Do Party Conferences still have value?

As the fractured two party system evolves into a multi-party dynamic, party conferences are as valuable and relevant as ever. For political members, it offers a chance of democratic accountability and involvement, whilst for the general public it is an opportunity to scrutinise the party leadership and observe what values are on offer.

I admit that speeches from various MPs and leaders can descend into hot air, soundbites and rhetoric. However, key events and quotations in political history can be traced back to conference season. Who can forget Tony Blair’s abolition of the Labour Party’s Clause IV in 1995, or David Steel’s “go back to your constituencies and prepare for government” battle cry at the Liberal Assembly in 1981? Margaret Thatcher’s famous “the lady’s not for turning” speech was made at the 1980 Conservative Party conference. These quotes are of course far more famous than the venues where they were uttered, but the conferences nevertheless supplied the platform for their formulation. Public scepticism of political leaders highlights the urgency for a conference to deliver rather than for it to descend into irrelevance. Miliband has announced headline-grabbing policies such as abolishing the bedroom tax and freezing energy prices for 20 months just as serious question marks were emerging over his capabilities, not to mention the Opposition’s shrinking poll leads.

People of the view that these events are irrelevant may argue that Prime Minister’s Questions is a worthy test of a leader’s mettle. However, it all too often descends into playground politics, with immature barracking and point scoring. Party conferences aren’t exempt from these tendencies, but in a two pronged approach they at least force the Prime Minister and the opposition parties to answer to both their own party and the country. Furthermore, in terms of policy making the conferences can offer an indication to what the manifestos will look like at the next General Election. As a party member myself, attending a Spring Conference in 2012 gave me a fascinating insight into the democratic processes, and it was a great leveller to see MPs mingling with delegates in between speeches. When I talk of democratic accountability, I’m not at all suggesting that party members contain some sort of omnipotent veto; indeed there often isn’t enough democratic power for members of certain political parties. However, what I am suggesting is that conference season is a good examination of a political party; it can be the difference between whether someone chooses (or stays with) a political movement, and indeed whether they’ll vote for them at the next election.

There is common apathy in modern day politics, and enthusiasm can often wane. However, this makes party conferences more important than ever as opposed to the converse view. As party members and voters, we have a right to see our leaders and policy makers put to the test on the big issues.