Party Conference Season

 Party Conference season is now underway in the United Kingdom.

The Liberal Democrats held their online conference over the past weekend. Labour holds it's in-person conference in Brighton from next Saturday (25th September) until its conclusion with the Leaders Speech on Wednesday (29th September). The Conservatives have a hybrid conference (on-line and in person) based in Manchester from 3rd to 6th October. Plaid Cymru meet in Aberystwyth on 15th & 16th October. The Green Party has arranged for Workshops (online) on 18-21 October with the Main Conference (online and in person) on 22nd-24th in Birmingham. The SNP held their conference earlier in September.

The PPS Programme on Spectrumonair will be seeking to bring pieces to you about what happens at conference over the next couple of weeks.

Time for a Break?

A question which can apply at many levels.

Today Britain takes a break from the European Union. I hope it won't be a long one.

But the break I propose to address this evening (when I wrote this), is whether it is time to take a break from "the News". I have been a compulsive news consumer for as long as I can remember. Whether it was newspapers; radio & TV news from the 1970s onwards - through to the era of rolling news, and the explosion of access to news (and some that don't deserve being called that) sites. As of the 1st January this year I had subscriptions to The Guardian (UK), Le Monde (France), Washington Post (USA) and China Daily (China). I also took news via alerts on my iPhone & iPad from all of those and others - as well as being signed up for emails from Roll Call; The Hill; the House of Commons Library; and as a result of being the Labour Party Candidate for Buckingham during the recent General Election, I still receive all the news from the Labour Party Press Office including Overnight Media & Broadcast briefs on a daily basis. I have also been a frequent user of twitter.

Enough is surely enough?

I've been cutting down - I'm so disillusioned by the News and Current Affairs output of BBC TV & Radio, that I no longer listen. I'm running my subscriptions to newspapers down - and unsubscribing from alerts and emails - and rarely look at Twitter.

Is that going too far?

Whilst down in London recently (one of the British Museum visits) I popped into Foyles and purchased a book called "STOP READING THE NEWS" by Rolf Dobelli. It really is a good read - with some very sensible points. It is subtitled "A Manifesto for a Happier, Calmer and Wiser Life', I would thoroughly recommend it to you.



Its contents include
- How I gave up the News (did I mention it was a signed copy?)
- News is to the Mind What Sugar is to the Body
- Radical Abstinence
- The Thirty-Day Plan
- The Soft Option
- News is |rrelevant
- News gets Risk Assessment All Wrong
- News is a Waste of Time
- News Obscures the Big Picture
- News is Toxic to Your Body
- News Confirms Our Mistakes.....
...
- News Encourages Terrorism
- News Destroys Our Peace of Mind

Dobelli also deals with potential objections to his argument, including 'What About Democracy'

In my view he makes some very good points. Do read it yourself!

I've been reflecting on what he says, and how I feel about some of the news and certain news organisations (and last night went to see the excellent film, "Bombshell" (French Title - "Scandale") about Fox News - part of the truly awful Murdoch Empire) - and came to the following conclusions -

I will "stop reading the News" - that doesn't mean that I won't be keeping myself informed about what is going on in the world. But instead of "consuming news", I'll be harvesting information about issues that matter to me. (Spoiler alert - Education, The Environment, Transport, Health (particularly avoidable illnesses)

There are a number of sources - I will still use (for the time being) the Daily editions of Le Monde, China Daily & the Washington Post - but only look at the in-depth pieces about issues. I'll still dip into France 24, Euronews, CGTN & CNN for in depth stories - but will make more use of the House of Commons Library, and regularly visit the websites of the British Parliament, the French Parliament, US Congress, the National People's Congress of China - and the Executive websites for those countries.

I'll still be making notes on the issues - what they are, and how different countries or International bodies are seeking to tackle them.

I'd welcome any comments or suggestions - you can post them here - or send to MorganBuckinghamLabour@mail.com (I might as well recycle the email account I used during the election - but just for Washminster responses.

Thankyou.

State of Play

We live in interesting times! - and frankly, worrying times. My nightmare scenario involves

Trump winning the US Presidency (though losing it may bring its own problems - he's already talking about a conspiracy to 'steal the election' from him!)

