The M42 and the meaning of life, the universe and everything
An enormous warehouse in the West Midlands isn’t the place you would usually go to find the heart of the Liberal Democrats. And if ever the soul of the party, the real meaning of its existence, was to be discovered, surely it would be somewhere more romantic than just off the M42? But yesterday the party showed its heart was still beating independently and its soul was very much alive in Hall 3 of the NEC, on the outskirts of Birmingham.
I was in two minds about attending the conference. Mentally I was longing to go, but physically was another thing. My longstanding foot injury had flared up again and only a bag of frozen veg applied for much of Saturday reduced the swelling enough for me to feel I was capable of getting there and back. As a member of the party since its inception in 1988, I felt I had to go. I love this party and had to see it through whatever was to happen. To have stayed at home would have been a betrayal.
On arrival, the NEC was throbbing with a strange mix of excitement and trepidation. Those I spoke with, winners and losers from the previous week alike, were all in support of the coalition agreement, but worried that there was a huge, hidden groundswell of members ready to denounce the party from the podium. There was some concern as to what TPTB were expecting, as the media were banned - a decision which I didn’t, and still don’t, support. But in the end in turned out to be unwarranted concerns on all scores. A handful of speakers against and none of them threatening to resign. Just twelve hands up against the motion supporting the coalition, with over 100 times that number in the hall.
Andrew Stunell opened the debate with a safe, yet witty speech, which left no-one in any doubt as to how and why we had got to this position. And then Evan Harris took to the stage to move amendment 1. A spontaneous ovation sprang up in the hall. Evan smiled, at first with delight, then slight embarrassment, as he was unable to start his speech. But when he did start, a sudden realisation that everything was going to be alright, if not more than alright, swept around the hall.
There were too many excellent speeches and interventions to mention them all. Those of us with long memories enjoyed speeches from old adversaries and now peers of the realm Tony Greaves and Tom McNally, now united in agreement like never before. But pride of place must go to the most wonderful piece of oratory from Simon Hughes MP. Simon has lost none of his passion over the years and still retains his place in the heart of many party members. His speech was the highlight of the debate, which united the hall in a long and much-deserved standing ovation.
And so to the votes. A series of nine amendments mostly passed nem con, strengthening our position on subjects from student finance to the Human Rights Act. And then the biggie. By this time I was near the back of the hall and to one side. I counted just 12 hands up against. A huge cheer went around the hall. Then Nick came forward to make his speech. He also couldn’t get started, as the cheers and applause continued to fill the hall. But once he did, he held the representatives in the palm of his hand. At the end the hall was buoyed by a mixture of delight, excitement and relief. As I left the hall to meet friends at a tweet-up in the NEC, I was so pleased that I had made the decision to attend. It made the trials and tribulations of the past few weeks fade into the distance and I felt a sense of renewal that would take the party forward into the coalition and whatever might face it.
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