Party conferences aren’t all speeches to big exhibition halls. For those of us in political parties, they are a chance to see friends, catch up with colleagues and share ideas.
But inevitably the leader’s speech ends up being the lynchpin moment – a chance to prove the doubters wrong or confirm what the pundits have already decided. For politicians it’s also an important chance to try to focus the political debate on our values. Today, Nicola Sturgeon will take to the stage in Aberdeen.
Last week, Liz Truss gave her first speech to a Tory conference as Prime Minister. Their values and visions are very different but both are leaders running out of road as the consequences of their failures catch up with them.
