Party time

Not this year however. Catastrophic developments in the world economy humbled even the most bigheaded politician. Chewing over the finer points of housing policy in fringe event after fringe event felt like a pretty futile exercise this year, given that no one had a clue what the world would look like in three months’, three weeks’, or even three days’ time. Everyone was all too aware that decisions made in Birmingham or Manchester could quickly be made irrelevant by events taking place in New York or Washington. A 2010 election seemed an age away.

Labour delegates had their internal quarrels to amuse them, and amused they were. Maybe it was the low expectations, maybe the sunshine, or maybe Gordon’s rather good speech. But the mood in Manchester was relatively buoyant. Unlike, oddly, in Birmingham. There, so it seemed, delegates had missed the memo letting them know that their party was in the ascendant for the first conference in a decade and a half, and so many of them mooched around glumly as if it were 1997 all over again. (Though with Mandy back, maybe in a way it is‚Ķ)

It’s possible that the muted atmosphere might partly have been the product of Cameron’s ‘fun embargo’. Fearful of any of his frontbench being caught appearing decadent during an economic crisis, the leader banned MPs from drinking champagne during conference. The Tories loved the image of David Miliband with his banana so much that they actually put life-size cardboard models of it all over the conference venue. God forbid it be overshadowed by photos of shadow ministers swigging magnums of champagne against a backdrop of plummeting share prices.

Even junior researchers and advisers were mindful of the potential folly of overdoing it in the conference bar after hours, given that it was this kind of debauchery that apparently led to Ruth Kelly’s resignation being unwittingly leaked at Labour conference.

At least the Tories somehow managed to hang on to their housing spokesperson. Compounding the sense of futility in the housing fringes at Labour and Lib Dem conferences was the creeping suspicion Рhardening into certainty Рthat we would be dealing with whole new personnel once October rolled around. And so it transpired that each party managed to lose their second spokesperson in less than nine months… careless, one might say.

But as it turns out, in neither case has housing been saddled with a rookie. With Sarah Teather in the Lib Dem job, there is a passionate housing campaigner on the front bench who now has the opportunity to turn words into actions. And the weight of Margaret Beckett’s experience and reputation can only be a good thing. No doubt, to make her comeback worthwhile, she’ll expect to be making solid achievements in this job.

Yes, there are many who would’ve loved Jon Cruddas to come on board. But as the man himself no doubt recognised, in joining the government he would’ve had to submit to having wings clipped. Arguably, he can do more from the backbenches. After all, being in the centre of things doesn’t always give you the clearest view.