Here’s my absolute, most important top tip for people attending conference – pack sensible shoes. I cannot emphasise this enough. You will be spending much of your time on your feet, and you will be schlepping wearily from venue to venue. Bits of Bournemouth are hilly, so you will also be trekking up a small cliff to switch from conference hall to fringe meetings. If you just pack strappy shoes, or dress shoes, or the ones that look good with your suit but are murder on your toeses, you will spend the week in agony. Pack comfy trainers. Include the footwear you choose for leafleting. You feet will thank you for it.

The second most important tip for people who haven’t been to conference before – there’s a special event just for people like you! Here are the details:

New to conference?
Unsure what Federal Conference is all about? Anyone unfamiliar with conference is invited to come to this session aimed at helping you to get the most out of your first – and subsequent! – visits.
Location: Old Harry’s, Marriott Highcliff
Time: 21.45 – 22.30
Date: Saturday 19th September

I went along one of the sessions for new people at Conference in 2006 – and you can still hear the resulting vox pop interview podcast.

Elsewhere in our #ldconf 101 series:

• Attending conference – even if you haven’t registered!
• How to get to be a voting rep at short notice
• Speaking at conference

Good morning. Today we remember the deaths of Hildegard von Bingen, and, centuries later, Laura Ashley; and today’s birthday girl is Tessa Jowell.

Two big stories

A surprising number of newspapers seem to be leading with a story about how soon, we will all have the right to register with any GP we choose. I struggle to see why that’s made so many front pages.

Instead, my picks are the Independent’s story about racism in the US, with President Carter weighing in on opposition to President Obama’s current policy platform:

After lurking near the surface of political discourse in America for months, awkward questions about race and bigotry burst into the open yesterday after Jimmy Carter forthrightly suggested that “an overwhelming portion” of the more violent opposition to President Barack Obama and his policies has to do with the colour of his skin.

Meanwhile closer to home, the Telegraph is finding new ways to use numbers to scare us:

In his 2000 Budget, Mr Brown described money spent on debt and welfare as “the costs of failure” and lauded Labour’s record in reducing those payments. He said: “Our promise was to reduce the costs of failure – the bills for unemployment and debt interest – in order to reallocate money to the key public services.” Now, Mr Brown’s own figures reveal how those costs are set to grow dramatically. Already the largest single item in the budget, by 2013/14 spending on social security will dwarf every other item of Government expenditure.

2 must read blog posts

Mary Reid writes about the party’s new policies for women:

Back in 1917 the ‘perfect’ woman was 5ft 4in and nearly 10stone. 100 years later, and girls aspire to be very tall and very, very thin.

And whilst much of the post is about the airbrushing proposals, there’s also a handy summary of some of the other aspects of the policy too.

Secondly, Mike at The Atomium Blog has some scathing words on tax credits:

But seriously, if you were asked to come up with a way of doing this, could you have ever designed a more clumsy, inefficient or convoluted system than the one which the Labour government, under Gordon Brown as chancellor, managed to create?

This is the third in a small series of articles with what every delegate needs to know about Conference. See also our posts on how you don’t have to be a registered delegate to attend fringe and training events, and how to be a voting rep at conference even if you weren’t elected to that position at your local party’s AGM.

This is perhaps the area where I am least qualified to speak, since I have never given a speech to Conference in the eight or so years I have been attending.

But I have noticed there’s very clear and much improved advice on how to speak during the main debates, with, in particular, a whole page of the Conference Agenda dedicated to tips on how to fill in Speakers Cards to maximise your chance of being called to speak.

Page 9 of the agenda – available online here – is where it’s at.

Essentially, you can only speak if you are a registered delegate at conference, or if you have been given permission by the Conference Committee. Registering for the day is not enough. Both voting and non-voting members of conference can speak. Once you’ve passed that hurdle, you need to complete a speaker’s card, and submit it in good time. Cards are available from stewards in the auditorium and also, on Friday evening, in the foyer of the Conference hotel. You must submit it before the beginning of the morning or afternoon session in which you want to speak – and it helps the chair of the session if you hand it in earlier than that.

