Pass notes, No 3,045: The Lib Dem conference

Monday, September 19, 2011

Pass notes, No 3,045: The Lib Dem conference

It's 23 years old and this year will also be a tough proving ground for the party leader

Age: 23.

Appearance: Nick Clegg's four days in a minefield.

A minefield? Pretty much.

Like, literally? No. Literally speaking it's a political party conference consisting of around 8,000 delegates debating, loitering and clapping in a Birmingham convention centre. But metaphorically it's a minefield because a lot of things could go very, very wrong for Clegg.

Like treading on a mine? Exactly. Although these mines are are mostly policy debates.

Such as? Such as the debate on health reform, which respected Lib Dems Evan Harris and Shirley Williams want to see voted on in conference, but which conference organisers are allowing delegates only to debate. Which doesn't exactly fit well with the Democrat part of the name "Liberal Democrats".

Or the "Liberal" part, but that's still only one mine. There are others. Liberal Democrats for Drug Policy Reform has proposed decriminalising drug possession, and a working group is proposing a motion suggesting people should be prosecuted as thieves for downloading films.

Three mines does not a field make. True. Sadly there's also the local election results, which are the worst since the party began. Plus the possibility that the Crown Prosecution Service will choose this week to announce if it intends to prosecute energy secretary Chris Huhne for allegedly dodging a speeding fine, which would be likely to prompt his resignation.

And? And then there's the minor issue of protesters, both inside and outside the building. Outside, the probation union Napo will be protesting cuts to the criminal justice system, while inside there are likely to be more than a few disgruntled heckles, not least during Nick Clegg's speech on Wednesday.

Well, that is a small minefield. Oh, and Clegg's MPs probably won't be too happy about the proposed constituency changes, which affect all but seven of the party's seats.

Sounds like he's in trouble. I'm sure he's used to it by now.

Do say: "It's his party ..."

Don't say: "And he'll cry if he wants to."