The Labour Party in Britain opting for purity over power, and re-electing Jeremy Corbyn as leader of a dysfunctional opposition. That might increase the chances of the Scots moving closer to independence as Tory hegemony over Westminster extends beyond the short term.

Sarkozy or Le Pen winning the French Presidency....

Today I will summarise the state of play in the various UK party leadership elections.


LABOUR PARTY

Owen Smith is challenging the incumbent Jeremy Corbyn for leader. Edible voters (Labour Party members; Registered supporters (who signed up and paid during a brief window in July) and Affiliated Supporters (members of affiliated trade unions, socialist societies and other affiliated organisations who individually sign up as affiliated supporters before next Monday) - will be sent ballot papers (Members only) and an email with instructions on voting electronically - from 22nd August. Ballot papers must be returned (or online voting completed) by noon on 21st September. The result be be announced immediately prior to the start of the Labour Conference the following weekend.

Owen Smith's website can be accessed at http://www.owen2016.com

Jeremy Corbyn's website can be accessed at http://www.jeremycorbyn.org.uk 


UKIP

The favourite to succeed Nigel Farage was disqualified because computer problems meant his online application was only successfully received minutes AFTER the deadline closed. (you couldn't make this up! - but serves as a warning to any students submitting essays or eTMAs (OU) close to the cut off time!!!)

The candidates are

Jonathan Arnott - an MEP for North East England. Aged 35

Phillip Broughton - a former UKIP candidate in the parliamentary seat of Hartlepool

Lisa Duffy - A Cambridgeshire councillor , who is a party organiser. She is a former chief of staff for Patrick O'Flynn - a UKIP MEP. If she wins, he will be HER deputy.

Bill Etheridge - 46 year old who is both an MEP and a Dudley councillor.

Diane James - an MEP for South East England - an admirer of Putin.

Elizabeth Jones - a member of UKIPs NEC and the deputy chair of UKIP in Lambeth.

Party Conference Season

 

We are already into the swing of "Conference Season". As long term readers of this blog will know, I have frequently written about conferences - and attended Labour Party Conferences, many times since this blog began. This Blog has a couple of search facilities - if you want to go back and see what has been written in the past.

There is a dedicated search engine - "SEARCH THIS BLOG" to the right of the page, just above my picture. Alternatively you can search by Month and Year, under "BLOG ARCHIVE" (also on the right of the page).

This year's conferences are -

Liberal Democrats: 19th - 23rd September in Bournemouth
Labour: 27th - 30th September in Brighton
Conservative: 4th - 7th October in Manchester

Other party conferences are -

UKIP: 24th - 26th September in Doncaster
Green Party: 25th - 28th September in Bournemouth
SNP: 15th - 17th October in Aberdeen
Plaid Cymru: 23rd - 24th October in Aberystwyth

Parliament Returns

Both Houses of Parliament return today.

The House of Commons Calendar for the week can be found here and the House of Lords here.
Expect it to be a fiery week - as MP's get their first chance to question the Government about the events of the summer. First major item of business in the Commons is the 3rd Reading of the European Union Referendum Bill.

I'm looking forward to the first public meeting of the Education Select Committee - which I am continuing to follow for research. Earlier this year I presented papers to the Political Studies Association on the committee in the final year of the 2010 Parliament and to the 12th Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians, on the scrutiny in the House of Commons of Education. I hope to present further academic papers, focusing on the Education Select Committee, in future months. Secretary of State, Nicky Morgan (no relation), is appearing before the committee on Wednesday.

As noted in earlier posts, the Festival of Freedoms takes place - and I hope to attend a number of events.

On Saturday the announcement of the result of the Leadership elections for the Labour Party is announced. sadly I won't be at the special conference for that announcement - but I'm sure it will dominate my conversations at Westminster this week.

And so back to work....

The summer is over (if you have been in Milton Keynes this last weekend, you'd know how true that is - it has rained, and rained, and rained - and I have been wearing a jumper!). Yesterday was the "Late Summer Bank Holiday", the last Bank Holiday here until Christmas Day.

