I'm fed up with leaders' speeches. We spend most of conference debating motions in a fairly democratic, rational, sometimes even mature, way. And then we have the leader's speech, which actually almost gets some media coverage. And because of the media half-interest we have to have a speech with 73 "clap lines", absurd incidental music, and a 10 minute standing ovation while the guy on the stage runs off into the crowd like it's a sodding football match.
I don't like feeling treacherous if I can't be arsed to clap something inane like "There are no mistakes made by government that cannot be set right by the British people. If only they are given the chance." I'm not saying it's a bad speech. But it's a speech designed to elicit applause every 60 seconds. Is there not something a bit weird about that?
An emotionally manipulative soundtrack is fine for Rocky or romcoms, but it's infantile to have it accompanying what is meant to be a reasoned political argument.
And at the end I was half expecting balloons and stars and stripes confetti to come tumbling down from the ceiling. Surely we could manage to close a conference and still maintain a little decorum?
In short, please leave the presentationalism to Labour, the Tories and America.
Oh, and Europe didn't warrant a mention? I'm told that Nick spent all week saying how he was proud he was to be pro-European. And yet barely a word in the speech. Does anyone at Cowley Street actually care about the European elections? They should. At least in the European Parliament Lib Dems exercise a bit of influence and power.
OK, yes, I know. The leader's speech has to reach beyond the conference hall. And maybe, just maybe, all that guff actually works. But to quote Nick:
It's condescending. Talking down to us. Talking us down.
Ignore me. I'm sleep-deprived.
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