Beyond the Spin

Forgive the purely Lib Dem focus this today, it is their conference week so someone has to give them some coverage. There is even a video on the way, delayed by 24 hours due to a fried sound card on TB's computer.

The spin of their rally last night is really starting to unravel now. In reply to TB's earlier post, a useful commenter has provided their take on last night's apparent Rennard love-in:

"He got polite applause prior to speaking whilst engaged in a uncomfortably close on-stage clinch with Baroness Scott, the women who tried to cover-up that he hadn't been properly investigated by the party. I can't verify a rumour that during the rehearsal he had to be told several times where to put his hands.

There was then a stage managed ovation at the end with some in the audience sitting on their hands, and many others pretending to join in with fake clapping. One idiot/flunky at the back of the room was trying to bray approvingly at everything he said but had no fellow travelers in the audience.

The highlights of his speech included the news that he had miraculously recovered from the 'illness' that caused his resignation earlier in the year. How unfortunate that he resigned so prematurely...

The other was that he was still available to advise the party should they want him. Good news for troughing peers struggling with ways of evading the rules. In particular Baroness Scotland might wish to ask him how he has got away so far with lying about living in a holiday home for most of the year whilst working full time in Central London.

After the speech he was presented with two framed pictures of great liberal leaders, Gladstone and Lloyd George I think... very considerate of the party... one for each home."

Those last two lines have to be the quote of the day.

TB's eyes and ears on the fringe have reported back today that

Mr Fawkes

put the question to a fringe event audience of whether Lord Rennard should be allowed to keep the forty odd grand he has lined his pockets with through his housing arrangements. Not one person in the room put up their hands in agreement.

Including Lynne Featherstone MP who was in attendance.