Leader's Speech

One ancient tradition of conference is queuing for the leader's speech. I usually join the other fanatics who start queuing the minute the morning session ends. More tickets are distributed than there are seats available (first rule of Leader's speeches - never allow a TV camera pick out an empty seat - so this precaution is necessary). This year however I had given my ticket away by mid morning (a tummy bug (and yes it was what I'd eaten not what I'd drunk!!!) meant I couldn't face standing in line for over two hours. Instead I'm in the exhibition hall, on a comfortable seat watching a big screen TV.

This morning's plans were abandoned as I sat drinking water - and chatting to friends. There's a large contingent from Milton Keynes - and as my head has been down recently finishing off the thesis, I've had a lot of catching up to do. I did witness Ed Miliband enter the building, but we still await the speech.

I'll sign off now - but will post again later. The odd tweet of mine may appear under my twitter handle of  jdm_progressive.

A little (important) trivia - it was 50 years ago that Harold Wilson - in his conference speech - first promised a new type of university - the Open University. I'm the proud son of two of the OU's earliest students - who benefitted from an environment in which they set an example of tireless study as I was a teenager at secondary school; an Associate Lecturer at the OU (in Law), husband of an Associate Lecturer (Maths Education), and father of a daughter working at 'Walton Hall'. I'll be off later this afternoon to an OU sponsored meeting about MOOCs - Massive Online Open Courses. If you are reading this at Conference - do come along to the Osborne Room in the Metrople at 5-30.