Finally, for some debates where there are likely to be a large number of speakers, the standing orders of Conference allow for Interventions. Page 7 of the directory sets out the rules:

There will be interventions during debates F4, F11, F18, F26, F33, F36 and F45. This procedure offers voting or non-voting representatives the opportunity to make concise (one-minute) speeches from the floor during the debate on the motion. Eligibility to make an intervention is the same as for making a speech (see speaking at conference on page 8). There are two microphones in the body of the Auditorium facing the stage. Those wishing to speak during interventions should sit in the designated seats and complete the form handed to them by the steward overseeing those seats. Three lights will be
visible on either side of the stage: the green light comes on at the start of the intervention; the amber light will show after 40 seconds; the red light will come on at the end of one minute and the intervention must stop immediately.

I apologise from the outset, but this is going to be one of those posts that not everyone understands. If you’re not technical, or if your diary is still entirely paper based, look away now.

Neil McGovern, a Cambridge City councillor, has grepped the conference directory so that you don’t have to. He’s written a program that scrapes the information about the training and fringe events (including LDV’s fringe fiesta) and plugs them into a Google Calendar.

This means that if you use GCal yourself, you can import all those events into your diary – and from there, straight into your PDA or phone.

If you don’t use Gcal, there are feeds available that work with pretty much any online diary system, including HTML and ICAL.

Here are the handy links. Good luck!

Fringe Events
RSS | iCAL | HTML
Google Calendar address.

Training Events
RSS | iCAL | HTML
Google Calendar address

Welcome to Daily View. Today is the anniversary of Black Wednesday, and bunny hops for today’s birthday boys: Henry V and Russ Abbot.

2 Big News Stories

Wor Vince has fleshed out Lib Dem policy on how to respond to the parlous state of public finance – and Michael White approves.

Number crunchers at the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies, whose own estimate of the required squeeze will be published tomorrow, call his nine suggestions a “state-of-the-art shopping list”. As so often with Lib Dem ideas, it includes some which bigger parties are closing in on: trimming tax credit for better-off families, curtailing ID cards and the NHS IT system, freezing public sector pay (TUC please note) and ending £28bn worth of subsidy to public sector pensions (ditto).

Meanwhile, the US and Europe are starting to have differences on the future of climate change policy.

Europe has clashed with the US Obama administration over climate change in a potentially damaging split that comes ahead of crucial political negotiations on a new global deal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

The Guardian understands that key differences have emerged between the US and Europe over the structure of a new worldwide treaty on global warming. Sources on the European side say the US approach could undermine the new treaty and weaken the world’s ability to cut carbon emissions.

Two must-read blog posts

Sara fisks Polly

Polly’s attempt to manufacture a causal link between the absence of the ISA and three horrific child murders does not stack up. The link between the ISA’s bureaucratic paedophile hunt and the incompetent failure of a council to protect a Baby Peter is simply the word ‘child’. Almost every recent case of child abuse or murder which has chilled us has been either ’strangers’ (Sarah Payne, James Bulger, Milly Dowler, Holly & Jessica) or family (Baby Peter, Victoria Climbié, Shannon Matthews). Yet despite the fact that cases of child abuse have remained fairly static over the last 30 years and all analysis points to the fact that the greatest danger to our children is in their own homes, the government decides to view over 11 million people as potential abusers and set up a huge bureaucracy to check on them.

Bernard Salmon gives a brief history of England. So brief that if I quote any of it, there’ll barely be any point in popping over to chez Salmon!

This Saturday’s trio of videos doing the rounds takes as its topic Minnesota’s new Senator, Al Franken, who eventually took his seat after a load of legal wrangles – as we covered here and here earlier in the year.

Al Franken was a controversial choice for a politician since he already had a career as a comedian and polemicist – you may be familiar with such fence-sitting, equivocating titles as Lies (and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them) and Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot

Unsurprisingly, the American right hate him.

Now, however, he is Senator – and proving to be a good one too.

Here are three videos of his exploits. The first contrasts American Republican values with the tendency of the American Republican party to invoke Christian values.