Next week Parliament returns, and on the following Saturday the result of the Labour Party leadership election will be announced. It's time to put away the summer reading and get back to day to day politics.

Washminster returns - and this is the 2200th post. This blog has been running since March 2007. Do please free to look at some of the previous posts. They can be accessed in date order - or through the search function.

Autumn 2015 looks interesting - in the UK (where the major opposition party chooses a new leader, but faces an uncertain future) - This blog will follow the results - and (as in previous years) report directly from the Labour Party Conference at the end of this month. Parliament will be more closely monitored, as I do further research into the evolution of scrutiny. In the USA the long march to the 2016 elections continues - and who knows what further surprises are in store.

As part of my work, I monitor political stories (particularly relating to the work within legislatures - the UK Parliament; US Congress; French Assemblée nationale and the European Parliament) and teach Constitutional Law. Having twice run for the UK Parliament and once for the European Parliament (and participated in numerous elections - from local councils in the UK to three US Presidential elections) - I maintain a keen interest in the 'nuts and bolts' of elections.

So - whether you are studying Constitutional or EU Law or Political Science - or enjoy viewing politics on a comparative basis - or want to pick up anecdotes about history and politics - do become a regular, and welcome visitor to the Washminster Blog.

...and do tell your friends. Posts you like (or which infuriate you - I love a vigorous debate!) can be posted on Twitter and Facebook.

So here goes for a busy few months!!!!

Labour Party Leadership

I'm not going to use this blog to declare my support for any candidate - or, if you are eligible to vote in that contest - try to persuade you to support one or other of the candidates. Of course, I have my own views - and have been telephone canvassing for one of the candidates - and my facebook friends also know who I am backing - but this is not the place for me to campaign!

It has turned out to be a very interesting election. It's the first that is truly 'one person, one vote'. In previous elections the decision has been made through an electoral college - and it was possible to vote many times - within the different electoral college. So in 1994, I had a vote as a Labour Party Member; and votes as a member of the then TGWU (now Unite) and GMB Unions; and votes as a member of various Socialist Socities including the Co-operative Party; the Fabian Society; the Society of Labour Lawyers and the Christian Socialist Movement.

But for most of its history, the Labour Party selected its leader, purely through the Parliamentary Labour Party. Labour MPs got to vote - but no one else. I'm glad those days are over - and I campaigned for the change - but it had certain merits. That electorate knew the potential leaders up close - saw them regularly in action - and could rate their performance. (Of course those days preceded complete and live TV broadcasting from the chamber and committee rooms).

So - without revealing who I will be voting for - what sort of things should the electorate for the 2015 Leadership (and Deputy Leadership) consider when casting their votes? [Voting is by ordered preference - 1 for your preferred candidate; 2 for your second choice and so on].

What I did to come to my decision was to rate each candidate on a grid. Some were subjective; other's objective - such as how many MPs had supported their nomination. The square for "Who is backing had two entries - one for the total number - and another for MPs who I have a particularly high respect for (so that list, being personal - is also not going to be published.) I gave 4 for the best candidate 3 for the second best and so on. I added the figures for each candidate - by this time the decision was clear for me.

Do you have any other factors that you would propose? Please send me your suggestions and comments - to Washminster

Bipartisanship

I have little time for the view that politicians should bury their differences and "just sort things out." It ignores the reality that there are genuine differences in approach to solving problems - even over whether a matter is a problem or not. The whole idea of democratic institutions is that they are places for genuine differences to be talked through (Parliament - comes from the word "to talk"). Genuine disagreement lies at the very heart of democracy.

But that doesn't mean that there need be lack of civility - or even a "two tribes" approach. I'm now a "retired" politician - and have had many 'vigorous' debates with those I disagree with - but that doesn't mean I regard Tories or Republicans as "the enemy". The enemy are those who would destroy democracy and replace it with a system where those who take decisions are wholly unaccountable; who would deny me (and others) our hard fought for right to think & speak & live freely. I have good friends who are Tories and Republicans.

And so the increasing partisanship in Congress does distress me. Not only is it unnecessary - it puts the people we serve off politics.

