FOR 35 years, I’ve been attending party conferences, conventions and ard fheiseanna as a delegate, visitor, worker, lobbyist and now commentator.

My roles have taken me from the dowdy, overpriced guesthouses of Blackpool and Bournemouth to the bustling cities of Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham.

I’ve even experienced the extraordinary glitz of American cities like Atlanta, Chicago and Colorado hosting massive conventions that resembled WrestleMania events.

Each party conference has its own unique dynamic.

Fionnbharr Rodgers: How can Irish people be British?

Noel Doran: Andy Burnham should learn from Tony Blair about Ireland

The most significant change has been the increasing level of staging, management and professionalism. Conferences have become big business, with lobbyists for corporations and charities vying for the attention of passing politicians.

At the weekend, I was at the SDLP party conference held in the luxurious surroundings of the Crowne Plaza hotel in Belfast.

Back in my early days, SDLP gatherings were lively and raucous, with tensions between the big names playing out on the podium and in the bar.

Political debates often got fiery in the lounge, and even the near-obligatory sing songs became competitive. Austin Currie would imitate an Orange man bellowing out The Sash, Seamus Mallon would air the Bard of Armagh, and John Hume would hold out until pressed to sing The Town I Loved So Well. Hume always expected to be prevailed upon and was always well-prepared.

After the main conference pieces, the party factions would stake out their territories around the ballroom, more partitioned........

© The Irish News