This is the BBC.

Not long ago, my esteemed colleague,

the political editor of Channel 4 News, Gary Gibbon,

pointed out that he and I had spent more than a year of our lives

at party conferences.

Think about it.

Three, sometimes four weeks a year.

For 15 years, actually, don't think about it too much.

It's far too depressing.

And when I changed jobs and was no longer one of Gary's colleagues

in the political lobby, people said to me,

you'll never have to go again.

And you know what?

I chose to keep going.

I went to the Labour Conference for the Today programme

and popped up as you'll hear for this podcast

for one night at the Tories.

And the reason I can't resist is because when you listen

to those big conference speeches,

when you listen to them all, not the cut down,

not the bits, the TV channels and the newspapers

want you to read and to hear.

...