I shall be buying the book that the following C-SPAN programme discusses

Parties in the House of Lords

There are a significant number of "Crossbenchers" (Peers who are not allied to, or "take the whip" of, any political party) - but the House is, in voting terms, dominated by the three major parties. [However, the power can rest with individual crossbenchers - who can, at present, tip a vote either way]

Once the hereditary peerage tipped the Lords massively in favour of the Conservatives. Many of these who enjoyed inherited wealth as well as their seat in Parliament - were members of, or at least very sympathetic to the Conservative Party. [Of course there were also a disproportionate number of Liberals - remnants of the Whigs and their successors - but some hereditary Labour Peers].

The Life Peerages Act 1958 led to a major change over time - as most newcomers were not hereditary peers, but appointed for life.

In 1984/5 There were 405 Conservatives; 123 Labour and 84 Liberal/SDP members (out of a House of 937). By 1994 the balance had shifted even more towards the Tories - 481 peers sat on the Conservative benches (46.3% of the whole House).

The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the right of most hereditaries to sit in the House. Some hereditaries stayed on - as part of the 92 who remained - most after election by their peers. Some were granted life peerages which secured their seats.

The balance shifted immediately - in the 1999/2000 session there were 225 Conservatives; 195 Labour and 61 Liberal Democrat peers.  By the end of Labour's period in office, the House consisted of

185 Conservatives (26.2% of the House) 211 Labour (29.9%) and 72 Liberal Democrats (10.2%).

No Government ever had a majority in the House - but Conservative Governments were defeated a lot less frequently (especially when non-aligned hereditary peers were naturally more sympathetic). In 2004/05 - when Labour had a majority over a hundred in the House of Commons - it lost 55.2% of whipped votes in the Lords.

By June 2011 the numbers of Government Peers (now Conservative and Liberal-Democrats) had risen to 39.1% of the House (the Labour Government only enjoyed a membership of 29.9% of the House). Some members of the coalition want the makeup of the House of Lords to mirror the proportions in the House of Commons ((which is course was disproportionate to the votes cast at the election)).

The danger is that a loaded House of Lords will be less likely to carry out its function of being a break on a Government. The Commons already resembles a rubber stamp. Would it be good for British democracy if the House of Lords became one too?

238 Lords a Leaping...

It's an interesting time in the House of Lords at the moment. The Coalition Government is continuing to push through controversial legislation - despite all party concerns in the House of Lords. It has suffered a number of significant defeats.

However the Executive retains some high powered weapons to force its will. In the Commons it can push legislation through the House with limited scrutiny. Ministers are bound by the doctrine of collective responsibility - which means that they are expected to vote with the Government (whatever their own personal reservations) or RESIGN. Commons whips can make persuasive arguments to backbenchers who are desirous of re-selection or advancement. The convention that a government defeat on a motion of confidence will bring down a government is also a useful threat to use against backbenchers who are minded to rebel. (John Major famously reversed a defeat on the Maastricht Bill in 1993 by bringing back the issue the next day as a motion of confidence - see the Wikipedia article). Rebels in marginal seats decided they preferred to fight another day than face a General Election at which they faced almost certain defeat.

Recently, and very controversially, they refused to accept Lords Amendments by using a wider definition of "Money Bill" than had been used previously (read the row that ensued in the House of Lords (Hansard) - I was there to watch this from the gallery).

Sadly, the most important battles against the Welfare Reform Bill; the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (LASPO) and the Health and Social Care Bill has been fought in the Lords, rather than in the Commons. This is for the reasons set out in the second paragraph of this post.

Opposition Peers (Labour); and Crossbenchers have been at the forefront of these fight. Some limited support has come from dissident Lib-Dem Peers - but most of the time they have backed the Government. Breakdown of votes by party can be found on the Lords Divisions database.

Labour Peers have been buttressed by tweets supporting their campaign - and have used tweets to get out the message. This week they established a website - Labour Lords. Whether you agree with them or not (and in the interest of full disclosure I have worked for - on both a paid and unpaid basis - some of those Peers, and continue to work with them) - it is worth following - just to see how - in this technological age - opposition in the House of Lords is carried out.

