So, a former minister of state has announced she won’t stand again for election in protest at the leader who sacked her (with half the membership yelling ‘disaster’ and the other half muttering ‘on your bike’); the party president has been making big cow eyes at the Labour leader, while our Home Office minister has been doing similar to the Conservatives. There appears to be a Christians vs. the Lions debate raging in the party. Oh, and Matthew Oakeshott says Nick should resign.
It can only be conference week for the Lib Dems.
And what a corker of a conference awaits, with rows galore on the horizon. Of course the main event is the economic debate on Monday, with Nick summing up in an argument that’s been billed as Osbornomics vs. Plan B. The Social Liberal Forum has mobilisaed to defeat the leader, Nick’s rumoured to have performed what’s known as the ‘Shirley Williams manoeuvre’ to get Vince in as air cover. But no one seems to know for sure if it’s true, or who is actually going to lead the debate. All we do know for sure is: There Will Be Blood.
And that’s just for starters. Members are being invited to give tuition fees their blessing (fight), recommend the introduction of porn filters (fight), keep Trident (already looking like the leadership’s retreating), back the bedroom tax (fight), bring back the 50p tax rate (Mr. Farron says Yes, Mr. Laws says no…). The list seems endless. Oh, hang on I’ve forgotten nuclear power. And Europe.
And it all happens in the full glare of the media.
You can keep your set piece speeches, fake debates and backroom deals. Whatever you think of the Lib Dems (and after a couple of years blogging here, I’ve a fairly clear idea), you can’t say we hide our debates away.
They’re full on, frank and there for all to see. There’s no conference quite like it. And deep down – I bet you’re all a bit jealous.
Richard Morris blogs at A View From Ham Common, which was named Best New Blog at the 2011 Lib Dem Conference
Content from our partners
Related
