The Lib Dems get used to power and responsibility.
In May Britain’s political sands shifted dramatically and members of the three main parties can be forgiven for appearing a trifle unsteady as they attempt to navigate an unfamiliar landscape. Conference season provides a platform for their anxieties and gives leaders, who have shaped this new environment, a chance to help their followers find their feet. Labour is engaged in a high profile contest to crown a leader, of course, and looks set to draw all the wrong lessons from its election defeat. Next weekend the result will be announced and the party’s membership will be asked to galvanise around its chosen Miliband in a very public coronation. The Conservatives convene in early October and the atmosphere is likely to be less than celebratory, despite the party's return from a long spell in the political wilderness. A growing band of Tories resent the dependence of their government on coalition partners and Lord Ashcroft owns the most high profile finger of blame...