Walking around the Labour conference and its fringes, it sometimes feels like the party suffered not just a defeat but a lobotomy. There are no great arguments about the future of socialism, the uses and limits of the market etc. There is no spark, no protest, not even dissent. No debate, no tension. That’s not to say there aren’t any clever people: Ed Miliband has some real brainboxes behind him and some of his ideas show the result of hard thinking. There are plenty of bright young Labour things, and it will be a party worth listening to when the 2010 intake starts to ascend the ranks.
But now? Last night’s receptions felt more like a wake than a rally. Jurassic union leaders roam around with a proprietorial air. Every delegate here is wearing a pass ribbon around their neck saying “Usdaw, the campaigning union”.
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