Jubal goes politicking: Lib Dem Spring Conference 2016

[Jubal]

I'm going up to Lib Dem conference! And I get to vote on stuff and everything!

If you've ever wanted to know anything about how party conferences work (or at least the Lib Dem one), or you want to influence how I vote on anything, or just generally make deprecating comments about the Lib Dems, this is your thread for the next few days. Meanwhile I'll be sharing my limited insights on how this political party actually works, whether conference is as fun as it claims to be on the leaflets, and other glorious stuff like that.

[Jubal]

Posting from the York Barbican, which I'm waddling around rather confusedly. Various famous faces (and many more that are familiar from social media) spotted, lacking people I actually know though... There's a debate tomorrow I'm tempted to apply to speak in, but I'm not sure yet where one does that and I may be too knackered after this week to speak at all well on anything.

[comrade_general]

Sounds horrible.

[Jubal]

I submitted a speaker's card. Not sure if I'm hoping to get picked or not, but we'll see how it goes!

[Pentagathus]

What cowman said. Have fun though.

[Jubal]

I didn't get picked

Rest of conference was fine - conference voted for the party to campaign to: invest more in infrastructure, legalise weed, stop the government reading our emails, stop fracking, give more safeguards to people renting houses, and (most controversially) to introduce some all-women shortlists for candidates for a few Westminster seats in 2020. I basically abstained on the last and voted in favour of all the others.

Other good bits included a fringe meeting on the Syria crisis which was really interesting, a surprising quantity of free alcohol, some nice time spent with the friend I was staying with (who isn't a Lib Dem but still very kindly gave me a place to stay that was super convenient for conference). Bad bits included how difficult it was to get affordable food near conference, lack of good opportunities to meet people in a quiet and not drunk setting, and.

All in all was a fairly alright first conference for me, nothing stellar but nothing awful. Will hopefully go to Brighton for Autumn Conference in September.