Could we invent the party conference if it didn’t exist? Whingeing about having to spend four days in airless rooms outside London is the national sport of Westminster. The hotels are too expensive, the food too bland, the alcohol too warm, and there is never enough time to get some proper sleep. “It’s basically a load of politicos from London traipsing up to Birmingham or Manchester to mingle with a load of other politicos from London who you see most of the time anyway,” is how one special adviser puts it. It wasn’t a surprise, then, that few tears were shed when it was announced that the pandemic would be putting a temporary end to them. Still, those who work in or around politics should be careful what they wish for. Annoying as they might be, these annual set pieces are there for a reason. The most obvious one is corporate funding, both for political parties and for any organisation running events. “It is a money-spinner,” said one agency lobbyist, who fears the cancelled seasons ...