irishman…..
….I’m just a wee bit worried at by position in the grand scheme of such things as to what that is implying about my intelligence. 😉
I propose the other set of non-London party offices. Hebden Bridge. Course, I only drive past them regularly, don’t know if they could fit us in, want me to ask?
Very good communication links, right off the M62, decent train services, cheap beer and decent pubs. Plus a fair few prominent bloggers live very close to there.
I did volunteer my office in Manchester. Better facilities, can’t match the food, but there’s a Sainsbury’s on the ground floor (other supermarkets are available).
And yes, similar set of nearby bloggers to HB. Isn’t there a party office in Cardiff too?
Manchester would be fine for me; but Hebden Bridge – as discussed in t’ pub last night – would be better still. Could any ALDC bods give us more background re HB?