A postcard from Bournemouth (Greg Stone)

A postcard from Bournemouth

September 19, 2009 4:03 PM

Bournemouth Pier Greg writes:

Posts may be intermittent for the next few days as I am at the Lib Dem conference in sunny Bournemouth - it's far too hot to sit through the formal opening session in the chamber so am sitting out on a sunny terrace with laptop!

Lots of training sessions to attend on the latest campaign techniques, briefings for key seat candidates, and a wide range of fringe meetings to attend - a nice mix of work and pleasure in very warm, sunny, and congenial surroundings. I've already been on the beach for a photo-op with Sir Alan Beith MP and Fiona Hall MEP helping to building sandbag defences against flood risk, and if the weather stays like this I may even have to venture in for a swim at some point!

The main conference rally is tonight, with Charles Kennedy and Nick Clegg doing the honours, and other events in the diary include a North East candidates get together with the leader and the regional party reception.

I still think Newcastle would really benefit from a convention centre - hopefully the idea may become a reality when the economic upturn arrives and major development projects become more viable. However, there are plans afoot for the Lib Dems to visit the Sage Gateshead for a forthcoming conference.