There may have not been fireworks at Labour’s conference in Brighton but the attendees appear to have enjoyed themselves. In the very lengthy queues for Jeremy Corbyn’s speech, I surveyed the activists to find out what they have made of the conference — you can watch what they said above.
Those attending for the first time (a significant chunk of those here) generally said it has all been wonderful, while conference veterans were more split between those who think it’s been inspirational and others who have sensed divides rumbling along under the sheen of the new leadership.
Judging by the continuous standing ovations Corbyn received for his speech, it’s a fair to say this is probably the outstanding moment for most Labour activists. Posing this question before Corbyn took to the stage, nearly every single person I spoke to singled out John McDonnell’s speech yesterday as their conference highlight. Given the cool reception his speech received in the press, it shows that we may still be some way from understanding what makes all the new Labour members tick. Most of them expressed surprise at the speech at how good they believe it was and McDonnell’s standing among the grassroots appears to have improved significantly.
The attendees I spoke to also mentioned the atmosphere as one of the most pleasant surprises of this conference — there is certainly a larger younger contingent present with more of a buzz than in previous years. But the conference has not been fizzing and exploding with energy, as you can see at SNP gatherings for example.
Comments