Way back in June I posted about the waste of money being imposed on this year’s Liberal Democrat Federal Conference to exploit fears about insecurity.
(If it was anything to do with security, then why was I able to walk into a members-only Question and Answer session with Nick Clegg in Newbury, a couple of weeks ago at the height of the riots, with no search, no ‘accreditation’ apart from David Rendel welcoming me as I walked in…..?)
The issue has now hit the national media. See http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lib-dem-rebellion-looms-over-security-for-party-conference-2345518.html.
The principal reasons it has done so are twofold.
Firstly, opposition to an unnecessary, wasteful, authoritarian process that seeks to allow the Police to interfere with the democratic workings of a political party is widespread within the Liberal Democrats, as I predicted at the time. A business motion strongly criticises the process and (implicitly) the spinelessness of Federal Conference Committee in failing to resist it.
Secondly, the process appears to be descending into chaos. As Lib Dem activist Dave Page notes in the comments to the Independent’s piece:-
“This article misses a lot out. The CRB checking of conference delegates is a separate issue from the body searches and metal detectors that have already been introduced (and which are sensible, albeit inconvenient, for a party of Government).
With the conference three weeks away, many delegates (including myself) do not yet know whether they will be permitted to attend. Ordinarily, delegates will book holiday time and accommodation months in advance. Despite Wiseman’s claim that decisions on accreditation will be taken by the party on the advice of police, some of those already excluded include former members of the Liberal Democrats’ Federal Executive and Federal Policy Committee, well trusted and respected party members.
We know from leaked Federal Conference Committee discussions that the “security” measures are about preventing embarrassment in front of the media rather than any real threat of harm to delegates. Unfortunately, Wiseman has brought plenty of embarrassment on the party through this ill-advised, authoritarian, illiberal nonsense.”
The concept of ‘processing’ party members is anathema to many: we are Liberals and against this sort of thing. However, the incompetence of the police system (fuelling suspicions that it is a job-creation exercise for Greater Manchester Police, without any genuine basis in providing security) is endangering the basis of having a democratic political conference itself.
I suspect I’ll be posting more about this again soon.
It is an absolute farce, isn’t it?
It is! It is!
It’s absolutely mind bogglingly appalling and what really sticks in my throat is the implication that we who oppose this ridiculous system in some way don’t care about the safety of our Conference.
Let’s be clear. Some of the people I care most about in the world are going to be there. I’m going to be there and I want to get back to my family safely. We all have a vested interest in nothing going wrong.
CRB checks and arbitrary refusals are utterly wrong. If it really is the case we can’t get insurance without them, how come Nick Clegg can do Town Hall meetings as you say.
Having said that, I had to show my passport to get into our sessions up here.