Conference ...... what's the point?

I have just voted in the LDV poll. Of course I would have preferred a poll that allowed us to prioritise, I also enjoy the socialising, fringes, general buzz..........but of course the highlight for me is the debate. Despite my occasional :-) moanings about stuff, I am rather proud that we do still have a process in policy making that involves the membership. If political activism is about anything it is surely based on the premise that collectively we can achieve more than we can on our own. When we lose the link with our grass roots to my mind we not only lose our legitimacy we also make worse decisions. I know there are some in our parliamentary party (because I have heard them) who would rather cut the feckless activists out of the process altogether, life would be so much easier wouldn't it. Yes, but we would fast turn into a think tank of the great and the good who never go near the great unwashed but presume to have something to say on how to make their lives better.....oh yes, just like Labour and the Tories!

There are flaws in the current process that I would like to see something done about. For example, I don't like the fact that parliamentary spokespeople can effectively block any motion/amendment they don't like. I believe we should have a system where the membership has a say in the policies they want to debate. This could either happen by sending out all competent motions to local parties to prioritise, or by reserving the last day of conference to debate motions prioritised by conference reps (rather as we do with emergency motions). Of course this would give some in the party the heeby jeebies - heavens we might have to debate a really controversial issue.........but I believe it would engender more involvement in the policy making process. As someone who has never had a motion accepted by FCC, I know how demoralising and demotivating it is. In fact the only motion I have ever had debated was one submitted for emergency where the activists prioritised it. Of course FCC may counter by accusing me of writing crappy motions (!)

So, let's see what happens with my various amendments......

What I am pleased about is that an apparent drift towards less policy making and more chatting a la Labour/Tory, seems to be off the cards. At the moment we seem to have it about right.

So, of course I am looking forward to a lively and interesting conference. Will it be possible to amend the motion on Making it Happen? Will we support the status quo in Afghanistan? Will Nick Clegg send us off with fire in our bellies and a song in our hearts???!

Making it Happen?

Having had one of my manic few days my only response so far to Making it Happen could have been interpreted as a negative one. In fact that is not the case at all, my concerns were predominantly about one aspect of it and the marketing of that aspect, namely cutting tax.

So, what do I think of Making it Happen in the round? A few weeks ago we had a detailed look at the draft at an FPC awayday. I elicited some amusement by saying how excited I was about it as a document. But I was excited then and I am excited now. Overall it begins to tell the story which so many have been crying out for. It connects with our values and has a genuine thread running through it which is about making life better for so many in our country who struggle financially, but also in terms of being heard when they come into contact with the state; who are fearful but feel powerless to change anything; who share our values, but don't see those values reflected in any of the other major parties.

There are elements of the detail I personally would want to change, but overall I think it has a fresh, intelligent and forward thinking feel. On many issues it puts clear blue water between us and the other two Tory parties and articulates beautifully what that looks like. Anyone who asks "what are the Lib Dems for?" would be hard pressed not to be able to find an answer in these pages.