That conference feeling
Thoughts (disorganised) from the night before conference:
Getting a photo for my pass application didn’t seem like a big deal in June. Oh, well, that didn’t come out too well, doesn’t matter, get the bloody thing sent off to the party. Now it’s conference, and I’m going to walk round with a photo of myself grinning menacingly with sunglasses on my head round my neck all week. And this year, charity passes are orange - just right to clash with every outfit I own.
At least I got mine. Work are bringing a bunch of young women who use our services, and eleven of their passes haven’t turned up. How to introduce young people to organised party politics - make them stand in a queue in the rain for hours to pick up accreditation. Happened last year too.
I hate smart women’s shoes. And the amount of standing around you have to do at conference. Only by-elections are worse for footache. We had one of those yesterday too. The combination isn’t going to please the chiropodist on my annual post-conference feet-are-fucked visit.
I’m quite looking forward to not being responsible for all the YWCA staff and young women, the fringes, the stall etc. There’s something fulfilling about handing over a large and stressful project like managing party conference presence to someone else, particularly when you hand it on to two other people - yes, I managed both the practicalities and the politics all on my own, yes, it was hard but we got there smug smug smug.
What’s the point of bringing a contemporary issues motion through your CLP, through the palaver of sending it off, only to have it ruled out? I got the one on child poverty submitted from Oxford East - it wasn’t leadership bashing, just an important issue, contemporary because the government published an entire action plan on social exclusion last week, and still it got sodding ruled out. Not that I could have spoken on it anyway… damn charity pass. Gotta go as a delegate next year.
I may get time to go to the beating the Lib Dems workshop, though. It’s a semi-annual torture, trying to persuade the party that in the end, attacking them harder and harder from the right on national issues gets us nowhere. I bet we’d not have been dancing after last night’s by-election if we had used the Tom Watson Hodge Hill playbook.
Having said that, it may amuse some of you versed in the intricacies of Labour factions to know that I have been asked, and have agreed, to blog occasionally for Progress during the conference. I rang them to check that they had meant to ask me, and they confirmed that they had, so some of the readers may get a bit of a shock if I have one of my rare political days during conference. And I’m sure it’ll just provide more ammunition to those who’re sure I’ve sold out.
Rats, it’s nearly nine thirty and I’ve not eaten or packed yet. Have to get the bloody ironing board out…
“I hate smart women’s shoes”
Probably too late for this conference, but can I recommend ballet slippers from Office for the next one? £25, available in a range of colours, very, very comfy, they go with everything AND they look smart.
Dear Antonia
In Cities of London and Westminster we share your frustration about the CAC ruling on that child poverty motion…and Leadership.
Some suggestions for delegates can be seen at:
http://www.savethelabourparty.org/0609_Leadership.html
More Labour Blogging…
Amazing really. Getting a photo for my pass application didn’t seem like a big deal in June. Oh, well, that didn’t come out too well, doesn’t matter, get the bloody thing sent off to the party. Now it’s conference, and…
Going to have time to comment on today’s Independent story that trades unionist (and single mum) Harriet Yeo attacked TB’s comments on unmarried mothers at the latest NEC meeting in very personal terms?
“My daughter has not disgraced me, not like your son who was found drunk in the gutter. We don’t want lectures from you”.
[...] Found the story via Peter Black (”Like John Redwood before him the Prime Minister has learnt that it does not do to mess with single parents”) although another Lib Dem, Peter McGrath adds far more intelligent comment (as in more comment, not an aspersion on Peter Black). Coming from a single parent family that is set to get all three of us through good universities, economically active and socially functional (despite some pretty tough knocks), I would certainly agree with McGrath that “the question isn’t whether a child comes from a married, partnered or a lone parent home” but one of parenting and aspiration (although I would add poverty to that given its effects on families and children). Will be very interesting to see what Ann Black writes up in her personal NEC report to the Labour members who elected her to the committee. Also would be interested in seeing what Antonia Bance has to say about it as one of (if not the) most well-informed and passionate campaigners on child poverty and supporting socially excluded mothers on the UK political blogosphere (although she may be pressed for blogging time this week). [...]
Careful of the conference cold - I always managed to pick it up in the days when I attended Tory conferences…
Your party’s ‘democracy’ certainly seems to work in a very odd way sometimes. Isn’t it deeply demotivating to activists to not even be allowed to raise important issues?
At Lib Dem conference the Oxford West amendment supporting the retention of a 50p rate on high earnings was not only allowed, it was given a proper amount of debating time, senior MPs spoke in favour of it and I believe Evan was even given research support to ensure it added up.
The result was that everyone, from whichever side of the debate, left the conference hall feeling that we had a proper debate, that all sides had been aired, and that they would be happy to campaign for the policy that got majority support.
And, of course, it is one representative, one vote.
Neil - for sure internal Labour party democracy needs a shake-up, I wouldn’t dispute that. I don’t advocate a return to the days of motions and debates on conference floor which are both hugely divisive and do us damage in the media and public eye, though. I’d prefer the ability to take parts on the national policy forum reports at the final stage, and a better partnership in power process. And I’m really not sure about the point about “one representative, one vote” (they’re delegates at Labour, not representatives, btw) - why on earth would that be a good thing? The unions and socialist societies are part of our party, and I wouldn’t advocate changing how we vote on things at all.