Dazed and confused – a few hours at Lib Dem conference

By Dave Roberts

The modern Liberal Democrat Party annual conference is a rather homely affair with amateur management, scruffy stewards, a corporate lounge with no WiFi and confusing procedural issues.

Unusual sights included the actor Hugh Grant sprinkling star dust, Labour MPs Jack Dromey and John Denham speaking on the fringe and a man covered head to foot in tattoos with the official name of “Body Art”.

On the fringe delegates are still confused by what they believe in – when asked if they agree with Simon Hughes’ opinion that Tories are ruthless and extreme an audience cheered wildly – and then the same audience when asked who they would prefer to be in coalition with split evenly between Labour and the Tories – with maybe an edge being given to the Tories. So this audience felt that a Tory Party that consists of people that are ruthless and extreme were marginally better partners for governing the country than Labour.

Then the ever present Lib Dem President Tim Farron MP told an audience that the right to buy council homes should be withdrawn and that people shouldn’t be allowed to buy second homes – not very liberal. The same audience went on to applaud the notion that all women short lists were illiberal and possibly offensive, and a few seconds later applauded the idea that they should be introduced if the next election doesn’t produce more female Lib Dem MPs.

On a fringe hosted by the TUC, former MP Dr Evan Harris – a man rapidly becoming the darling of the Lib Dem left – launched a considered and devastating attack on the coalition’s health plans – accusing Nick Clegg of misleading the party. He congratulated himself and other activists for opposing the government’s plans yet attempted to “big up” the very modest back bench Lib Dem rebellion when the health bill was voted on in the commons.

Elsewhere on the fringe the recently disgraced David Laws continues to rebuild his reputation with the free market liberal wing of the party as he and they try to cement their dominance over the more traditional social democratic wing. Laws and his friends argue that it is liberal economics and social liberalism that will secure the party’s electoral fortunes – not a position shared by many on the fringe – but a position that seems to be being encouraged by the Tories.

The Lib Dems remain a confused party, with activists and MPs split in many different directions – way beyond the divisions that are normal within a party. Yet it is still not that dissimilar from previous conferences. The activists still applaud statements that include the words local or Europe – but maybe there are fewer beards, there are visibly more suits and I can reveal that crocs have become the new sandal as the footwear of choice.