WHAT IS THE POINT OF PARTY CONFERENCES?

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Institute for Government

News, Politics, Government

4.6 • 252 Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2022

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Every autumn the UK’s political parties decamp from Westminster for the annual party conference season. From Brighton to Blackpool, Manchester to Birmingham, Liverpool to Glasgow, Britain’s cities take turns to host politicians, activists, party members, journalists, and lobbyists for long days (and nights) of keynote speeches, breakfast fringe meetings, endless schmoozing, too much warm white wine and endless political intrigue. Is this where key decisions are taken and political history is made? Or i it just a gossip-soaked get together which serves no value? Michael Crick, a veteran of decades of conferences, joins political journalist Marie Le Conte, former special adviser Peter Cardwell, and the IfG’s Jill Rutter to reminisce about conferences past and weigh up whether party conferences deserve a future. Presented by Alex Thomas Produced by Candice McKenzie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to this special summer edition of Inside Briefing, the podcast from the Institute for Government.
0:15.4	I'm Alex Thomas and today we're talking about the spectre that haunts the British political class during the summer months, the spectre of the party conference.
0:24.6	These jamborees of politics run from mid-September to mid-October every year, traditionally starting with the Liberal Democrats, then Labour, the Conservatives and the SMP.
0:32.9	And with Green at Clyde Cymoury and other party gatherings in the mix too.
0:36.9	Most of the public don't spend their late summer days,
0:39.1	applauding or heckling politicians in conference rooms and stuffy fringe meetings. So what are these
0:43.6	events actually like? How do they differ? How does, or should, the media report on them? Do they
0:49.4	matter? And should we have them at all? Joining me to discuss this are some brilliant guests with
0:53.9	unmatched party conference credentials.
0:57.0	Michael Crick is a journalist and author whose CV would take most of this podcast to recite
1:01.0	and who has seen it all when it comes to party conferences, 46 years of them.
1:05.5	He's currently performing a true public service on Twitter,
1:08.2	chronicling party seat selections, follow tomorrow's MPs for the
1:11.5	inside track. Thank you for joining us, Michael. Thank you for having me. Marie LeCont is another
1:16.8	journalist and author. Her books, haven't you heard, and Honourable Misfits, are essential insights
1:21.4	into how Westminster really works, far removed from dusty politics textbooks, and her journalism
1:26.5	at party conferences and for the rest of
1:28.3	the year is always a must read. Hello, Marie.
1:30.5	Hello. Peter Cardwell is the political editor of Talk Radio, a former special advisor,
1:35.0	an author of another book that sits prominently on IFG shelves, the secret life of special
1:39.8	advisors, the ones who lurk around the edges of party conference giving them what bosses
1:43.4	pep talks while feeding
	...

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