It’s that time of year again- the political nerds are out and about.
Open the bar, and check into the Airbnb, it’s party conference season once again as hundreds of political nerds and the media pack head to the political parties’ annual get-togethers.
It’s a marathon for the lobbyists and political hacks as they throw parties and expense accounts at the politicians hoping to get the latest drunken gossip.
Post-election there will be new MPs rushing from fringe to fringe hoping to make a name for themselves, alongside sad-looking defeated ones accepting condolences and consultancy roles.
Reform UK 2024 National Conference
Jack Walters/GB News
First up were the Lib Dems, fresh from a record number of seats gained they headed to the seaside in Brighton aware they now must turn success into action and media coverage.
Can their 72 MPs make a real difference and provide opposition to the Labour Government? And now Ed’s stunts are over they need to find a way to raise their media profile again.
Complaining about sewage and the NHS was popular during the election, much harder to turn that into eye-catching action at Westminster. Harder still to find some clear differences with the Labour Party that they can get their teeth into.
Labour’s conference might have been triumphant, but everything Starmer does appears low key and he will want to avoid looking too self-satisfied.
The recent disastrous winter fuel policy looks set to dampen their conference.
What should have been a celebration may turn into an inquest and one of the shortest political honeymoons on record. A few union members and rebellious MPs giving conference floor speeches against the leadership may catch the headlines.
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There will be much more interest in what the Conservatives get up to in Birmingham, rather than looking back at defeat the focus will be on a beauty contest between the four candidates hoping to become leader.
If they are smart, they can position this as rebuilding and showcasing new talent, get it wrong and the infighting and post-election inquest could be disastrous.
Also, in Birmingham is the Reform national meeting, the challenge for them is to turn the party into a national organisation with a local activist base.
Conference is a good test to see if they can develop the structures to establish a local network which is essential if they’re to compete at grassroots, something they must do under the current electoral system.
More likely it turns into the Farage show. He is their greatest asset, but the party needs to show it is bigger than one or two big beasts.
One thing is for sure, there will be late-night drinking sessions, some bed-hopping in the hotels, some dull speeches and the occasional moment when things suddenly come to life.