First-time conference goer’s delegate diary – Day Four

I awoke feeling nostalgic about the heady days of my conference youth, when this diary was complaining about trivial procedure, not policy. Trudging through the rain to the hall, I longed for some referencing back: the more confusing the better. (I also longed for my hangover to disappear.)

My mood was genuinely lifted when we got into the nitty-gritty of procedural issues. Some complained that the discussion on immigration had been delayed from Tuesday to Wednesday – a day that usually has no business, meaning that many delegates leave early. The optimistic attempt to discuss 20 motions this year has definitely caused problems.

Another objection was made about Woman’s Place UK holding a fringe event, which many trans comrades said left them feeling unsafe. This objection itself prompted an objection, in the form of a ‘point of order’ from another delegate from the same CLP, to emphasise that this opinion was not unanimously shared by their CLP.

During Rebecca Long-Bailey’s speech, the news came in that parliament’s prorogation was unlawful. You know that Thick of It scene in which everyone leaves the press conference because something more important started happening? Well, that happened writ large at conference. At the end of the speech, Corbyn went up to acknowledge the news, prompting cheers and chants of “Johnson out!”, which merged into “lock him up” from the more radical delegates around me.

The next section of the debate on the environment was punctuated by comrades whispering about the latest news. News gradually trickled through: that parliament would reconvene on Wednesday, and Corbyn’s speech would be moved to Tuesday afternoon. Where yesterday the room was divided, today it was united in excitement at the continuation of banter era politics. Luckily for my attention span, the signal in the hall is awful, so spending the whole time scrolling Twitter was futile.

Returning to the environmental debate, a GMB delegate explained why he supported one composite but not the other – both were on a form of Green New Deal, but the GMB-backed one did not commit to net zero carbon by 2030. He argued that this commitment would lead to job cuts. Others pointed out that there would be no point in doing anything if we do it too late, and if we apply our socialist principles to the process we can always ensure workers’ rights.

Eventually, both motions were passed. I was not sure of whether this would lead to contradictions, but instead the more radical motion simply superseded the other. As was acknowledged, long term these policies will be more important than Brexit.

At lunch, I once again got the chance to hear a couple of interesting fringe meetings, one on the future of cities, and another on housing, at which I was able to chat with John Healey, even nabbing the email address of someone in his team. Conference really does provide a unique opportunity for discussing policy with MPs.

Heading back into the hall, we had the new timetable for the afternoon. The hall was packed, anticipating Corbyn’s speech. The afternoon’s debate was clearly built around his speech, rather than the other way round. This led to problems: after the motions and references back were brought, we had about 15 minutes to debate four important motions. The rest of the debate was therefore delayed until Wednesday.

The thing to know about the leader’s speech is this: chair real estate is valuable. If you’re not in your seat long before the speech, in true socialist fashion, it’s reclaimed and given to the most needy. Stewards also urge people to sit down ready for the beginning of the speech – I’m not quite sure why, as we’re expected to give a standing ovation immediately afterwards.

The speech itself is fun, but a bit of a chore in that there is a lot of expectation to clap and stand up every couple of seconds. I always wonder how annoying this is for a speaker, who can’t get a word in edgeways.

And then it finishes, we have a dance and sing The Red Flag and Jerusalem. Where yesterday we had a divided party, today we were united: we have a common opponent, a mission to win a general election and a cute song to boot. I’m glad to finish today’s diary on a more optimistic note than yesterday’s. Conference is, after all, a Good Thing.