The second gives an example of Sen Franken out in the field responding to a mob over healthcare issues. There is a disturbing trend for opposing political activists to shout down any sort of debate about healthcare in the US, so it’s to his credit that he actually managed to have a discussion of sorts:

Still with us? Sorry these have been a little long for this slot; the final one is much lighter. One of Sen Al Franken’s key talents is the ability to draw a detailed map of the US from memory. There are several examples of this on YouTube, but this recent one is much sped up.

(If you’re interested – there’s a version here with his spiel)

A piece in the Bournemouth Echo underlines just how important party conferences are to the resort’s economy – and just how huge an event conference is, even for the smallest of the three main parties:

It is estimated the event could boost the resort economy by £6.5 million, as delegates spend money in hotels, bars, restaurants and shops.

“That’s really working on the basis of about 6,000 delegates staying for an average of four nights,” said Peter Gunn, director of the BIC and Pavilion.

A few seconds with a calculator and those figures suggests delegates will be spending an average of £270 a night for the privilege of participating in Lib Dem training, networking, policymaking and carousing.

And the piece goes on to mourn the lack of any of the larger parties in town next year:

The Lib Dems are the only major party to visit Bournemouth this year, and none of the main parties are due in town in 2011.

But Labour confirmed in the summer that it would be returning in 2013, taking over the BIC and the Pavilion after a six-year break.

BIC bosses expect to hear in the autumn whether the Conservatives and Lib Dems will be returning soon.

Our next conference after Bournemouth will be Birmingham in March 2010 – and they’re so keen to welcome us to town they’ve prepared a special website, www.libdemsinbirmingham2010.com . At least, according to the Conference Directory, anyhow – it doesn’t appear the website is quite ready for use, just yet.

Thereafter, it’s Liverpool for the Autumn conference. No word yet as to whether they’ve forked out a tenner for a .com

Dates for your diary

Conference Timetable 2010

Spring Conference: Friday 12th – Sunday 14th March 2010, Birmingham

Drafting advice deadline (motions): Monday 4th January 2010
Motions deadline: Wednesday 13th January 2010
Drafting advice deadline (amendments, emergency motions): Tuesday 23rd February 2010
Deadline for amendments to motions, emergency motions, topical issues, questions to reports: Tuesday 9th March 2010

Autumn Conference: Saturday 18th – Wednesday 22nd September 2010, Liverpool

Drafting advice deadline (motions): Wednesday 16th June 2010
Motions deadline: Wednesday 30th June 2010
Drafting advice deadline (amendments, emergency motions): Tuesday 24th August 2010
Deadline for amendments to motions, emergency motions, topical issues, questions to reports: Tuesday 7th September 2010

There’s shortly to be a mayoral by-election in Bedford following the August death of the incumbent mayor and blogger Frank Branston.

Local Lib Dems are the first to name their candidate as Cllr Dave Hodgson, familiar to many attendees of party training as the membership recruitment and retention expert, spreading best practice to local parties up and down the country.

LocalGov.co.uk reports:

Cllr Dave Hodgson is leader of the Bedford Liberal Democrats group, and was appointed to Bedford BC’s cabinet as member for partnerships and IT by the late mayor.

He expressed his delight at being selected to stand, adding that he was committed to the borough.

‘We face enormous challenges such as the decaying town centre, regeneration of the bus station area and the need for a quality transport system,’ Cllr Hodgson added.

‘It will require each and every one of us to work together, if we are to succeed and bring about the changes that the borough so desperately needs.’

Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman, Ed Davey, MP, has backed Cllr Hodgson for the role after the pair discussed key issues and priorities for the by-election campaign.

‘The Liberal Democrats go into this by-election in a strong position after coming first in the recent council elections,’ Mr Davey said.

The by-election is expected to take place on 15 October.

The Lib Dems are the largest party on Bedford Borough Unitary Council with 13 seats to 9 Conservatives, 7 Labour and 7 Independents. And as yet, it’s unknown who else will contest the election. Will another wealthy newspaper magnate throw his hat into the ring? Only time will tell.

Mayoral by-elections are vanishingly rare in the UK as only a few boroughs and towns are run by elected mayors, and so far, few of them have died or resigned. My brief research, however, indicates that this is at least the second – the first having been on North Tyneside in 2003, where the incumbent resigned following a scandal.