Labour Party Conference

This weekend the Party leadership, MPs & Peers, delegates and other party members will be meeting in Liverpool for the annual Labour Party Conference. Sadly this year, I won't be joining them - (but next year I will!). So, if you too can't make - join me in following it from afar.

As with all the other major conference there will be live coverage on BBC Parliament. The conference website can be accessed here.

The official party twitter feed can be found at http://twitter.com/#!/UKLabour, but there will be plenty of tweeting going on from individual attendees.

Some of the MPs and Peers I follow on Twitter are

Liz Kendall MP
Stella Creasy MP
Toby Perkins MP
Tristram Hunt MP
Gloria De Piero MP
Jon Ashworth MP
Baroness Royall (Shadow Leader of the House of Lords)
Lord Bassam (Shadow Chief Whip in the House of Lords)
Baroness Thornton
Lord Knight of Weymouth
Baroness Smith of Basildon

Labour Conference 2010

During the conference I had the opportunity to ask a friend, Gordon Lyew, about his work as a steward at conference



I also took a couple of other videos during the conference

View of the Conference Centre



The new leader, Ed Miliband - after his speech on Tuesday afternoon

Conference Ends

Conference has now ended. The final morning session dealt with 'Sustainable Communities' and 'Local Government'. I listened in the main hall to these debates - then left to make my way to Piccadilly station, to catch the train home to Milton Keynes. Sadly, the timing didn't allow me to stay for the final speech, closing the conference, by Harriet Harman.

At home I unpacked - and added the various books I had acquired to the bookshelves. Uploading videos took a number of hours - and I shall be incorporating them into future Washminster posts over the next few days.

The final party conference begins this weekend as the Conservatives meet in Birmingham.

Speech Day

Highlight of Annual Conference is the Leader’s Speech, and the day surrounding it is usually one of the busiest of Conference. I had videoed much of the breakfast fringe, and will post the results when I return home. The rest of the morning was spent talking to friends; visiting exhibitors stalls and watching the Crime & Justice, Citizenship and Equalities debate.


At lunchtime I attended the Hansard Society’s fringe meeting, “Jack of All Trades: how can MPs fulfil all their roles?” It was well attended, with a number of new MPs in the audience. The panel consisted of the Guardian’s Polly Toynbee, Jon Cryer, Stella Creasy and Jack Straw. Many contrasts were made with the so-called Golden Age (when MPs rarely rebelled; held down other jobs and attended Westminster just for drinks and the 10pm vote; occasionally visited their constituencies (if at all) and received a handful of mail). Much was made of the tyranny of “They Work for You” – a website which produces data about MPs “activities”, sadly it measures quantities rather than quality – and stresses activities which in reality misrepresent the effectiveness and impact of an MP’s work. There are indications that parliamentary time is wasted in order to manipulate the figures produced. [Meetings with constituents; civil servants & ministers are not recorded; neither is the quantity and quality of correspondence; and thoughtful and effective questions in committee are ignored – but pointless interventions in debate or question time are.]

Once the meeting had finished we headed to join the queue for entry to the hall. Sadly our standing in line, despite having tickets, was to no avail. I had to watch the speech on the giant TV screen by the Unite (the Union) stall. Even some delegates – the 650 (actually a few less as some constituencies hadn’t sent anyone) representatives of their constituency parties, were unable to get into the hall to be seated. The speech went down well with people in the hall and those watching on screens around the rest of the complex. The speech is available to view here.

After the speech there we discussed our opinions with friends we bumped into – many of us eventually taking our conversations in the cold, into coffee shops and the bars. After a meal – and a fascinating discussion with a steward from a rally outside Manchester calling for electoral reform I made my way to my hotel (via the local branch of the bookshop, Waterstones – where I bought a copy of Bob Woodward’s new book “Obama’s Wars” – much of the evening was spent reading it.

Conference continues until Thursday, but at a gentler speed now that the Leader’s Speech has been delivered. Once again I am writing this in my hotel room, but uploading it as I drink a coffee in Starbucks. Next I will be reading a selection of newspapers then heading for the conference complex.

