What's Next?

It's been an eventful time of late. In the UK the Labour Party surprised itself by electing Jeremy Corbyn as its new leader. He has no ministerial or front bench experience - and is ideologically further to the left than most of the Parliamentary Labour Party - but gained an impressive win, and the term "Corbyn-mania" has entered the language. (I never recall the terms Wilson-mania or Callaghan-mania in my youth!). I attended the Party Conference in Brighton - and it was interesting to feel the strange mix of enthusiasm and trepidation - with some individuals showing both.

The Conservative Party Conference was even more interesting - as the battle for the succession to Cameron was clearly in full swing.

Parliament returns this week - and we will see how these developments impact on the atmosphere in Westminster - and upon events themselves.

In Washington, events took an even more dramatic turn - with John Boehner's shock announcement that he was standing down as Speaker. Then, as the GOP conference met to elect his successor, the favourite - Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy withdrew. The disruptive power of the small group of ultra-conservatives was evident for all to see. Further developments will be monitored closely!

Planning for Conference

As yesterday's post highlighted - Conference season is upon us. If one is going, what planning is involved? These are my thoughts - after many Labour Party conferences, the first being back in 2000.

Planning ahead is essential. This week there will be people booking their accommodation for the 2016 Conference in Liverpool. Accommodation can be hard to find - particularly as conference gets closer. The numbers involved in a major party conference are immense - delegates, party members, party officials, exhibitors - and most need overnight accommodation during the conference.

Applications for the various tickets are usually required during the late spring and summer. Constituency Labour Parties & affiliated organisations choose delegates to send during this period. "Balcony Passes" are available to party members who wish to attend.

Train tickets also need to be bought in advance.

At the beginning of September, the Conference Magazine is sent out. I immediately get out my conference planning grid - which has evolved since I first attended a conference - in Brighton - back in 2000. Using the conference Magazine I choose which events I hope to attend. The problem is that there is always so much on - so my excel file allows me to put order of preference for each event at the same time. Circumstances change - a really interesting event requiring a long walk in horrendous weather may be sacrificed if I'm running rate (or don't fancy the awful rain and wind outside).

Below are photos of my grid for last year's conference in Manchester.

 



I'll be printing out my final version for this year's Brighton conference - and armed with any required tickets, will be ready to set off at the weekend. But first, the packing...

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

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!!!!

Party Conferences

I was in Birmingham this week - though not to attend the Conservative Party Conference. I was visiting my mother and giving a law tutorial - but couldn't miss the impact that the Conference was having in the city. My buses were diverted - and whilst sitting in Starbucks, I saw many delegates walking down New Street wearing their conference passes.

But I did attend the previous week's Labour Conference in Manchester - and if you look back at previous posts in earlier years - you'll see that I have described and explained what goes on inside a party conference.

In the USA Party Conventions are held before each Presidential Election. In Britain, party conferences are held annually (and sometimes more frequently). I had the privilege of reading the earliest Labour Party Conference reports whilst I was undertaking a political history research project. Today of course, the primary audience isn't the delegates - or the other people attending the conference in person - but the wider public. It is the venue for major policy statements - and particularly in the run up to a General Election (and Britain's is due on May 7th next year) - it is the opportunity to showcase the policies which each party will be pushing during the election.

01 Sadiq Khan

Sadiq Khan is the Shadow Lord Chancellor (Shadow Secretary of State for Justice). He was the first speaker at a fringe event on the state of the justice system.

His website is http://www.sadiqkhan.org.uk/

02 Emily Thornberry

Emily is the Shadow Attorney General. She was a human rights barrister before entering Parliament - where she served as a PPS in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Ed Miliband was the Secretary of State). In opposition she has served in various roles, and her website is available at http://www.emilythornberry.com/.

03 Lucy Scott-Moncrieff

When the politicians had had their say, the lawyers spoke. First up was Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, a former president of the Law Society. She  is a Mental health and human rights lawyer.

04 Maura McGowan

The final main speaker at the Legal fringe was the Chair of the Bar Council - the body which represents barristers in England and Wales.


The meeting continued with comments and questions from the floor. It is one of the things I like about the Fringe at Conference, there is an opportunity to discuss policy matters with experts and (should Labour regain power at the next election), the leading politicians who will be making policy in the future.

