Party hard: View from inside the Lib Dem conference

Oliver Hayes

19 September 2011

For 3 weeks in the autumn I wear a suit much more than I'd like to.

It's party conference season, and the Lib Dems have kicked things off in Birmingham. All day and night party activists reconnect and corporate lobbyists buzz around like bluebottles. For 4 days it's a merry-go-round of speeches, fringe events and canapes.

You also see a healthy number of protesters. My favourites so far are the anti-nuclear campaigners in full-body skeleton suits and a lone placard bearer who was very cross with Walsall social services.

But Friends of the Earth is here too, and we're working hard to push the planet to the top of the conference agenda. We're appearing on discussion panels, speaking at events and asking questions left, right and centre to see just how green the party really is.

So far it's not looking that promising. Lots of the speeches pronounce great environmental progress made by this coalition Government. But behind the cue cards it seems there's precious little to shout about.

Tonight our campaigners are putting on an event to discuss the Government's proposals for reforming planning law. Lots of people are worried this could lead to unwanted developments popping up all over the country. It'll be interesting to hear what the delegates here think.

We're also speaking at an event about the Green Deal - the Government's great white hope for insulating all the UK's leaky houses. Will it work? Is it ambitious enough? How would local people get involved? These and other questions should ensure a lively debate.

Now I'm off to hand out leaflets before trying to get someone to fix the shower in our accommodation. It's all glamour here.

Ollie Hayes, Parliamentary team