Comment: New Political Confidence Buoys The Spirits At Lib Dem’s Conference

Published on: 24 Sep, 2019
Updated on: 28 Sep, 2019

Local attendees of the three main national political party conferences have been invited by The Dragon to report their observations. Here is the first from Cllr James Steel (Westborough) who attended the Lib Dem conference last week…

Cllr James Steel

By James Steel

A record attendance of 3,200 creating an air of upbeat new-found confidence infused the Liberal Democrat autumn conference in Bournemouth this year.

I went with other Young Liberals, following our tradition of buying the cheapest room and ending in a dodgy-looking Airbnb, with beds lined up like a cheap version of Love Island and the toilet and shower behind a locked door. The classic Young Liberal experience was in full-flow from the get-go.

On Saturday, day one of the conference, I got myself into the front row for the annual party rally in the evening as rumours of another MP defection whizzed around the hall. We were not disappointed.

Tim Farron opened with his usually Northern charm, and Verhofstadt came on to discuss the importance of having the UK leading, not leaving Europe. Then, to a roar from the crowd, East Surrey’s Sam Gyimah MP came on stage and announced he had become the 18^th member of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Group.

At the Liberal Democrat disco, Christine Jardine MP made everyone’s night with a banging set including Amarillo. And new MEPs were making shapes on the disco floor, another sign of a very positive upbeat mood felt throughout the conference.

Sunday was the major Lib Dem policy day. We had already agreed to have some form of universal basic income, and the Stop Brexit policy was thoroughly discussed and passed almost unanimously.

This whetted our appetites for the traditional constituency members’ meal at the Indian Ocean Restaurant which has pictures of the owner with Liberal Democrat leaders going back to Paddy Ashdown.

James Steel (right) with Guy Verhofstadt (centre), European Parliament’s Brexit Coordinator and fellow young Lib Dems at their party conference

On Monday, I attended a Q&A by Luciana Berger MP covering a range of subjects from Brexit, the present state of the Labour Party and anti-Semitism. She told of her harrowing time of the Labour conference last year where she was verbally abused by party members because she was Jewish. That made us reflect on the persecution the Jewish community continues to suffer.

Monday night finished with the bang that is the Glee Club, playing the classics such as The Land, Letterboxes and Losing Deposits (there was a joke at the start that this is now a rarity).

The co-ordinator even managed to get Sarah Wollaston, Luciana Berger and Sam Gyimah up on the mini-stage at the Marriott leading us all in singing party anthem The Land. At the end, my voice was a croak, but that could’ve been the beer consumed.

Tuesday closed the show with a tribute to Paddy Ashdown and tales of his mannerisms. Every soul in the auditorium was touched.

Jo Swinson’s speech was a barnstorming finish to the conference, placing herself firmly as a contender to be the next Prime Minister of the UK.

There was a deeply positive attitude throughout the conference with everyone feeling upbeat and confident of the future, a stark contrast with the conference of 2017 that seemed soul-searching after a somewhat slow-growth General Election.

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