'Reformers seemed to be having rather more of a good time than the party that is currently enjoying a monumental majority in Parliament," said Stephen Pound
Stephen Pound is a former Labour Party MP
The Party conferences are not just an excuse to mix serious politics with even more serious partying but to present your party to the gaze of the world.
How the parties behave, and what the general atmosphere is, really matters and many people who manage to resist the temptation to sit in on day twenty-seven of the Finance Bill Committee will form an opinion of a party from its appearance in the shop window that is Conference.
Leaving aside the misery glimpsed through the Scotch mist that was the SNP wake in Scotland and exhibiting sufficient good taste to turn away from the toe curling embarrassment of the Liberal Democrats and their increasingly frenetic immersion in the world of water sports and very bad Abba tribute sing-a-longs you are left with the big two – for the sake of balance it should be pointed out that the Conservative conference has yet to take place or, if it already has, no one noticed – of Reform UK and the Labour Party.
Both had enjoyed considerable success in the July general election but it is hard to avoid the fact that the Reformers seemed to be having rather more of a good time than the party that is currently enjoying a monumental majority in Parliament.
The beery bonhomie in Birmingham gave Reform the chance to put out their wares as more than a one-man band, although the Taylor Swift like entrance of the gladiator Nigel did rather suggest that Reform is built around the man.
To be fair to Nigel Farage he did big up his fellow five MPs and the leading lights in rampant Reform.
The two takeaways referenced by most observers were the sight of the crowd going wild as Lee Anderson ripped up his TV licence demand and the truly extraordinary and utterly unexpected vision of Nigel Farage pulling stumps at the absurdly early hour of ten pm and heading off to bed.
All in all, it was a success and the statement of one delegate – Cherry – that she used to be proud of being British but now she’s proud of being Reform gave many a neutral observer pause for thought.
Things were a little different on the opening weekend of Labour in Liverpool.
The weather had been needlessly cruel to Rishi Sunak when he waded through the water to give his soaking wet resignation speech in Downing Street but the gods were in no mood to do the People’s Party any favours and it was tipping it down on the banks of the Mersey.
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On paper this should have been a joyous celebration and there should have been no suggestion of a lightweight Nigel early night.
There were serious statements made and important work done to lay down the foundations of a more secure economy but far too many people wanted to talk about passes for glasses and the bewildering fact that Keir Starmer accepted such well-tailored generosity.
The vitally important responsibility of government and the consequences of major policy decisions were drowned out by the chatter around Angela Rayner’s New York weekend and Victoria Starmer’s elegant gowns, it cannot be denied that it has been a tricky few days.
The cartoon in one of the nationals showing the hotel manager telling Keir that he had been allocated the “honeymoon is over” suite rather reinforces a public perception that Labour needs to dispel with all possible speed.
Recent council byelections have not been good but these are the very earliest days of a five-year Labour term and for the sake of the nation I wish the new government God speed but if anything is needed to concentrate the mind then it was the sight of the whooping and cheering throng of Reformers having the time of their lives in Birmingham – even if the king of all party animals headed off at a uniquely early hour.