History; Law; Diversity & Journalism

Monday afternoon was spent at the People’s History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3ER. There’s an excellent permanent exhibition about Labour (in the wider sense of working people). The Peterloo Massacre (which happened on the site of the conference venue) is described, as is the history of the Trade Unions, the Labour Party and other centre-left and left wing political groups. The handwritten minutes of the first ever Parliamentary Labour Party are on show. It’s an excellent place to take children – and many key political concepts are defined – but will keep adults fascinated. It’s only a short distance from Manchester City Centre, and well worth a couple of hours. There is no admission charge. There is a gift and bookshop. I bought a number of fridge magnets, all with notable political quotes.


In the evening I attended a reception organised by the Law Society, the body which regulates solicitors (the more numerous branch of the legal profession) and their training (including qualifying law degrees). I thoroughly enjoyed “Diversity Nite”, a fun evening with excellent food – which most of the key players in the Labour Party attended. The night finished at the Guardian Reception – at which I had some interesting conversations about whips (the parliamentary type).

Tuesday is the day of the Leader’s Speech.

Monday Morning

Timing is everything in politics. My arrival at the entrance to the secure area around conference coincided with that of David Miliband. He went on to make a superb speech - not just a unifying speech from a closely defeated candidate for the party's top job - but but foreign policy and what can and should be achieved. I shall be reading the text carefully - it had great substance.

I've escaped from the conference for a couple of hours. I'm hoping to call in at the Labour History Museum - I used its archives for a paper I presented in the summer on the first Labour Group in the House of Lords (1924 - formed as Labour entered overnment for the first time). They have the original minutes of the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party); copies of the conference reports (which always include a parliamentary report) and books of memoirs not generally available. I will be depositing a copy of the paper that the staff at the archives were so helpful in assisting me with. [If you are interested in a copy, drop me a line at info@washminster.com. I will email a copy as soon as I return home - where my PC's hard drive has the file.

Tonight I am attending a Law Society reception (which as a law lecturer at a couple of universities, I have a great interest in training which the Law Society oversees) - then Diversity Night at an Indian Restaurant. Finally I'll be going to the Guardian's late night reception.

First Day of Conference

Conference opened at Noon, but the day at Manchester Central began much earlier. Personally I had opted for a relaxed morning. After uploading the Washminster post for Sunday, I continued reading the excellent “Tip O’Neill and the Democratic Century” by John A Farrell. Later I stopped at a Starbucks en route to the Conference where I read the Observer. I arrived at the conference centre over an hour before the first session began. It was a very useful time as I met up with friends; discussed the meaning of the leadership results – and made arrangements for future videos and posts for Washminster. By the end of the day I had fixed up some interesting interviews and material which will appear on this blog in the next few months.


Noon was meant to be the starting time, but timekeeping is not one of Conference’s strengths. The new leader entered with the Conference Chair and other guests and officials. After an address from the Chair formal business began. One of the highlights was the tribute to former leader, Michael Foot. A video was shown and Neil Kinnock gave a moving and warm oration. We then stood in silence to remember all those who had worked for the Party – be it at the highest or the grassroots level – who had passed away in the last year.

The rest afternoon was spent meeting up with old friends, and making new ones. The activity now referred to as “networking”. I also made a visit to the bookshop – so I have plenty of reading to keep me busy in the weeks ahead.

Sunday evening is traditionally a time for receptions – which are toured by the leader. Over my lifetime I have built up many roots in a number of regions – growing up in the West Midlands and returning there for seven years at the start of this century; the East Midlands where I served as a County Councillor and ran twice for Parliament and once for the European Parliament; the South East where I currently live – and Yorkshire and Humberside – where I studied for my Law Degree (Sheffield) and where my studies for the doctorate are based (Hull). I attended all the regional receptions for these areas. My local government roots (and future) enabled me to attend the local government reception. Ed Miliband’s speech improved with each delivery. He is clearly focused on reflection and learning from experience.

While social (read networking) events continue, the “fringe” now turns to discussing policy matters. Today I set out with a list of meetings I hope to attend. My hope is, that as with previous conferences, I will have gained much food for thought to develop upon in the months ahead.

