Lib Dem conference diary: no one to police the party

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/08/lib-dem-conference-diary-policing

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• A Lib Dem spokeswoman to the Speaker, John Bercow, resigned after making a partisan speech at the conference in Glasgow. The House of Commons said Bercow had accepted the resignation of Justine McGuinness, a PR expert and a well-known Lib Dem, who said she wished to pursue other interests. McGuinness, who used to advise Gerry and Kate McCann, caused surprise on Tuesday when she attacked the Tories, Labour and Ukip as a “collection of clowns” in a speech from the main platform at the Lib Dem conference. The Speaker’s staff are expected to remain above the political fray.

• Apart from Nick Clegg’s personal DPM protection team, police have been conspicuously absent from the Lib Dems’ Glasgow conference. Why? Because the UK Home Office won’t pay for policing in Scotland and the SNP government at Holyrood won’t pay for the Lib Dems. Police Scotland says Clegg’s party still owes it £800,000 for protecting last year’s conference here. There is a “conversation” under way, Lib Dems admit. “But we’ve not been billed.”

• Nick Clegg used the personal pronoun “I” more than 40 times in big speech on Wednesday. But he’s the party leader. Not far behind in a shorter address on Tuesday was energy secretary, Ed Davey, who clocked up 30, including 4 in one 25 word burst.

“People Who Think for Themselves Vote Liberal” proclaims an old black and white poster slogan on the Liberal Democrat History Group’s conference stand. As Twitteratti have been quick to spot the poster shows David Steel gazing admiringly at Cyril Smith.

Quote of the day

“People in London … don’t understand people’s commitment to local institutions. They don’t think it matters that so many of our financial institutions have lost their meaningful local place names – Bradford and Bingley swallowed by Santander, Halifax swallowed by the Bank of Scotland, Birmingham Municipal Bank swallowed by TSB then Lloyds” – Ian Swale MP for Redcar.