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3 ways to make conference better

September 19, 2012 11:17 am

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Last week I wrote about conference, and continued to ask what conference is for.

However, at the end of the piece, I threw out three ideas that might make conference work better – or at least make it more accessible to members. I don’t think bringing back long debates on complex resolutions is the answer (I’ve written about this before, and I think that the NPF is a better place for that, of which more soon), but I do think the following are worth pursuing. If these were implemented, we might get more members interested in and engage with conference – which could be a first step towards making them more relevant to the public.

Three ways to make conference better:

Make conference shorter: At the moment conference is long. Too long. Even for a political junkie like me, Saturday to Thursday is quite a long time to spend solely on the intricacies of Labour politics. The length also contributes to whether or not the event is accessible. It also makes conference more expensive, which further exacerbates its inaccessibility. Does anyone think that time at conference is used effectively? No. There’s loads of fluff and chaff that could be eliminated, starting with speeches from the Shadow Cabinet. I’m sure the speeches are nice for them, but right now we have few policies and little for them to say. Cut the speeches, shorten the conference. There’s a first step.

Make conference cheaper: For starters, the price of a conference ticket prices many of the poorest party members out straight away. But they wouldn’t on the whole even be able to consider attending, because they can’t afford to travel across the country, pay for five nights in a hotel and all of the other costs associated with conference. Conference passes are a well recognised swindle designed to take money from lobbyists and stall holders, but also from some of the most devoted of party members. The councillor rate for conference in particular is outrageous, considering many councillors won’t be much better of (if at all) than many ordinary members. Cheap day rates would help, as would altogether cheaper conference passes and potentially cheap travel to conference from major UK cities. The current cost though means its the same old faces year in and year out – and an ever dwindling number of even those die hard conference addicts.

Hold conference at the weekend: One way of running conference in a way that actually works for members would be to hold conference over a weekend. Like Glastonbury (bear with me) it could start on a Friday afternoon and finish on a Sunday night – closing with the leader’s speech. Each night would have a “headliner” and most business could be crammed into three days. That way members wouldn’t need to take time off or stay for as long. It also wouldn’t penalise those (such as shift workers or teachers) who aren’t able to take a whole week off for conference. And like Glastonbury (bear with me again), it could start early for those who wanted to arrive early – with fringes beginning on Wednesday, yet keeping the main event for the weekend. A quicker, cheaper, more accessible and focused conference, wouldn’t that be nice?

Of course some of you are reading this and still shaking your head at the bit at the top where I said that bringing back long debates on complex resolutions isn’t the answer. I want to see more democracy in the party an a greater say for members, but that should happen elsewhere – more on this tomorrow…

Related posts:

  1. Are we set for a quiet conference this year? (And why “more votes at conference” isn’t the answer)
  2. Fabians announce New Year conference
  3. Want a conference pass? Good luck…
  4. What is conference for? It’s where the Labour family comes together
  5. What conference is REALLY all about
  • http://www.facebook.com/danjeffery26 Dan Jeffery

    The cost issue is bang on the money – pardon the appalling pun. As a new councillor, I was shocked to discover councillors are pooled into an “Ex Officio” class, the same as professional AMs, MSPs and MPs. Not good value for money when you’re not a full-time “politician”.

  • Anniesec

    Perhaps we could include twitter length resolutions rather than long ones….. I do try a version of this in 140 characters or so http://wp.me/P1WmLu-81

  • jonlansman

    Interesting ideas, but…
    1)  I don’t accept abandoning a policy-making role for conference. The NPF could (if ever allowed to) be a good place for developing detailed policy statements, but it should present options to conference. The NPF is a forum of stakeholders, not a representative body like conference.
    2) The priority should be to provide time for delegates to contribute. Conference seem more concerned to find ever more tedious ways of avoiding that. That’s why people don’t come into the hall. But it might encourage more – shock horror – debate.
    3) No problem about making conference shorter subject to the above, or cheaper, or having it over the weekend. 

    I’ll postpone comments on motions until your piece tomorrow except to say that CLPs (and other party organisations) should have the opportunity to propose policies directly- which means at conference not by sending an email into the ether and hoping some NPF member picks it up and runs with it. I have no problem with motions carried then going to the NPOF for them to work into a rolling programme in an acceptable way (provided conference is still given final choice of options which carry significant support).

  • JeevanJones

    I’ve never been to a party conference, so I can’t comment too much on what happens during it, but points 2 and 3 are very important. Labour moreso than  any other party should seek to broaden its access to as many people as possible. Lower costs are a must (a total of £400+ just isn’t viable for many members), and weekends would be ideal (how many people can manage or afford to get four weekdays off work?).

    Let’s hope someone listens to these pleas, because right now Labour’s conference just isn’t fit for service.

  • http://twitter.com/kieronam Kieron Merrett

    Entirely disagree that the NPF is a better place than Conference to debate actual issue. The NPF has always done what it was meant to do – to take these debates out of sight, out of mind, and ensure they can be all under the effective control of the front bench. A good deal of the NPF’s commission business isn’t even done in full meetings, but by conference call and email. Entirely the wrong mondel. All of this needs to be done at Conference in full glare of sunlight.A better solution would be to have a proper week-long or several-days-long Conference allowing time for delegates to actually debate issues, and with an agenda determined by the motions that have been submitted. But it should end on a Sunday, with most of the activities for visiting members taking place Friday-Sunday, and the leader’s speech on the Saturday or Sunday. There could be reasonable rates for members to visit at the weekend without attending the full Conference if they don’t want to.
     
    I do think I agree about Shadow Cabinet speeches. There’s also the issue that it’s Labour Party conference, not Westminster/PLP conference, so there isn’t really a good reason for Westminster front benchers to have pride of place (or at least, no good reason for there to be a Westminster front bench speaker on every single issue without also having a Scottish front bencher, Welsh front bencher, EPLP spokesperson and LGA spokesperson on each of the issues too… and then that might last all month). Best to choose a selection of speakers from across the various parts of the party on the current topical issues rather than giving every Westminster cabinet member an automatic place.

  • http://twitter.com/NewhamSue Newham Sue

    Love the idea of a ‘Glastonbury’ style conference, so long as we avoid crazy naked folk, mud, rain, sun, basic loos, queues for loos, vip areas, burning of plastic beer glasses and sound spill from different events overlapping with eachother. Wouldn’t mind fancy dress and array of exciting T-shirt options, though and quite like the idea of legging it between different talks/ debates every 15 mins in way I do at Reading to get most out of event, though

  • Redshift1

    Everyone knows you turn up to Glasto on the Thursday…

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