I have noticed that my tweets to “jdavidmorgan” seem to be failing, but the ‘newsfeed’ of “WM_Alert” is working. My facebook account (jdavidmorgan) also seems to be working. I hope you can follow these between the Washminster posts.

Arrival in Manchester

Some of my friends complained to me afterwards that it was delivered like the results in X-Factor. They had made their way to Manchester to hear the result of the Labour Party leadership, but in the conference hall the announcement was dragged out. It was almost five o’clock before the crescendo was reached – and all the other “contestants” had been “voted off” that Ed Miliband was proclaimed as the new Labour Party leader.


I had already arrived in Manchester, having spent most of the day with my Open University students preparing for their forthcoming exam. The train from Milton Keynes had arrived at Manchester Piccadilly and I had taken a taxi to my hotel. Whilst checking on, the final moments of the leadership election played out on the TV in the adjacent bar.

Half an hour later I was in the conference centre listening to the accounts of friends who had spent the afternoon in the Hall. The first reception began at 6pm, hosted by the European Commission. It was an interesting reception. We were addressed by the Head of the Commission’s office in London and the leader of the Labour group in the European Parliament. Some interesting conservations with people working with the European institutions.

The second big event saw the arrival of the new leader. Ed Miliband was touring the various receptions – and the European Parliamentary Labour Party reception in the Midland Hotel was packed. He spoke about the challenge ahead – and paid tribute to the candidates he had competed with for the last four months. I had the opportunity to congratulate him in person as he worked his way around the room. The evening was also a wonderful opportunity to catch up with old friends: meet interesting new people and most of all to discuss the significance of political developments.

I was back at the hotel at a reasonable hour. I’m posting this at a local wifi hotspot – and look forward to updating you as the Annual Conference opens this afternoon.

Manchester

Some delegates for the Labour Party Conference (strictly, conferences - since today's is a special conference - purely for the announcement of the new leader - and their address to party members - and the world) have already arrived. Manchester Withington CLP [Constituency Labour Party - the party for a particular parliamentary electoral district] held an Eve of Conference dinner last night. Most delegates will be travelling up today - and some tomorrow.

Outside the conference hall itself - held on the site of the Peterloo Massacre - there is an exhibition area - at which various bodies and groups will be trying to get their messages across to the delegate & visitors. There is a busy "fringe" - some inside the security zone (which incorporates the Conference Centre; the Midland Hotel and the Radisson Hotel) and others at various venues in Manchester City Centre. The Town Hall is a major venue - where "think tanks" like the Fabian Society will be based.

I already have my planner for the week - there's so much on that I have selected the meetings of greatest interest to me - and listed them in order of preference for each time slot. Which I turn up to will depend on circumstances at the time. I will be posting during the conference - longer pieces on Washminster - and shorter notifications on facebook and twitter (jdavidmorgan - facebook/twitter - and WM_Alert - twitter)

Labour Party Conference

The focus now shifts to Manchester - where a special conference tomorrow (Saturday 25th) will see the announcement of the results of an election held to select the new leader of the Labour Party.

The Annual Conference opens at 2.00pm on Sunday. To keep delegates and visitors busy, there are plenty of fringe events planned running from Friday through to the close of the Conference at 12.45 on Thursday.
The plenary sessions will be held at

Sunday 12.00 - 17.30 (Opening: Renewing Party Democracy: General Secretary's report: General Election report)

Monday 10.45 - 12.45 and 14.15 - 17.30 (Britain in the World: Prosperity and Work: TUC report: 2011 Elections in Scotland & Wales)

Tuesday 09.30 - 12.45 (Northern Ireland Report: Other internal reports; Crime & Justice, Citizenship & Equalities)
14.15 - 16.00 Leader's Speech

Wednesday 09.30 - 12.45 (International Speaker: Health & Education - Progressive Public Services)
14.15 - 16.00 Leader's Q & A

Thursday 09.30 - 12.45 (Creating Sustainable Communities - Campaigning for Strong Communities: Closing Speech by Harriet Harman.