Getting together politicians, party members, affiliated groups and donors may sound like a good way to re-energise supporters and set a future direction. But these gatherings are fraught with political risk, providing factional rivals with a public stage for making mischief and a private forum for backroom plotting.
“They are a party management nightmare,” says Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, citing the trend for political rivals to ambush the party leadership with “malicious briefings” and “eye-catching, controversial” public remarks.
For Labour, the jeopardy is even worse, with “unions doing their annual best to show who’s boss” and members grumbling about their motions being “neutered through some arcane, backstage process”, he adds.
Financial Times