Hi Peter, thanks for your reply, I am going to reply in different posts, as there’s some very different points you make, I think that’ll make it easier for anyone to quote & reply to a single point, if they so wish.

I am not sure about enjoying the conference as such, I will probably select a few speakers’ that may be interesting, and in-between take the chance to visit ‘the Lanes’, walk along the seafront & pier, and other such things. It’s been many years since I’ve been in Brighton, despite living nearby. Other times, the bar will beckon me.

"Greens and to a degree the Lib Dems have the luxury of presenting any manifesto they wish in the certain knowledge that they never will be required to make good on their pledges"

I totally agree with that Peter, I don’t consider them a serious political force, they tend to be just a protest vote, I’ve seen that in this year’s local council elections taking many of their gains from the Tories, because people want to give a bit of a kicking to the Tories but can’t bring themselves to vote Labour.

On the other hand, the main parties will make whatever manifesto promises they think will get them elected, and then ignore many of them once elected, the political system, like almost everything else in this country ATM, is broken.

But I do like hearing views & debating them from across the political spectrum, I’ve had interesting evenings in both the local Conservative and Labour Clubs here, and at general election hustings put on by my local Chamber of Commerce.

So having someone offering to pay for me to attend the Green Party conference, I thought why not, could be interesting. I suspect I’ll find it a bit strange to the say the least, and encounter some proper oddballs, much like in the radio world, but it’ll be an experience.