Liberals should back free schools, argues David: "I’m a Liberal and it seems to me to be our role to back the people against the system. To back the people against the bureaucrats. To back diversity against uniformity, and energy against neatness."

The best, most detailed analysis I've yet read of Ed Miliband's first conference speech as leader. The conclusion: it was "comfort zone politics. It is not how you get a party ready for recovering power."

Some interesting data and musings on Prime Ministers' and leaders' age, and years of Commons' service, before attaining the top office.

The insider's account (aas, minus some of the juiciest gossip).

Whatever your party, Labour blogger Hopi Sen's advice applies.

Excellent, fair-minded analysis by Decca Aitkenhead of what it was like to be at the Liverpool 2010 conference.

Time for a Lib Dem A-list of candidates?

Every Liberal's favourite Bureaucrat offers us an inside-track on what it takes to be Lib Dem party president.

A provocatively moderate suggestion for Nick Clegg's setpiece conference speech: "Nick should make an overt, aggressive and comprehensive pitch for the centre-ground."

The killer question for Blair-hating Labourites: "why is it that real Labour (ie Labour minus Blair) hasn't won an election in 36 years?"