The Birmingham pier

WHEN annual party conferences in Britain were held at the seaside --Blackpool, Bournemouth or Brighton -- it was possible for the media's political correspondents to compare their show with the variety acts at the end of the pier which often were conveniently called the Follies.

Nowadays inland city convention centres are preferred but events at the Liberal Democrats gathering this week makes one wonder whether they realise that they are not actually at Birmingham-on-Sea. The statement by Tim Farron, the party's president got things off to good start.

To almost everyone's amazement he said the LibDems might want to end the coalition by “divorcing” the Conservatives as early as 2014 to prepare for fighting the general election as an independent party. Mr Farron, who was elected president only last January, is said to be very popular in the party and a possible successor to Nick Clegg should he leave the stage. That popularity does not seem to extend to ministers serving in the coalition; Vince Cable has denied strongly that there was any talk of divorce. Behind the scenes the issue is an important one for the party; the list of government initiatives being shown with a LibDem ticket at Birmingham is clear evidence that their ministers know they have to demonstrate independence of and loyalty to the coalition at the same time. Not an easy act.