The main halls and speeches at party conferences tend to be the least interesting parts — the words are briefed out to the press in advance, what politicians say is on stage is usually dull and you can watch it all on TV anyway. It’s the fringe events and exhibitions that give a better sense of a party’s mood. Judging by the halls of the Brighton Centre, Jeremy Corbyn has certainly had an impact on the whole party (click on the pictures to enlarge).
Wandering through the exhibition halls, I was struck just how many trade unions are present have big flashy stands. Unite the Union has is easily the most prominent with TUC, Unison, Usdaw and the Musicians’ Union are also present:
The CND and Morning Star newspaper would have usually had a minor presence in the pastbut they have neighbouring stands at the top of the balcony staircase:
No-one is going near the flashy Barclays stand:
Both sides of the EU referendum are represented: ‘Labour in Europe’ has a flashy stand giving away red tote bags, while ‘Labour for Britain’ has a more subdued presence:
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