The big event for me was the interview with Vince. I thought he was very impressive and I hope the tax package, and certainly scrapping the 50p proposals goes through with a big majority. Speaking to journalists around the conference it is obvious that Cable has a lot of credibility. We need to back him up.

What else went on yesterday? Michael Moore's speech struck me as a little too strident. Actually it made me think of Gladstone for whom international relations seemed a field for moral eneavour. The following debate on children and Families was such a motherhood and apple pie exercise that I decided to go and find something naughty to do instead.

Lunchtime (for me) meant the Times/Populus fringe event with Vince Cable, Steve Webb and Tim Hames. They all spoke well - and Hames (who was amusing) had some serious messages for the Party. Webb and Cable seemed to agree that common ground for the parliamentary party was suspicion of the way PFI was working in the NHS.

Ming's Question and Answer session (standing room only) went very well. The best received answer was to the question "what are you going to do to sex up your image?". Ming said "I am what I am" - perhaps he has been reading Liberal England. (Actually that might not have been the best received answer - so many people turned up that it took ages to get through security.)

The evening began with Independent fringe meeting - and big crownd gathered to hear Nick Clegg ( who had wowed conference with the Great Repeal Act proposal, Chris Huhne, Chris Rennard, and Simon Hughes. My view was that Rennard made the best speech, but everyone else seemed to pick Clegg.

The feeling around conference is pretty good. We haven't had a great year, to put it mildly and yet we are still north of 20% in the polls. The rising generation in the parliamentary party is very impressive. If we unite around the income tax cut, who knows how far we can go.