At the end of September, I attended the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth. It’s my second one and I actually managed to keep track of proceedings this time. In my first conference, I managed to broadly understand the policies, motions and decisions taken but did not have a full understanding of the context so did not vote much as I felt ill-informed. In March 2023, I deliberately attended without much preparation apart as I wanted to experience everything from a completely fresh view and get a read of the cultural temperature. It gave me the opportunity to read the culture, dynamics, and true politics of the group without any preconceptions.
This time I was more prepared (even arranging accommodation and parking two whole weeks in advance š)! The speaker line up was great and inspired me further to support our local LibDem candidate Olly Glover in the next election. He was a private school kid and worked on the railways, so can speak to people at every level of society and understand the real life experience of his constituents as a result.
My stand out speeches, apart from Ed Davey, LibDem Part Leader in the Q&A and Keynote speech, were from Daisy Cooper (MP for St Albans) and Josh Babarinde (MP Candidate for Eastbourne). Daisy has energy, eloquence, and passion, and is much respected in Parliament – a ‘pocket rocket’ for social change (as she’s somewhat petite in stature). Josh also inspired the audience with his story of being from an adopted immigrant family member and managed to speak in a PechaKucha style, where the slides automatically change every 30 seconds. He challenged himself to keep pace with the relentless powerpoint progression, while remembering what he had to say as he walked and talked around the stage.
The issues discussed that most impacted on me were Ending Period Poverty and a Fair Deal for the Armed Forces. Both emphasised experiences of poverty and poor living conditions from completely difference perspectives. I was shocked that 26% of women and girls have avoided school or work due to a lack of sanitary products, and some have used tissue or socks in desperate circumstances. Many women and girls have been shamed for this natural bodily function and have been embarrassed to ‘leak’ in public situations. My worst period experience was ‘leaking’ on the way into London when I was sure I had protected myself sufficiently, only to arrive at a publishing conference wearing white trousers and discovering the worst had happened when I took off my coat. Fortunately I had other sanitary products in my handbag, but there was no hiding the stain as I rapidly donned my coat again and headed to the shops to buy an alternative outfit. Needless to say I said nothing about this to the other attendees and simply appeared again an hour later with a new skirt and underwear. Phew, I thought as no-one questioned my temporary absence!
The debate around the Armed Forces and their living conditions was in a way more shocking, as this is hidden from the view of civilians. The question was around the quality of housing, much of which is damp and mouldy, and the unfair treatment of families and non-heterosexual couples forced to live in these unfit for purpose conditions. In one representative speech, the now adult child of a military family said that he thought mouldy bathrooms were normal for everyone! Given the strain placed on military families and their children anyway, moving homes and schools on a frequent basis, the least we could do is provide proper, well-furnished, and functional accommodation…
Overall I feel the Liberal Democrat ‘Yellow’ Party are near primed and mostly ready for government, which is a shift in my opinion from the first conference I attended in March 2023. The coming General Election will be interesting for the LibDems as the perceived underdog with the relatively unknown, but popular Ed Davey at the helm. From all the conversations I’ve had before and since with people outside politics, the want for change is apparent. The issue has been that often people have felt there was no viable alternative to the Conservative ‘Blue’ Party and Labour ‘Red’ Party. The perception has been that a vote for the LibDems or the Green Party was a wasted vote. The tipping point will come if those who want to turn to an alternative actually do (personally I’ve voted for most of the colours in the past, a rainbow voter perhaps). I think the LibDems stand a good chance of convincing those who sit on the fence. Let’s see if it plays out in the voting booth!
I look forward to meeting you while canvassing for the LibDem Party in the coming months and to hearing your views, priorities, and voting inclinations this time around. There’s a fine balance between vocalising reasons to vote LibDem and being overly persuasive, much like when talking about religion. So I’ll try not to be too pushy at your door!
All the best for the Winter months ahead.
Kind regards, Ruth
Well Thought Through 
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