Highlights from the first day at the Lib Dem virtual party conference
Our first ever virtual Liberal Democrat federal conference kicked off today.
Here are some of the highlights from what went down on day one, starting off with how good the attendance figures are. If you like what you read below, there’s still time to register for the rest of conference.
Really impressive audience figures so far for the online #ldconf – e.g. for my speech (not exactly Grade A draw!) we had the sort of attendance we'd usually have in a physical conference for the big-showdown-where-passing-amendment-C-will-really-annoy-the-leader type debate.
— Mark Pack 🔶 (@markpack) September 25, 2020
As we begin Autumn Conference, our Leader @EdwardJDavey is focused on reconnecting with voters and rebuilding our party. #LDConf 🔶 pic.twitter.com/Dz2Dr5Qoss
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) September 25, 2020
Showtime! pic.twitter.com/VSxYh61cfl
— Mark Pack 🔶 (@markpack) September 25, 2020
Attendance for #ldconf now at over 3,000, yay!
*big wave* https://t.co/JDymOABahB
— Mark Pack 🔶 (@markpack) September 25, 2020
I mentioned 'The Generous Society' in my opening speech at #ldconf. You can read it in full here: https://t.co/hT3GAQFSrd
— Mark Pack 🔶 (@markpack) September 25, 2020
Pleased to talk at #ldconf on @libdemhealth's policies of
– reviewing how the Bradford score is used in the NHS
– spreading reflective practice for health and care professionals
– of introducing occupational health passports so NHS staff don't repeat it all every time they move.— Mohsin Khan (@thedoctorkhan) September 25, 2020
F5 – Improve Mental Health Support for Health and Care Staff – Motion passed #LDConf
— Lib Dem Conference 🔶 (@LibDemConf) September 25, 2020
UBI motion passed at Lib Dem conference 715-250.
Total of 965 votes compares really well to previous conferences, e.g. https://t.co/epDwyXTti4
— Mark Pack 🔶 (@markpack) September 25, 2020
Big round of applause for @gdspayne for lots of excellent chairing today. pic.twitter.com/x3ZNSRtxt7
— Mark Pack 🔶 (@markpack) September 25, 2020
Great to see the number of first time speakers at Lib Dem conference – and very good speakers too! #ldconf
— Mark Pack 🔶 (@markpack) September 25, 2020
I’m pleasantly surprised #LDConf this year. I thought it was just going to be @markpack in his living room, but I appreciate the professionalism of this event.
Interesting talk so far and always loving the use of bar charts and graphs to help make the point! 😁
— Bradley Stuart-James 🔶 (@Bradley_SJ_) September 25, 2020
I spoke to the @guardian ahead of my speech to @LibDems conference tomorrow.
What's happening to the Uyghurs in Xinjiang is genocide. The world is looking to the UK and the international community to take action.
History is watching us. Read more 👇https://t.co/PcBeZ4X5zY
— Layla Moran 🔶 (@LaylaMoran) September 25, 2020
"We have core liberal values, we want to meet and listen to people where they are. I hope people take that away from the weekend."
With #LDconf's (virtual) doors now open, @wendychambLD explains what to expect across the next four days. pic.twitter.com/dtzcs7R4Sn
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) September 25, 2020
Hazel and Bernie are happy that Mummy isn’t going away for #ldconf this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/osOWeYKYN3
— Caron Lindsay 🔶 (@caronmlindsay) September 25, 2020
For the news from day two of Liberal Democrat conference, take a look here.
The big plus is obviously that many people can attend who could not have attended the physical autumn conference. The numbers are good and the standard of debate on focussed debates – like UBI and Federal UK – is high. I found the Party Strategy discussion very disappointing, on-screen and in Chat, the same familiar points over and over. I think face to face is better at that sort of thing. The organisation has clearly been very good and some features like the vote buttons work very well.
On the minus side, I’ve had periodic technical problems which completely ruined the Working with Labour event and I could not find Conference Daily till too late for a couple of things: in fact, I found it via your separate email, Mark! We should not need to access a separate web address for this: it should be a tab on the Homepage. Of course, the buzz is not the same and actually I’ve found it quite stressful: instead of going on a super-active holiday away from normal cares, I’m leaping from Hoptin to other tasks and back. I hope the first-time attendees who could go to a physical conference do when (if) they happen again.
I’m unable to go to Conference these days because I suffer from a chronic illness, so I really appreciate being able to join in this virtual conference. It’s so well organised and relatively easy to use so a huge thank you to those who made it possible.
I hope it can carry on being an option in the future.
It is as near to a normal conference as it could possibly be. Even the chance meetings with members from elsewhere in the coffee room or corridor are duplicated here. Very well done to all those who have put this together.