Bad pun alert

The following pun in today's Simon Hoggart column made me laugh out loud;

"the MP for Burnley, Kitty Ussher (she used to work as a steward at cat shows)"

Angry Ming

There isn't any point echoing Alex's authoritative post on the trident debate/leader's speech, much of which I agree with (I'll save my disagreements for a mega-post on coalitions which I am working myself up to), but I did want to make two observations;

Made for TV speech

First, more than any other leader - or indeed other senior Lib Dem - that I've seen give conference speeches Ming's are the ones that are most squarely aimed at a TV audience. All leaders speeches have to balance the demands of the audience in the hall with the audience at home, but I have been struck by just how different Ming's speeches come across when watched on a screen. That is not a criticism. Although the made for TV approach may be one reason why he seems to have a problem with the endings.

However, it should also be pointed out that Ming's speech in the trident debate was most definitely one made for the hall. That is not a criticism either.

Scary Ming or Angry Ming?

Second, when I supported Ming in the leadership election it was in hope that the party would end up being led by "Scary Ming". I don't think we've yet got "Scary Ming".

But what we have got, from time to time, is "Angry Ming".

The leader clearly intervened in the trident debate because he was angry with the way the debate was going and angry with some of the arguments being used. You could tell. As a result those of us in the hall got a ticking off which I didn't find particularly pleasant and heard some powerfully put arguments a lot of which I didn't agree with. Nevertheless, "Angry Ming" took a risk, nailed up his colours, and was rewarded.

We have a leader who is often motivated by that most basic of political emotions - anger - and I have to say, I rather like that.

Conference in a nutshell

OK, so now the fog has cleared a little how was Harrogate for me? Here we go with a few highlights and observations:

Pleased to get a lot of good 'geek-work' done on the train on the way up and enjoyed the wide-ranging philosophical discussions I had on the train on the way back.

Delighted with the launch of the Home Office Watch website, which I have had some techy involvement with, at the rally on Friday evening (although I wasn't actually there, having been lured into the bar by a Richmond councillor).

Felt somewhat guilty for having inadvertently crashed a groups dinner later on Friday night, but was rather pleased as a result to listen to an intensely fascinating discussion on international issues between people who knew what they were talking about.

Listening to the brilliant speech by Tessa Munt, PPC for Wells, in the trident debate. She had the intimidating task of being the speaker following Ming after his intervention, and had to put the opposing case. She handled the situation extremely well and made one of the best speeches of the weekend.

While the motion on Kashmir that had been submitted failed to get to the top of the emergency ballot and so wasn't on the agenda, Sal Brinton, PPC for Watford, through questions secured a commitment from our Lib Dem MEP's that they would continue with the right approach they have taken to this issue and condemned the Labour party's attempt to make political capital out of the recent Nicholson report.

The launch of "Power Actually" a book by David Boyle looking at "liberal democrat localism in action" which has a whole chapter based around the innovative work Luton Lib Dems are doing in education.

Having a starter of black pudding in pastry parcels at a very pleasant dinner with friends on Saturday night - very Harrogate I thought!

Getting called to speak in the regeneration debate on Sunday morning - been a while since I've spoken from the conference platform.

And finally, like almost everyone else, totally missing the significance of the '5 tests' remark in the leaders speech.

Post Conference Fog

Having been back from Harrogate for over 36 hours, dealing with the usual tiredness, trying to catch up on all those missed tasks, dealing with Monday, and trying to fit in catching up on the media coverage and other peoples posts, I finally get to blog. However, although there are several half formed posts in my head, I'm finding it difficult pull out from the fog in my brain the important themes as to what it all means. A feeling increased by the disparity between much of the media coverage and my experience on the ground.

However, I have one tentative conclusion to put forward; the significance of this Spring conference appears to be only becoming apparent to those who were there until after they got home. I mean, of course, the coalition stuff. Hélène Mulholland in her piece on Guardian Unlimited seems to capture the spirit of that better than any other bit of journalism I've yet had time to see.

More from me, trivial and non-trivial, on conference during the week, I hope.