Mayoral elections are expensive at the best of times – one of my first party experiences was as a very green agent to a very experienced candidate in the first Mansfield mayoral elections. One of the key debates there was whether the party could possibly afford to be represented in the booklet prepared by the local authority with details of all candidates. Contesting the race in Bedford will not come cheap – the campaign will cover a population equal to some three constituencies by my reckoning. So I’m sure the local party will welcome your donations – find details for their local party officers here. Don’t forget to include your name and address to help them fulfil their PPERA obligations – and if you’re being really generous, it might help to include your electoral number.

One final aspect to explore: in 2007 when the mayoralty was last contested, the ballots were counted electronically. IT and business blogger Dynamoo was not impressed at the conduct of the count.

Conference these days includes slots that are left blank when the agenda is published, and that can be filled later by topics that become evident at a later date.

The deadline for – well pretty much everything, actually, including emergency motions, amendments, appeals, questions and so on – was yesterday.

LDV is aware of two emergency motions that have been doing the rounds asking for support. Firstly there’s one insisting that social services remain accountable to local people through local councils. A government paper launched on the 14th July suggested the creation of a national care body to take some of the responsibility.

Secondly, as this trade press article details, Gareth Epps and Greg Mulholland MP are promoting a motion to take steps to even the balance between landlords and pubcos – a topic we’ve written about before on LDV – here, here and here.

Gareth Epps surveyed landlords in Reading:

Epps’ survey shows three-quarters of licensees, mainly tied, have an annual income below £15,000 a year and half think they won’t be running a pub in five years’ time. He said: “While increased taxation by the Labour Government, cut price supermarket booze and the smoking ban haven’t helped, it’s the pubcos that twist the knife.”

So far, then so far as we know, there are two slots for emergency motions, and two motions we are aware of. It’s rarely that simple however. The Conference Committee will have the full list of motions submitted, and has to judge each on its merits: is it really an emergency topic? is it the sort of motion Conference ought to consider (there are drafting guidelines, for example). If there are more motions than slots, it goes to a ballot of conference reps – full details are in the Conference Agenda.

This is the second in a short series of top tips for conference-goers. Our first, yesterday, told you that you don’t have to register as a delegate to attend fringe and training events at conference.

Today’s tip is for those planning to attend conference, who are not voting members of conference.

Many local parties have not elected as many conference representatives as they are entitled to. Even those local parties that have both a full complement of reps and reserve reps may find themselves in the situation that not all of their representatives are able to make it to conference.

This is where you come in – you can offer to attend as a substitute member. Your local party exec will need to approve this first, and you will need to bring with you a signed letter from your local party chair or secretary indicating that they have agreed to you serving as a substitute voting representative. Once at conference, you can swap the letter for a voting rep badge.

The full rules for this are available in the Conference Agenda, available for download here, and they say:

Voting status and voting / non-voting photo passes

You will only be able to register as a voting representative if the Party’s Membership Department:

1 has already received written notification from the Returning Officer of your local party that you have been elected as a voting representative*; or

2 has already received written notification from the Returning Officer of your local party that you are a substitute elected by your local party Executive after a voting representative has informed them that s/he is unable to attend*; or

3 receives at the Membership Desk at conference (in the Windsor Lobby on the ground floor of the BIC) written notification from the Returning Officer of your local party that you have been elected as a voting representative or as a substitute.

* For a voting photo pass to be sent out before conference this information must have been received by 7th August 2009. Otherwise you will be sent a non-voting photo pass.

If you have received a non-voting photo pass and believe you are a voting representative, you need to get an officer of your local party to inform Membership Services (see below) in writing of the elected representatives of your local party. Your voting status cannot be changed over the phone.

If you have received a non-voting photo pass but are attending conference as a substitute voting representative, you need to get an officer of your local party to write to Membership Services with the name, address and membership number of the representative you are substituting for, as well as your own full details, before 12.00 on Friday 11th September, and bring a copy of this letter to the Membership Desk at conference.

You may then collect the appropriate pass from the Membership Desk in the Windsor Lobby on the ground floor of the BIC.

Write to: Membership Services, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB or email <!–
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