01 Europe Rally

A meeting at lunchtime of the Sunday of Labour Party Conference has become a traditional part of the week's events. It is one I always attend - and has been in many formats. This time it was a rally held in the neighbouring Cinema. I recorded a number of the key speeches - and post them so that you can get an inside glimpse of what happens at Conference.

The meeting began with a few remarks from the Shadow Minister for Europe, Emma Reynolds.

02 Kathleen Van Brempt MEP

Visitors from other countries play an important role in Labour Party Conferences. I enjoy meeting members and politicians from sister parties around the world. Conference speeches have been made by leading politicians including President Clinton. At Sunday's meeting the Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt shared her experience with members.

Her website (for those who can read Flemish) is available at http://kathleenvanbrempt.be/. She has been an MEP, breaking her service to become a Minister in the Belgian federal government.

03 Sir Julian Priestley

Sir Julian was the Secretary General of the European Parliament from 1997 to 2007. "In his role as Chief Executive of the institution, he was responsible inter alia for organising the policy advice for MEPs and the parliamentary committees, at a time when the legislative powers of the Parliament were being strengthened. He had also to prepare the Parliament for the largest Enlargement in the history of the European Union.

A known advocate for the improvement of the quality of EU legislation, Sir Julian led the administrative negotiations with Commission and Council to prepare agreements on Better Regulation. He reorganised the work of the EP’s committee secretariats to improve assistance to MEPs in their legislative work.

Sir Julian’s wide experience in the EU, and particularly in the European Parliament, has included stints as a member of a committee secretariat (Budgets), head of a secretariat (Energy, Research and Technology), Director responsible for all committees dealing with internal market legislation, and head of the Private Office of EP President (Dr Klaus Hänsch)." [from the EPPA website]

04 David Schoibl

David is Chair of LME (Labour Movement for Europe).

05 Richard Corbett

Richard Corbett is an expert in the procedure and practice of the European Parliament. I have frequently recommended on this blog his book entitled "The European Parliament", which is in my view has been - in all eight editions (and I have used all of them over the years in my role as an EU Law lecturer and analyst on EU affairs) - the best guide to the Parliament available. It is currently jointly written with Francis Jacobs (Author of Western European Political Parties: A Comprehensive Guide - with extensive experience as an EU official) and Michael Shackleton (Another very experienced EU official)


.
Richard was an MEP from 1996-2009 and is Labour's second candidate in Yorkshire & Humber, behind the sitting MEP Linda McAvan in the 2014 election.

06 Glenis Willmott MEP

Glenis is the current leader of the EPLP (the European Parliamentary Labour Party). When I stood in the European Elections in 2009, Glenis headed our East Midlands list - and she will do the same again next year. She has been an MEP since 2009.

Her website is http://www.gleniswillmott.eu/

07 Anneliese Dodds

Heading the list for Labour in the South East region is Anneliese Dodds. Her website is http://www.anneliesedodds.org.uk/.

She lives in Oxford and is  currently a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Aston University.

08 Rory Palmer

Rory Palmer is Labour's No 2 on the East Midlands list - so an increase in the percentage of the total votes cast in next May's election should send him as a new MEP to the Parliament. He is currently a Labour Councillor for Eyres Monsell and Deputy Mayor of the City of Leicester. His blog is available at http://rorypalmerblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Off to Conference

Labour Party Conference is this year in Manchester. I spoke to the delegate from Milton Keynes South, Mohammed Khan.

The good news - and the bad news...

The good news is that that I am entering the final stretch writing up my Ph.D. Finally the reading; the interviewing and the thinking are coming together into a single structured paper (well a very long paper!). Soon I’ll be submitting, what I hope is a readable draft.


The bad news is that it has meant that I’ve not been able to keep the Washminster posts flowing. (I hope you noticed!)

The good news is that Washminster is about to enter a new exciting period. I’ll be posting from Labour Party Conference. Because I will also be continuing to hone the Ph.D. paper, I will sadly be foregoing the pictures to accompany posts – and they may be a little raw – but I hope that you’ll enjoy the eye witness account; description and explanation of this annual politics-fest.

Then I’ll be back to the full time work on the Ph.D. and prep for the next “adventure”, which is my visit to Virginia for the last couple of weeks of the Presidential; Senate & House races in that great state. As in 2008, I hope to be posting frequently and fully while I’ll there.

So please keep visiting the Washminster blog. I’ll also be tweeting on ‘jdm_progressive’ during this period.

David