Conference Gazette - Articles
Enjoyable Conferences
By John Sergeant
Liberal Democrats enjoy their conferences more than any of the other main parties. Is that a fair, impartial assessment? Of course it is.
For a start there are far fewer people wandering around looking for their next career move. And far more people looking for the next interesting political argument.
One of the most well- attended and invigorating events last year at Eastbourne was a speech from Lord Holme on why constitutional change was important. It was a proud reassertion of the very Liberal claim that beyond all the smoke and mirrors in politics it is policy that matters; and as the third party you have a duty and a responsibility to push new ideas.
I remember the last conference of the Social Democrats in a far from sunny Scarborough. There was the morning session that had to be cancelled because of a bomb scare. It could have been a shambles. Instead of taking over the hall where Hugh Gaitskell made his 'I will fight, fight and fight again, for the party I love' speech, people milled around outside. But David Owen was not put off. He made a creditable speech in the open air. It was like an old-fashioned political meeting and none the worse for that. What made it work, what makes every conference work, is the enthusiasm and the interest of those who take part.
For years, it seemed, the issue at Liberal and SDP conferences was all about party identity. Could you merge, should you merge? Were you long-haired and sandal-wearing or could ties and suits be worn? Some of that was good fun, particularly for television journalists, looking for people wearing the largest collection of badges. But we all have to grow up. Liberal Democrats now should feel much more confident. No one is suggesting you are about to disappear. And that should allow for more open debate.
Is that journalistic special pleading? Well, partly. Political reporters are helped in their work if there is, to put it delicately, a certain amount of tension. Blood on the floor is the more honest description. Liberals and Liberal Democrats have not let us down in the past. I remember that conference in Eastbourne when David Steel was said to have cried at a leadership meeting. It was all due to an argument over nuclear policy in which he had been bullied by David Owen. Or so I was told by someone who was there.
That is the joy of conferences like these. People tell you all sorts of things that perhaps they should keep to themselves. On that occasion my informant - I wish I could say who it was - cornered me for twenty minutes to give me a blow-by-blow account of what happened.
I could not for the life of me work out why he was telling me all this. But at the end he let out a deep sigh and said: "Oh, I do feel better. I just had to tell someone." This is something which should be encouraged here in Brighton. My totally unbiased advice would be: think of journalists like priests and remember the value of confession.
There has been a tendency in recent years for all the political parties to see conferences in quite a different way. The idea has taken root that they are media showcases. Everyone is on display and so no one should do anything which might reflect badly on the party. Journalists are prepared to take this argument head on. Surely the point is that politicians cannot make their mark unless they are seen to be in conflict with somebody and then they are seen to triumph.
Think of Neil Kinnock in Bournemouth, with Eric Heffer walking off the platform and the Labour leader turning on the Militant leader, Derek Hatton, with biting words about taxis being used to send out redundancy notices for Liverpool council staff. Think of how political journalists enjoyed writing that story. And try to see how you can emulate that here in Brighton.
There are usually many different conferences going on at the same time. Sometimes it is difficult to work out which conference you are attending. There is the conference as reported on television, the other one picked up by the newspapers. And behind the scenes several more. In each of them you can spot similarities.
Everywhere there are people determined to shine even if, as a result, their colleagues seem rather dull. And that's just the mood among the journalists.
Among the party delegates, there are struggles going on at all levels. But the key question is always the same: who is up and who is down? And it is not good enough to say that does not matter. The point about political conferences is that given the right atmosphere and the right time in the evening, everything seems to matter.
Here are a few tips for newcomers. If someone says, be frank, tell me what you think of my speech, don't be frank. If someone says about a party, a meeting, or any gathering at all, I am glad I wasn't invited, don't believe them. If someone says, I'd like to talk more, but I've got to rush, don't ever raise the subject with them again. If someone says, between you and me, wait for at least an hour before telling someone else.
And after all these years of reporting party conferences, it is only fair for me to make a few suggestions on how they should be run. I may not have the answers, but here are some questions.
Should there be special meetings for people who are determined to sit near the door? Should we give out yellow cards to those who say they'll be back in a minute and never return? What about red cards for those who promise to say no more than a few words and then can't be stopped? And what about a general ban on people being thanked? It would save a lot of time.
John Sergeant
Chief Political Correspondent for the BBC
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